Thomas Hardy was born in 1840 in Higher Bockhampton, England. He studied locally and privately, then worked as an apprentice architect restoring old churches. He had a passion for writing poetry and novels. In 1874, he married his first wife, Emma Gifford. Some of his most famous novels include Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Far From the Madding Crowd, and Jude the Obscure. His novels were influenced by Charles Darwin's theories of evolution and natural selection. He described the landscapes and environments of Wessex with melancholy irony. Hardy went on to publish several collections of poetry later in his life before passing away in 1928.