Dickens redressed : the art of Bleak house and Hard times

With __Bleak House__ and __Hard Times,__ Charles Dickens inaugurated a series of novels now known as “later Dickens”—works with a darker mood and more strident satire than his earlier fiction. Though these two novels continue to be immensely popular, they are only partly understood, Alexander Welsh contends. In this sequel to his critically acclaimed __From Copyright to Copperfield,__ Welsh closely examines the two novels Dickens wrote after __David Copperfield__ and reassesses the importance of this crucial stage of Dickens’s career. In spite of the famous double narrative of __Bleak House,__ says Welsh, the various actions and roles of the characters answer the needs of the protagonist much as they do in __David Copperfield.__ Dickens redresses himself as the female narrator Esther Summerson and at the same time redirects his artistic energy in forms less explicitly personal. When he wrote __Hard Times—__which can be considered an epilogue to the much longer __Bleak House—__Dickens was able to conceive a plot neither centered around a hero nor fueled by the kind of wish fulfillment that structure had implied. Welsh’s engaging discussion and original insights into two of Dickens’s most successful novels will enhance the enthusiast’s pleasure in reading these works and inspire longtime students of the novelist to think about Dickens’s extraordinary accomplishments in new ways.

With Bleak House and Hard Times, Charles Dickens inaugurated a series of novels now known as "later Dickens" works with a darker mood and more strident satire than his earlier fiction. Though these two novels continue to be immensely popular, they are only partly understood, Alexander Welsh contends. In this sequel to his critically acclaimed From Copyright to Copperfield, Welsh closely examines the two novels Dickens wrote after David Copperfield and reassesses the importance of this crucial stage of Dickens’s career.

In spite of the famous double narrative of Bleak House, says Welsh, the various actions and roles of the characters answer the needs of the protagonist much as they do in David Copperfield. Dickens redresses himself as the female narrator Esther Summerson and at the same time redirects his artistic energy in forms less explicitly personal. When he wrote Hard Times which can be considered an epilogue to the much longer Bleak House Dickens was able to conceive a plot neither centered around a hero nor fueled by the kind of wish fulfillment that structure had implied. Welsh's engaging discussion and original insights into two of Dickens's most successful novels will enhance the enthusiast's pleasure in reading these works and inspire longtime students of the novelist to think about Dickens's extraordinary accomplishments in new ways.

"Welsh closely examines the two novels Dickens wrote after David Copperfield and reassesses the importance of this crucial stage of Dickens's career." "In spite of the famous double narrative of Bleak House, says Welsh, the various actions and roles of the characters answer the needs of the protagonist much as they do in David Copperfield. Dickens redresses himself as the female narrator Esther Summerson and at the same time redirects his artistic energy in forms less explicitly personal. When he wrote Hard Times - which can be considered an epilogue to the much longer Bleak House - Dickens was able to conceive a plot neither centered around a hero nor fueled by the kind of wish fulfillment that structure had implied. Welsh's engaging discussion and original insights into two of Dickens's most successful novels will enhance the enthusiast's pleasure in reading these works and inspire longtime students of the novelist to think about Dickens's extraordinary accomplishments in new ways."--Jacket Contents 7 Acknowledgments 9 An Introduction 11 1. Bleak House and Dickens 19 2. Esther Summerson, Heroine 38 3. Ada Clare, Pride and Beauty 56 4. Honoria, Lady Dedlock 77 5. Jarndyce and Skimpole 100 6. The Novel’s Satire 120 7. The Novel’s Judgment 140 8. Dickens in Coketown 165 9. Louisa Gradgrind’s Role 186 10. The Novel and the Circus 204 Notes 229 Index 241