Jude the Obscure.

Thomas Hardy wrote Jude the Obscure. The novel follows Jude Fawley. He is a stonemason in late nineteenth-century England. Jude teaches himself the classics. He hopes to enter university despite his origins. He leaves his village for the city of Christminster. There he encounters the rigid structures of class and education. Jude pursues his studies while working at his trade. He also contends with the expectations of marriage and family life. The book traces these conflicts in detail. The narrative shows how these elements intersect over time.