| The last novel of Thomas Hardy, Jude the Obscure , essentially a tale of tragic proportions, was published in 1895 when Victorian England was undergoing a social change, which Hardy condemns in his novel. He assails his society's past and present, yet he provides no clear answers to what shape the future should take. The novel will be analyzed through study of both the author and the ethos of nineteenth century England, emphasizing new attitudes toward religion, education, and marriage, love, and sex including women's changing role in late Victorian society. |
