The Well-Beloved

Sadly, Hardy was disappointed with The Well-Beloved--the novel that "'ended his prose contribution to literature'" (Purdy, 96). The novel was published serially under the title The Pursuit of the Well-Beloved in the Illustrated London News from October to December, 1892. After finishing its first version, Hardy set the book aside for almost four years, during which time he wrote and published Jude the Obscure.

When he finally revised the novel as The Well-Beloved, Hardy made substantial revisions to both the beginning and ending chapters. In fact, the new version was given an entirely new conclusion. The final version was published in March, 1897 as the 17th volume of Osgood, McIlvaine's edition of the Wessex Novels. Despite Hardy's assertion that the novel was "'short and slight, and written entirely with a view to serial publication'" (Purdy, 96), the publishers were forced to delay its issue due to heavy demand.

Some sites associated with The Well-Beloved

	Coastline
	Portland Bill
	Avice Cottage ("the Caro's tiny freehold")
	Church ruins at "Church Ope Cove"
	Weymouth ("Budmouth") Harbour

Photographic Citations