My wife and I have been reading this together, a chapter a day over the past ten weeks. It has been a revelation for me, largely because I had somehow picked up a prejudice against Dickens, and this is the first novel of his that I have attempted as a mature reader. What an achievement: suspenseful, dramatic, crammed with marvelous characters, and often very funny! Reading it has totally transformed my view of the author, showing him as the master he is, whether on the small scale of sentence and paragraph or the vast one of the entire thousand-page span.
The chapter-a-day approach is ideally suited to a novel that was published in serial form in a magazine. Very often, our discussions would last longer than the readings. My wife and I soon fell into a rhythm. I would close the book and try to summarize where the story had led us and guess where it might go. Then she would open hers and point out the numerous phrases she had underlined: something funny or touching, a picture-perfect description, or a strikingly unconventional use of language. Reading and discussing in this way, we learned from each other, but above all we learned from Dickens. This Penguin Classics edition transcribes the author's working notes at the end, and we can see him working out what to put where as his whole narrative takes shape. His ability to maintain the suspense of a mystery story from one episode to the next -- the essence of serial writing -- is amazing in itself. But to dash off each part in prose that, on almost every page, could be a candidate for inclusion in an anthology, that is simply mind-boggling.
The opening pages are famous, describing as they do a fog over London, a fog that is both literal and figurative, symbolizing the arcane obfuscation of the Court of Chancery, whose slow deliberations will suspend most of the characters in a kind of limbo. Technically, what is amazing is that the first page is entirely made up of sentence fragments: "Fog everywhere. Fog up the river, where it flows among green aits and meadows; fog down the river, where it rolls defiled among the tiers of shipping, and the waterside pollutions of a great (and dirty) city. Fog on the Essex marshes, fog on the Kentish heights." And he ends the entire book on a sentence fragment too. "But I know that my dearest little pets are very pretty, and that my darling is very beautiful, and that my husband is very handsome, and that my guardian has the brightest and most benevolent face that ever was seen; and that they can very well do without much beauty in me -- even supposing---."
People accuse Dickens of sentiment, and there are certainly grounds for it in my second quotation above. But that is page 989 of the book, and the narrator, Esther Summerson, has surely earned the right to a little sentiment in finally arriving at her happy ending. Earlier in the novel, there are a number of death scenes, another notorious occasion for tear-jerking sentiment. But I am amazed by the variety with which Dickens treats them. One does indeed bring a tear to the eye; another comes after a burst of false euphoria, like the ending of LA TRAVIATA; another is set up with all the apparatus of a Gothic horror story; and yet another -- arguably the most important -- is delivered with a blow as shocking as the fall of the guillotine.
My quotations also illustrate the two narrative modes that Dickens alternates throughout the novel. One, in the present tense, uses a third-person narrator, looking down on the action sometimes literally from above. The other, written after the events, is the first-person narrative of Esther Summerson, an apparent orphan who is entering her teens as the book begins and remains throughout as the sweet and obliging helpmeet to anyone who shows her a shred of kindness. It is a wonderful contrast: the omniscient narrator versus the one who appears to know little or nothing. But there is a particular charm in Esther's voice, for her modest reluctance to imagine that other people may have a higher opinion of her than she has of herself does not stop the reader from looking beyond her gaze and seeing things as they really are. She must be one of the earliest unreliable narrators in fiction, and one of the most charming. Yet she is an acute observer of other people, and not merely kind but proactive and brave when the occasion calls for it.
The story of Esther and the mystery of her parentage is one of the two main strands of the plot. For it seems likely that, if the truth were known, a number of great fortunes would be altered. Dickens introduces what must be one of the first professional detectives in literature, Inspector Bucket; although a secondary character, he is shown in surprising depth and displays both forensic acumen and human understanding. There are also a number of lawyers and legal hangers-on who have their noses on a particular part of the scent, ranging from the patrician Mr. Tulkinghorn who keeps his eyes on everything like a big black spider in his web, through the upwardly-mobile clerk Guppy, to the despicable moneylender's agent Smallweed. The other strand is the Chancery suit itself, the interminable Jarndyce and Jarndyce, which promises to confer great wealth once the issue of the proper heirs has been determined. But it has already ground more than one hopeful beneficiary in its mill, and threatens to destroy all the others. John Jarndyce, the only one of that name we meet in the book, has wisely determined to stay aloof from the proceedings, and it is to his home in the country -- the far from bleak Bleak House -- that he brings the two teenage wards in the case, Ada Clare and Richard Carstone, along with Esther Summerson, whose connection is less clearly established. In the early chapters at least, Jarndyce's retreat a little way north of the city, has all the charm of Bunyan's House Beautiful, as a respite from the moil and toil of the law courts and the slums surrounding them.
