THOMAS HARDY Jude the Obscure

I loved Thomas Hardy when I was a teenager, and 'Jude the Obscure' in particular. I suppose it was all the sexual yearning that struck a note.

But re-reading it 40-odd years on I have to come to the conclusion that it's awful! It's so over-written. Never choose a simple word if a more high-faluting one is available seems to have been his watchword.