General Editor's Preface -- A Note on Editions -- PART I: ANALYSING BLEAK HOUSE AND HARD TIMES -- Introduction -- 1. Facts and Fog: Opening Salvos -- 2. Characterisation (1): from Grotesques to Intimates -- 3. Characterisation (2): Women -- 4. Morality and Society -- 5. Rhetoric, Imagery and Symbol -- 6. Summative Discussion and Conclusions to Part One -- PART II: THE CONTEXT AND THE CRITICS -- 7. Charles Dickens's Life and Works -- 8. The Place of Hard Times and Bleak House in English Literature -- 9. A Sample of Critical Views -- Further Reading -- Index.
Summary:
"Dickens was an unprecedented phenomenon in his lifetime, drawing crowds of thousands to his professional readings in Britain and America, provoking demonstrations of public grief when his child-characters died, and developing increasing celebrity as his novels unfolded in weekly or monthly episodes. Dickens's anger at corruption and injustice, his championing of the downtrodden and the poor, added to the affection in which he was held by his public. Bleak House and Hard Times are two of Dickens' most celebrated works and are excellent examples of his literary talent. In this invaluable guide, Nicholas Marsh provides close analysis of selected passages from these texts, exploring themes such as morality and society, rhetoric and imagery, characterisation and the portrayal of women. The discussion of the texts themselves is followed by an account of the author's life and a sample of critical opinions from both the time of publication and the present day"-- Provided by publisher.
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