THE NEW WOMAN AND HER DOOMED FATE IN THOMAS HARDY’S JUDE THE OBSCURE AND KATE CHOPIN’S THE AWAKENING

My paper draws a parallel between thefemale protagonists of Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure and Kate Chopin's The Awakeningagainst the backdrop of the political, social and cultural changes that were brewing on both the sides of the Atlantic in the very prolific nineteenth century. This was the time when certain amount of female consciousness was on the rise both in fiction and in the real worldand the idea of a 'New Woman' as a social, political andd sexual being was gaining currency. However, this ‘awakening' came with its own perils and limitations. My paper uses Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure and Kate Chopins'TheAwakening to compare, contrast and anyalyze this.