Hardy and Lawrence

Jude the Obscure is a novel by Thomas Hardy in which the main character, Jude Fawley, becomes involved with a number of women and eventually loses his mind because of the difficulties they cause him. The first of these Sirens is Arabella, whom Jude marries. Then he become interested in his cousin, Sue Bridehead. Although he never marries his cousin, he lives with her and they have two children! In addition they raise a child of Jude and Arabella. D.H. Lawrence loved reading Hardy and learned from him. In fact, Lawrence worked on a biography of Hardy, which he never published. Reference: Poplawski, Paul. 1996. D. H. Lawrence: A Reference Companion. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. Page 35.