Thomas Hardy (1840—1928) was an English novelist and poet. "The Well-Beloved" completes the cycle of Hardy's great novels, reiterating his favourite themes of man's eternal quest for perfection in both love and art, and the suffering that ensues. Jocelyn Pierston, celebrated sculptor, tries to create an image of his ideal woman — his imaginary Well-Beloved — in stone, just as he tries to find her in the flesh.