Hardy's last novel is the story of a young working man destroyed by the partial fulfilment of his dreams. He is torn between his desires for the life of the body and the life of the mind, as represented by two women - the vulgar but lustrous Arabella and the refined and frigid Sue.

Hardy's last novel is the story of a young working man destroyed by the partial fulfilment of his dreams. He is torn between his desires for the life of the body and the life of the mind, as represented by two women - the vulgar but lustrous Arabella and the refined and frigid Sue.