Dickens Redressed The Art of Bleak House and Hard Times [Hardcover]

WithBleak HouseandHard Times,Charles Dickens inaugurated a series of novels now known as later Dickensworks 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 acclaimedFrom Copyright to Copperfield,Welsh closely examines the two novels Dickens wrote afterDavid Copperfieldand reassesses the importance of this crucial stage of Dickenss career.

In spite of the famous double narrative ofBleak House,says Welsh, the various actions and roles of the characters answer the needs of the protagonist much as they do inDavid 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 wroteHard Timeswhich can be considered an epilogue to the much longerBleak HouseDickens was able to conceive a plot neither centered around a hero nor fueled by the kind of wish fulfillment that structure had implied. Welshs engaging discussion and original insights into two of Dickenss most successful novels will enhance the enthusiasts pleasure in reading these works and inspire longtime students of the novelist to think about Dickenss extraordinary accomplishments in new ways.