'People go on marrying because they can't resist natural forces, although many of them may know perfectly well that they are possibly buying a month's pleasure with a life's discomfort.' Intelligent and ambitious, Jude Fawley's ambition is to study, but his ambitions are doomed in a classic tale of ill-fated love, betrayal and disillusionment, which was met with controversy upon its initial publication for its open and honest attitudes to sex, relationships and religion. Hardy's final completed novel is a tragic masterpiece, beautifully constructed and filled with Hardy's most stunningly descriptive writing.