Cliff's Notes (which I did not consult until now) lists over seventy characters in the novel, whether major, minor, or walk-ons. But there are remarkably few of the latter. An individual without a name, such as a fellow-passenger in the coach by which the heroine is traveling, may be identified many chapters later and play a vital role. And there are many figures who appear in one scene to add color or a little humor -- character-roles, as it were -- but then keep coming back many times, often with their particular catch phrases or characteristic business, much as in a modern sitcom. And it is not unusual that even these minor characters will contribute some essential key to move the action forward. There is a large number of apparently secondary characters who are drawn in one dimension at first, but who then expand in surprisingly complex ways. Inspector Bucket is one of these, as are the old trooper Mr. George, the young physician Allan Woodcourt, and numerous others. But the most significant examples are Sir Leicester and Lady Dedlock, who are introduced in Dickens' brilliantly satirical second chapter as the epitome of high fashion, as free from personality as a marble bust or a fashion plate. Yet as the novel proceeds, first Lady Dedlock and then her husband begin to show surprising depth, developing a second dimension in terms of narrative complexity, and even a third, in that they each find themselves feeling things that surprise even them. Finally, there are people who are in three dimensions from the start, such as John Jarndyce, who has a way of quietly surprising everybody, and Esther Summerson whose emotional richness deepens even as she herself claims it does not really exist.
I have to say, though, that Dickens' habit of bringing his characters back in enhanced guises can make for very difficult reading. It requires quite a feat of memory to recall when you encountered a figure before, especially if the appearance was a brief one. Normal character lists do not help because they may tell you things from much later in the novel; one of the entries in the Cliff's Notes list, for instance, reveals the solution to a mystery that Dickens himself spins out over 750 pages! Even the endnotes by Nicola Bradbury in this edition are full of spoilers; she does issue a warning, but I can see no reason why notes of this kind are even needed, since they prevent the reader from looking up the period details that really are necessary. What would really be ideal (though I don't know if it exists) would be some kind of hypertext edition that offered information keyed to how far you had read in the book, withholding information that would not be revealed until later.
Dickens' first great success was THE PICKWICK PAPERS, which he undertook to provide text for a series of illustrations by the artist Robert Seymour, who eventually committed suicide. All his subsequent novels were issued with illustrations, and the inclusion in this edition of the original 40 plates by "Phiz" adds greatly to the effect of the whole. What I like about them is the way that illustrator and author keep out of each other's way; the verbal descriptions work on one level, and the pictures on another, without duplication. I especially like the way Phiz puts in detail, such as the increasing dandyism of Mr. Guppy's dress every time he appears, or the way the portraits hanging on the walls of a salon offer a subtle parody of the action below. Phiz also has two distinct styles: most of his etchings give the impression of pen drawings, almost caricatures, but there are half a dozen or so that are distinctly atmospheric, romantic in nature rather than satirical. But is this not appropriate for an author who himself combined both genres and many more in such a magnificent compendium?
In addition to the illustrations, endnotes, and Dickens' own chapter plans, the Penguin Classics edition contains a useful chronology, notes on the Court of Chancery and Spontaneous Combustion (one of the more gruesome deaths in literature), an extensive bibliography, and three separate introductions: one by Dickens himself, mentioning some of the real sources for his invention; one by the editor Bradbury, infuriatingly academic but making some good points; and a lucid preface by Terry Eagleton. All these are better read after the novel itself than before, but Eagleton's essay especially makes a stimulating cue for later discussion, extracting the diverse strands of this glorious tangle of a book, for the delighted reader to weave together.
