Jude the Obscure

Jude the Obscure, written by Thomas Hardy, is a poignant exploration of ambition, love, and societal constraints set in Victorian England. The novel follows Jude Fawley, a working-class stonemason with aspirations of studying at the prestigious university in Christminster, inspired by his former teacher, Richard Phillotson.

Raised by his great-aunt after becoming an orphan, Jude dedicates his life to self-education while working in her bakery.Jude's dreams are derailed when he is seduced by Arabella Donn, a manipulative local woman who tricks him into marriage by pretending to be pregnant.