Book Cover of Bleak House

Bleak House

by Charles Dickens

Bleak House is a novel by Charles Dickens, first published as a 20-episode serial between March 1852 and September 1853. The novel has many characters and several sub-plots, and is told partly by the novel's heroine, Esther Summerson, and partly by an omniscient narrator. At the centre of Bleak House is a long-running legal case in the Court of Chancery, Jarndyce and Jarndyce, which comes about because a testator has written several conflicting wills. In a preface to the 1853 first edition, Dickens claimed there were many actual precedents for his fictional case. One such was probably the Thellusson v Woodford case in which a will read in 1797 was contested and not determined until 1859. Though the legal profession criticised Dickens's satire as exaggerated, this novel helped support a judicial reform movement which culminated in the enactment of legal reform in the 1870s. There is some debate among scholars as to when Bleak House is set. The English legal historian Sir William Holdsworth sets the action in 1827; however, reference to preparation for the building of a railway in Chapter LV suggests the 1830s.

Book Details

Author

Charles Dickens image

Charles Dickens created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. Charles John Huffam Dickens was born on 7 February 18...

More on Charles Dickens

Listen/Download Audiobook

Read by:
00:00
Playback Speed 1.0
00:00
  • Select Speed

Related books

The Duchess of Langeais Cover image

The Duchess of Langeais by Honoré de Balzac

It is a captivating novel that takes readers into the intricate world of 19th-century French society. This book explores themes of love, desire, and t...

The Arrow of Fire Cover image

The Arrow of Fire by Roy J. Snell

When fifteen-year-old Alex stumbles upon an ancient medallion buried deep within the embers of a long-forgotten fire, he unwittingly sets off a chain...

The Flea Cover image

The Flea by Harold Russell

In the shadows of a quaint town, an enigmatic secret lurks, unraveling the very fabric of reality in "The Flea" by Harold Russell. A chance encounter...

Deirdre Cover image

Deirdre by James Stephens

It is a captivating book that unfolds an enthralling tale of love, destiny, and tragedy. Written with poetic prose and rich imagery, this timeless sto...

The Heir Cover image

The Heir by Vita sackville-west

In the secluded and enchanting countryside of Kent, secrets are woven into the very fabric of Sissinghurst Castle. A legacy of love, ambition, and bet...

An Iceland Fisherman Cover image

An Iceland Fisherman by Pierre Loti

This takes readers on a captivating journey to the remote and unforgiving shores of Iceland. In this gripping tale, we follow the life of Yann Gaos, a...

The Norse King's Bridal Cover image

The Norse King's Bridal by Eleanor Mary Smith-Dampier

It follows the story of a young woman who is captured by a Norse king and forced to marry him. The novel is set in the year 950 AD, during a time when...

Cradock Nowell Vol. 3 Cover image

Cradock Nowell Vol. 3 by Richard Doddridge Blackmore

As shadows deepen over the English countryside, the journey of Cradock Nowell reaches its epic climax in this enthralling third volume by Richard Dodd...

Howards End Cover image

Howards End by Edward M. Forster

It's sad, but true to say that today Edward Morgan Forster's works are known more from their film and television adaptations rather than from their or...

The House of Mystery Cover image

The House of Mystery by Richard Marsh

The House of Mystery is based upon the complicated plot involving two women who look exactly alike, one rich and one poor, and so mistaken identities...

Reviews for Bleak House

No reviews posted or approved, yet...