Thomas Hardy (1840 – 1928) was an English novelist and poet. He gained fame as the author of novels such as Far from the Madding Crowd (1874), The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886), Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891), and Jude the Obscure (1895). He was highly critical of much in Victorian society, especially on the declining status of rural people in Britain.