Thomas Hardy's last finished novel and published in 1895, "Jude the Obscure", is widely considered to be his best. Hardy explores all the big issues: class, faith, hope, love, sex. In the process, this seemingly simple story of a doomed love affair transcends the Victorian era in which it is set, making it a timeless classic, a universal tale of longing and despair. "Jude the Obscure" is also one of his most gloomily fatalistic, depicting the lives of individuals who are trapped by forces beyond their control