 First edition of the novel | |
| Author | Thomas Hardy |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Osgood, McIlvaine & Co |
Publication date | 15 October 1897 |
| Publication place | England |
The Well-Beloved: A Sketch of a Temperament is the fourteenth and final published novel by English author Thomas Hardy. It was written before Jude the Obscure, the last novel written by Thomas Hardy, but was published after it, in 1897. The novel spans forty years, and follows Jocelyn Pierston, a celebrated sculptor who attempts to create in stone the image of his ideal woman, while he tries also to find her in the flesh.
It was serialized in 1892, and published as a book in 1897.[1][2]