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A System Out of Control
I picked up _Bleak House_ (1853) after hearing several critics refer to it as Dickens’ masterpiece. While I have not yet read _David Copperfield_ (1850), the author’s personal favorite among his books, and can claim only a limited knowledge of Dickens, I keep in mind G. K. Chesterton’s assessment of the novel I consider in this review: it is his best novel, but not necessarily his best book. In other words, _Bleak House_ may not be marred by the formal imperfections found in Dickens’ most popular works, such as the implausible _Oliver Twist_, but then there is something so fascinating about these imperfect works that the reader gives the author a break. Here’s Chesterton again: Dickens was a great writer, even if he wasn’t a particularly good writer. Length is also a factor to consider. When I was in college, I was assigned _Great Expectations_. The professor told us it was not Dickens’ best, but it was short enough to be manageable, and he considered it superior to _Hard Times_ and _A Tale of Two Cities_, two other popular choices with educators. As a result, the 1,000-page _Bleak House_ is the masterpiece few people read.Like that other literary monster, Tolstoy’s _War and Peace_, _Bleak House_ is not one book, but several. The story, to begin with, is split into two threads. An omniscient narrator relates events in the present tense, while Esther Summerson, the novel’s heroine, narrates events from her perspective in the past tense. In addition, _Bleak House_ contains several genres. This is a legal drama, a romance, a detective story, a bildungsroman or sentimental education, an indictment of social injustice, and perhaps much more. Dickens, however, does not go into lengthy philosophical considerations the way Tolstoy does in his longest work. _Bleak House_ drags at times, and several passages could be shortened or directly omitted, but all in all, this is a compelling humanistic story.What lies at the heart of _Bleak House_ is not human. The story revolves around Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce, a Court of Chancery case that has been going on for years as a result of conflicting wills. The case is, in a sense, a pretext for the story, as it gives unity to the novel. _Bleak House_ is the story of several characters whose lives are directly affected by this legal monstrosity. The main characters are Esther, introduced as an orphan at the beginning of the novel, and the distant cousins Ada Clare and Richard Carstone. These three are eventually taken in by John Jarndyce, master of the estate known as Bleak House. John, Richard, and Clare are related, and hope to receive a large sum of money once the case is settled. John regards the case as a curse, while Richard puts his hopes in it, and becomes increasingly involved in the proceedings as the story develops. Other important characters are Lady Dedlock and her husband Sir Leicester, inhabitants of Chesney Wold, and their lawyer Mr. Tulkinghorn. Revelations about Lady Dedlock complicate the plot and tie these characters to Esther and her friends. Finally, one must mention Allan Woodcourt, whose crucial role I will let the reader discover for him/herself.Like many other Dickens novels, _Bleak House_ presents many colorful secondary characters. Dickens paid so much attention to these “background” figures that, were it not for the fact that they appear sporadically, one feels they would eclipse the protagonists. One of the first to appear is the comic Harold Skimpole, who claims to know nothing about money as it flies out of his hands, and only wishes for the world to let him live his life. There’s also the elderly Miss Flite, who keeps several birds in cages and plans to set them free as soon as the court case is settled. Others worthy of mention are the alcoholic, illiterate Mr. Krook, who walks around with a cat on his shoulder; the young crossing sweeper Jo; Mr. George, a former soldier who owns a shooting gallery; and the detective Mr. Bucket.“The one great principle of the English law is, to make business for itself,” the narrator points out in the second half of the novel. “Viewed by this light it becomes a coherent scheme, and not the monstrous maze the laity are apt to think it. Let them but once clearly perceive that its grand principle is to make business for itself at their expense, and surely they will cease to grumble.” _Bleak House_ condemns an institution that has escaped the control of the human beings who brought it into existence. This is, then, a surprisingly modern novel. Dickens is a master at portraying the ways in which we may become trapped in our own labyrinths. The point he makes about the English Court of Chancery applies to many human institutions, including our current socioeconomic system. We build a structure in order to shape chaos into order, and spend the rest of our lives maintaining that structure, which comes to control and devour us.A Dickensian axiom also present in _Bleak House_ might be stated thus: hard times bring out the best and the worst in human beings. Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce will lead the characters to sympathy, love, sacrifice, hostility, envy, blackmail, and murder. Some will find their destiny as a result of the case; others will let themselves be consumed and destroyed by it. One of the characters in this novel--I won’t say which one--is simply one of the most correct, virtuous human beings ever portrayed in literature. Some will deem this character too good to be believable. I choose to think there are such people in our world. Dickens never fails to give me hope, even though his stories rarely end well for all the characters involved. _Bleak House_ is a hopeful novel, but it is also incredibly sad. It is, furthermore, often perplexing. The most famous example of this occurs in the exact middle of the novel, as a character dies by spontaneous combustion. Critics have read this event as a metaphor for long court cases, the costs of which consume the very same assets the parties are fighting over._Bleak House_ may not be Dickens’ most enjoyable novel, but it is formally outstanding and offers a variety of memorable characters and situations. Nabokov felt that splitting the narrative in two by adding Esther’s first-person thread was a mistake. I couldn’t disagree more. Without Esther’s narrative, the novel would have been quite dull. If you’re new to Dickens, I recommend beginning with _Great Expectations_ or _Oliver Twist_. While you will definitely notice the flaws, these novels are page-turners. But by all means, make _Bleak House_ the second or the third Dickens novel you read. It would seem that one should love the imperfect Dickens before one loves the perfect Dickens. He is, in this sense, like the beast in “Beauty and the Beast.”If you’re looking for a physical copy, I recommend the Penguin edition. (My picture shows the Penguin Clothbound Classics edition; the text is the same as that of the paperback version.) It includes a preface by Terry Eagleton, an introduction and sufficient notes by Nicola Bradbury, and three appendices, one of which reproduces some of Dickens’ working notes for the novel.My next Dickens novel will be _David Copperfield_.Thanks for reading, and enjoy the book!
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2019
I picked up _Bleak House_ (1853) after hearing several critics refer to it as Dickens’ masterpiece. While I have not yet read _David Copperfield_ (1850), the author’s personal favorite among his books, and can claim only a limited knowledge of Dickens, I keep in mind G. K. Chesterton’s assessment of the novel I consider in this review: it is his best novel, but not necessarily his best book. In other words, _Bleak House_ may not be marred by the formal imperfections found in Dickens’ most popular works, such as the implausible _Oliver Twist_, but then there is something so fascinating about these imperfect works that the reader gives the author a break. Here’s Chesterton again: Dickens was a great writer, even if he wasn’t a particularly good writer. Length is also a factor to consider. When I was in college, I was assigned _Great Expectations_. The professor told us it was not Dickens’ best, but it was short enough to be manageable, and he considered it superior to _Hard Times_ and _A Tale of Two Cities_, two other popular choices with educators. As a result, the 1,000-page _Bleak House_ is the masterpiece few people read.
Like that other literary monster, Tolstoy’s _War and Peace_, _Bleak House_ is not one book, but several. The story, to begin with, is split into two threads. An omniscient narrator relates events in the present tense, while Esther Summerson, the novel’s heroine, narrates events from her perspective in the past tense. In addition, _Bleak House_ contains several genres. This is a legal drama, a romance, a detective story, a bildungsroman or sentimental education, an indictment of social injustice, and perhaps much more. Dickens, however, does not go into lengthy philosophical considerations the way Tolstoy does in his longest work. _Bleak House_ drags at times, and several passages could be shortened or directly omitted, but all in all, this is a compelling humanistic story.
What lies at the heart of _Bleak House_ is not human. The story revolves around Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce, a Court of Chancery case that has been going on for years as a result of conflicting wills. The case is, in a sense, a pretext for the story, as it gives unity to the novel. _Bleak House_ is the story of several characters whose lives are directly affected by this legal monstrosity. The main characters are Esther, introduced as an orphan at the beginning of the novel, and the distant cousins Ada Clare and Richard Carstone. These three are eventually taken in by John Jarndyce, master of the estate known as Bleak House. John, Richard, and Clare are related, and hope to receive a large sum of money once the case is settled. John regards the case as a curse, while Richard puts his hopes in it, and becomes increasingly involved in the proceedings as the story develops. Other important characters are Lady Dedlock and her husband Sir Leicester, inhabitants of Chesney Wold, and their lawyer Mr. Tulkinghorn. Revelations about Lady Dedlock complicate the plot and tie these characters to Esther and her friends. Finally, one must mention Allan Woodcourt, whose crucial role I will let the reader discover for him/herself.
