Bleak House
Summary
Bleak House is one of Dicken’s longest and most complex novels. It contains many different and divergent storylines that intertwine as characters meet by chance or fate. In that sense it is impossible to summarise, though key themes run through it: the foremost of these being the absurdity of legal proceedings that seem to have no purpose but to line the pockets of lawyers. The case of ‘Jardyce and Jarndyce’ is the key example here. The wards of court in the case are the children Richard Carstone and Ada Clare who live with their relative, the philanthropic John Jarndyce. Initially the novel concerns their love for each other. The novel’s heroine is Esther Summerson, an orphan, who also goes to live with Jarndyce, and narrates much of the novel. Other strands of the book concern Sir Leicester Dedlock and his beautiful wife who hides a shocking secret about an illegitimate child and a long lost love. The machinations of her search for the latter bring her to the penniless and illiterate Jo and a grave where she will later die in terrible circumstances brought about by the pursuit of her old lover. The mystery of the death of old lawyer Tulkinghorn brings us another strand with the detective Bucket intervening in one of the novel’s many highlights. Esther and John Jarndyce’s relationship is at the heart of the later stages of the book, and his finally act of generosity in giving her up to the young doctor Woodcourt who she loves. In between there are numerous interesting or plain hilarious minor characters such as the ridiculous Mrs Jellyby whose endless philanthropy have left her utterly unconcerned about her family and Harold Skimpole who is a lazy and selfish man looked after by others’ generosity and his mimicry of childish irresponsibility. In its time the novel was seen as poorly constructed despite its host of interesting characters although later critics have generally seen it as one of his very finest works despite its occasional verbosity.
Table of contents
- In Chancery
- In Fashion
- A Progress
- Telescopic Philanthropy
- A Morning Adventure
- Quite at Home
- The Ghost’s Walk
- Covering a Multitude of Sins
- Signs and Tokens
- The Law-Writer
- Our Dear Brother
- On the Watch
- Esther’s Narrative
- Deportment
- Bell Yard
- Tom-All-Alone’s
- Esther’s Narrative
- Lady Dedlock
- Moving On
- A New Lodger
- The Smallweed Family
- Mr Bucket
- Esther’s Narrative
- An Appeal Case
- Mrs Snagsby Sees It All
- Sharpshooters
- More Old Soldiers than One
- The Ironmaster
- The Young Man
- Esther’s Narrative
- Nurse and Patient
- The Appointed Time
- Interlopers
- A Turn of the Screw
- Esther’s Narrative
- Chesney Wold
- Jarndyce and Jarndyce
- A Struggle
- Attorney and Client
- National and Domestic
- In Mr Tulkinghorn’s Room
- In Mr Tulkinghorn’s Chambers
- Esther’s Narrative
- The Letter and the Answer
- In Trust
- Stop Him!
- Jo’s Will
- Closing in
- Dutiful Friendship
- Esther’s Narrative
- Enlightened
- Obstinacy
- The Track
- Springing a Mine
- Flight
- Pursuit
- Esther’s Narrative
- A Wintry Day and Night
- Esther’s Narrative
- Perspective
- A Discovery
- Another Discovery
- Steel and Iron
- Esther’s Narrative
- Beginning the World
- Down in Lincolnshire
- The Close of Esther’s Narrative
More by Charles Dickens
Other Fiction classics
- Lady Chatterley's Lover — D.H. Lawrence
- Crime and Punishment — Fyodor Dostoevsky
- Billy Budd — Herman Melville
- Ulysses — James Joyce
- Dubliners — James Joyce
- Little Women — Louisa M. Alcott