Jude Fawley, orphaned at a young age lives with his great-aunt. He develops a love of reading and when his teacher moves to the city of Christminster for scholarship, Jude vows to emulate him. He teachers himself to read the classics in Latin and Greek and earns money as an apprentice stone mason. At 19 years of age, with his goal in sight, Jude falls to the lures of Arabella Donn. After a couple of months she claims she is pregnant, so Jude does the honorable thing and marries her. His plans to study in Christminster fall awry.
However, Arabella is not pregnant and soon their relationship becomes one of mutual dislike and entrapment. She scorns his book reading and he has no stomach for the rural life. They agree to separate, she to emigrate with her family and Jude is again free to continue on towards his goal. ( )