Like many other Dickens novels, _Bleak House_ presents many colorful secondary characters. Dickens paid so much attention to these “background” figures that, were it not for the fact that they appear sporadically, one feels they would eclipse the protagonists. One of the first to appear is the comic Harold Skimpole, who claims to know nothing about money as it flies out of his hands, and only wishes for the world to let him live his life. There’s also the elderly Miss Flite, who keeps several birds in cages and plans to set them free as soon as the court case is settled. Others worthy of mention are the alcoholic, illiterate Mr. Krook, who walks around with a cat on his shoulder; the young crossing sweeper Jo; Mr. George, a former soldier who owns a shooting gallery; and the detective Mr. Bucket.
“The one great principle of the English law is, to make business for itself,” the narrator points out in the second half of the novel. “Viewed by this light it becomes a coherent scheme, and not the monstrous maze the laity are apt to think it. Let them but once clearly perceive that its grand principle is to make business for itself at their expense, and surely they will cease to grumble.” _Bleak House_ condemns an institution that has escaped the control of the human beings who brought it into existence. This is, then, a surprisingly modern novel. Dickens is a master at portraying the ways in which we may become trapped in our own labyrinths. The point he makes about the English Court of Chancery applies to many human institutions, including our current socioeconomic system. We build a structure in order to shape chaos into order, and spend the rest of our lives maintaining that structure, which comes to control and devour us.
A Dickensian axiom also present in _Bleak House_ might be stated thus: hard times bring out the best and the worst in human beings. Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce will lead the characters to sympathy, love, sacrifice, hostility, envy, blackmail, and murder. Some will find their destiny as a result of the case; others will let themselves be consumed and destroyed by it. One of the characters in this novel--I won’t say which one--is simply one of the most correct, virtuous human beings ever portrayed in literature. Some will deem this character too good to be believable. I choose to think there are such people in our world. Dickens never fails to give me hope, even though his stories rarely end well for all the characters involved. _Bleak House_ is a hopeful novel, but it is also incredibly sad. It is, furthermore, often perplexing. The most famous example of this occurs in the exact middle of the novel, as a character dies by spontaneous combustion. Critics have read this event as a metaphor for long court cases, the costs of which consume the very same assets the parties are fighting over.
_Bleak House_ may not be Dickens’ most enjoyable novel, but it is formally outstanding and offers a variety of memorable characters and situations. Nabokov felt that splitting the narrative in two by adding Esther’s first-person thread was a mistake. I couldn’t disagree more. Without Esther’s narrative, the novel would have been quite dull. If you’re new to Dickens, I recommend beginning with _Great Expectations_ or _Oliver Twist_. While you will definitely notice the flaws, these novels are page-turners. But by all means, make _Bleak House_ the second or the third Dickens novel you read. It would seem that one should love the imperfect Dickens before one loves the perfect Dickens. He is, in this sense, like the beast in “Beauty and the Beast.”
If you’re looking for a physical copy, I recommend the Penguin edition. (My picture shows the Penguin Clothbound Classics edition; the text is the same as that of the paperback version.) It includes a preface by Terry Eagleton, an introduction and sufficient notes by Nicola Bradbury, and three appendices, one of which reproduces some of Dickens’ working notes for the novel.
My next Dickens novel will be _David Copperfield_.
Thanks for reading, and enjoy the book!
Like that other literary monster, Tolstoy’s _War and Peace_, _Bleak House_ is not one book, but several. The story, to begin with, is split into two threads. An omniscient narrator relates events in the present tense, while Esther Summerson, the novel’s heroine, narrates events from her perspective in the past tense. In addition, _Bleak House_ contains several genres. This is a legal drama, a romance, a detective story, a bildungsroman or sentimental education, an indictment of social injustice, and perhaps much more. Dickens, however, does not go into lengthy philosophical considerations the way Tolstoy does in his longest work. _Bleak House_ drags at times, and several passages could be shortened or directly omitted, but all in all, this is a compelling humanistic story.
