I still prefer his poetry- it's the curmudgeonly aspect of some of them that I think appeals.

Well, he's a great poet, but a great novelist too. It's a double very few writers have pulled off.

I love his works -- novels and poems. A prof I had once cried after reading Hardy's poem about a blinded bird.

The same prof said Hardy had wanted to be known foremost as a poet, but turned to novel writing after not gaining ground as a poet. (Maybe I'm remembering wrongly.)

Jude the Obscure is one of my all-time favorites. I see what you say about the comical element in his world-view, yet the silliness turns on a dime to gravitas, like Jude returning to Arabella for one final romp. Sad and true and strange.

I believe it's true that poetry was Hardy's first love. Once he'd established himself as a writer- and had attained a measure of financial security- he gave up writing novels for good.

I bought a copy of Jude yesterday. It's next up on my list.