Jude the Obscure

Tired of the negative criticism and insulting response after publishing Jude the Obscure, Hardy abandoned writing novels and devoted himself to poetry for the rest of his life. In this book, the author had dared to write more frankly than ever, denouncing the existing sexual morale and indicting the institutions of marriage, education and religion. Again a grim but deeply moral work, Jude the Obscure tells the story of poor stonemason Jude Fawley, who longs desperately for education and knowledge. But in Hardy's universe, humans are powerless to avert fate and the world is a place of brutal indifference, and even Jude's true love for his cousin Sue – the last and most extraordinary of Hardy's heroines – cannot save him. A tragedy of unfulfilled aims and man's essential loneliness, Jude the Obscure will leave readers empty, silent and stunned.

-Culture Trip