What lies at the heart of _Bleak House_ is not human. The story revolves around Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce, a Court of Chancery case that has been going on for years as a result of conflicting wills. The case is, in a sense, a pretext for the story, as it gives unity to the novel. _Bleak House_ is the story of several characters whose lives are directly affected by this legal monstrosity. The main characters are Esther, introduced as an orphan at the beginning of the novel, and the distant cousins Ada Clare and Richard Carstone. These three are eventually taken in by John Jarndyce, master of the estate known as Bleak House. John, Richard, and Clare are related, and hope to receive a large sum of money once the case is settled. John regards the case as a curse, while Richard puts his hopes in it, and becomes increasingly involved in the proceedings as the story develops. Other important characters are Lady Dedlock and her husband Sir Leicester, inhabitants of Chesney Wold, and their lawyer Mr. Tulkinghorn. Revelations about Lady Dedlock complicate the plot and tie these characters to Esther and her friends. Finally, one must mention Allan Woodcourt, whose crucial role I will let the reader discover for him/herself.
Like many other Dickens novels, _Bleak House_ presents many colorful secondary characters. Dickens paid so much attention to these “background” figures that, were it not for the fact that they appear sporadically, one feels they would eclipse the protagonists. One of the first to appear is the comic Harold Skimpole, who claims to know nothing about money as it flies out of his hands, and only wishes for the world to let him live his life. There’s also the elderly Miss Flite, who keeps several birds in cages and plans to set them free as soon as the court case is settled. Others worthy of mention are the alcoholic, illiterate Mr. Krook, who walks around with a cat on his shoulder; the young crossing sweeper Jo; Mr. George, a former soldier who owns a shooting gallery; and the detective Mr. Bucket.
“The one great principle of the English law is, to make business for itself,” the narrator points out in the second half of the novel. “Viewed by this light it becomes a coherent scheme, and not the monstrous maze the laity are apt to think it. Let them but once clearly perceive that its grand principle is to make business for itself at their expense, and surely they will cease to grumble.” _Bleak House_ condemns an institution that has escaped the control of the human beings who brought it into existence. This is, then, a surprisingly modern novel. Dickens is a master at portraying the ways in which we may become trapped in our own labyrinths. The point he makes about the English Court of Chancery applies to many human institutions, including our current socioeconomic system. We build a structure in order to shape chaos into order, and spend the rest of our lives maintaining that structure, which comes to control and devour us.
A Dickensian axiom also present in _Bleak House_ might be stated thus: hard times bring out the best and the worst in human beings. Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce will lead the characters to sympathy, love, sacrifice, hostility, envy, blackmail, and murder. Some will find their destiny as a result of the case; others will let themselves be consumed and destroyed by it. One of the characters in this novel--I won’t say which one--is simply one of the most correct, virtuous human beings ever portrayed in literature. Some will deem this character too good to be believable. I choose to think there are such people in our world. Dickens never fails to give me hope, even though his stories rarely end well for all the characters involved. _Bleak House_ is a hopeful novel, but it is also incredibly sad. It is, furthermore, often perplexing. The most famous example of this occurs in the exact middle of the novel, as a character dies by spontaneous combustion. Critics have read this event as a metaphor for long court cases, the costs of which consume the very same assets the parties are fighting over.
_Bleak House_ may not be Dickens’ most enjoyable novel, but it is formally outstanding and offers a variety of memorable characters and situations. Nabokov felt that splitting the narrative in two by adding Esther’s first-person thread was a mistake. I couldn’t disagree more. Without Esther’s narrative, the novel would have been quite dull. If you’re new to Dickens, I recommend beginning with _Great Expectations_ or _Oliver Twist_. While you will definitely notice the flaws, these novels are page-turners. But by all means, make _Bleak House_ the second or the third Dickens novel you read. It would seem that one should love the imperfect Dickens before one loves the perfect Dickens. He is, in this sense, like the beast in “Beauty and the Beast.”
If you’re looking for a physical copy, I recommend the Penguin edition. (My picture shows the Penguin Clothbound Classics edition; the text is the same as that of the paperback version.) It includes a preface by Terry Eagleton, an introduction and sufficient notes by Nicola Bradbury, and three appendices, one of which reproduces some of Dickens’ working notes for the novel.
My next Dickens novel will be _David Copperfield_.
Thanks for reading, and enjoy the book!
Images in this review
