Over the last few weeks we’ve been exploring the landscapes and female characters of Thomas Hardy’s novels. Today we look at Jude the Obscure, Hardy’s last book, the story of a lonely boy who dreams of following in the footsteps of his teacher Phillotson and going up to Oxford. When it was published in 1896, the reaction to it was so severe that from then on Hardy concentrated on writing poetry and drama. Fiona Clampin joined guide Helen Gibson and Dr Jane Thomas from Hull University to find out why Hardy chose to set “Jude the Obscure” away from his usual stamping ground in the West Country.
