Sue's tragedy in Jude the Obscure from a spatial theory perspective: spatial confinement and female destiny
空间理论视角下《无名的裘德》中淑的悲剧结局：空间禁锢与女性命运

摘要

本文旨在运用亨利·列斐伏尔的空间三元辩证法理论，结合福柯的规训权力、多琳·马西的性别空间理论及巴什拉的空间诗学，系统分析托马斯·哈代《无名的裘德》中淑·布莱德黑德的悲剧命运。研究结合空间流动的动态视角，从物理空间、社会空间与心理空间三个维度切入：物理空间的限制构成对淑身体的规训；社会空间的权力结构强化对其主体性的压抑；心理空间的冲突与幻灭则最终导致其精神崩溃。通过空间批评的视角，本文揭示了淑的悲剧不仅是个体命运的呈现，更是父权社会空间生产机制的必然结果。本研究为《无名的裘德》提供了新的批评视角，拓展了经典文本的解读路径。同时，其对空间与性别权力关系的探讨，也为当代女性争取空间权利、审视社会结构性压迫提供了历史参照，有助于启发更具包容性与自主性的性别空间构建策略。

Abstract

This paper aims to systematically analyze the tragic fate of Sue Bridehead in Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure by applying Henri Lefebvre’s spatial triad theory, integrating Michel Foucault’s disciplinary power, Doreen Massey’s gendered space theory, and Gaston Bachelard’s poetics of space.Combining a dynamic perspective of spatial mobility, the study examines three dimensions: the constraints of physical space constitute the discipline of Sue’s body; the power structure of social space intensifies the suppression of her subjectivity; and the conflict and disillusionment in psychological space ultimately lead to her mental collapse. Through a spatial critique, this paper reveals that Sue’s tragedy is not merely a manifestation of individual fate but also an inevitable outcome of the patriarchal mechanism of spatial production. The study provides a new critical perspective for Jude the Obscure, expanding the interpretative approaches to this classic text. Moreover, its exploration of the relationship between space and gendered power relations offers historical references for contemporary women’s pursuit of spatial rights and examination of social structural oppression, thereby inspiring more inclusive and autonomous strategies for gender-space construction.