Dialect
Jude the Obscure
by Thomas Hardy

Jude the Obscure: Dialect 1 key example

Part 1, Chapter 11
Explanation and Analysis—Wessex English:

In Jude the Obscure Thomas Hardy employs a version of spoken English that comes from the West Country (a region in the Southwest of England with a very distinctive sound and accent. This stylistic choice makes the reader feel immersed in the world of Wessex. For example, in Chapter 11, one of Arabella's feckless companions explains to another how Arabella "tricked" Jude into marrying her:

‘Howsomever, ’twas I put her up to it! “Nothing venture nothing have, I said. If I hadn’t she’d no more have been his mis’ess than I.’ ‘’Tis my belief she knew before…’