the son of a master mason, thomas hardy was born in upper bockhampton, dorset. he was apprenticed to an architect in dorchester when he was 16, and his mother encouraged him to go on studying. his career in letters notwithstanding, hardy retained an interest in stonework and architecture all his life.
it was his profession as an architect that took him to london in 1862, about the time when he first began to write. in this he received encouragement from his friend, horace moule, a university-trained scholar. the friendship was a valuable stimulus to the young hardy moule was eight years his senior and had a classical background. moule committed suicide in 1873, believing himself a failure. his death affected hardy deeply, and some of his characters-notably jude-have more than a suggestion of his friend in them.
hardy stayed in london, about which he had definite reservations, until 1867, reading incessantly, attending perform...