Thomas Hardy was an English poet and novelist. He was bon in the village of Upper Bockhampton in Dorset, England in 1840, His father was a stone mason as well as a violinist. His mother was an avid reader and thanks to his parents, Hardy was introduced to architecture and music and grew to love them. These interests were evident in his novels as well as the lifestyles of the country folk. So was his passion for all types of literature. Hardy taught himself Latin, German and French by reading the books he found in Dorchester, the nearby town. At sixteen, Hardy was apprenticed to a local architect but would study in the evenings with Greek scholar Horace Moule. In 1862, Hardy was sent to London to work with the architect Arthur Blomfield. For five years, Hardy studied the cultural scene in London as well as classic literature. He chose to return to Dorchester and took with him the burning desire to write Hardy's most accomplished literary works include The Mayor of Casterbridge, The Return of the Native, and Far from the Madding Crowd. Thomas Hardy died in 1928 aged 87 after a long and highly successful life. But his legacy shall live on forever.
Tess Durbeyfield is a simple, sixteen-year-old country girl, forced to work in a noblemans family so that her family can make ends meet. But she is forced to leave when her modesty is invaded by Alec dUrberville. Further tragedy strikes when Tesss baby dies. Tess leaves home to work in a dairy, where she meets Angel Clare. They fall in love, and marry against Tesss wishes, whose past still haunts her. When she confesses about her past to Angel, he abandons her to leave for Brazil. Tess lives a hard life, and is forced to marry Alec dUrberville, who brainwashes Tess that Angel will never return. Angel eventually comes back to Tess, but is too late. Tess murders Alec dUrberville for destroying her life, and is briefly reunited with Angel till she is captured and executed. As per her last wish, Angel agrees to marry her sister Liza-Lu.
