ceived little slight recognition, but they weren't as half as popular as his more famous novels as; The Return of the Native (1978), The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886), Tess of the D'Urbervilles (1891), and his final and most controversial novel, Jude the Obscure (1895). Jude the Obscure's critical reviews overpowered Hardy's writing originality and focused mainly on the immorality of the book.
             Thomas Hardy's last novel, Jude the Obscure, is one of the greatest works of late Victorian literature, but it is also something more than that. It is the most controversial, critically acclaimed novel in Hardy's writing history. Months after the book was released, it stirred up a storm of righteousness. It was acclaimed immoral due to the sexual acts of Jude Fawley and Sue Bridehead. Many of the reviewers adapted a high moral tone, denouncing Hardy's apparent hostility to the institution of marriage, while choosing to neglect the sympathy he shared toward marriage. A true-blooded En
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