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Bleak House | Study Guide

Charles Dickens

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Bleak House | Infographic

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Check out this Infographic to learn more about Charles Dickens's Bleak House. Study visually with character maps, plot summaries, helpful context, and more.

bleak-house-charles-dickensMiss Flite’s BirdsWhile the Jarndyce case continues, life is held captivelike a caged bird. Weather The fog exuding from Chancery, the drizzle muddying London streets, and the east wind bring misfortune and misery. Krook’s ShopLike the corrupt and ineffective Chancery court, the shop holds all the necessary information, but who can find it?onstancy in love is a good thing; but it means nothing, and is nothing, without constancy in every kind of effort.John Jarndyce, Chapter 13Bleak Houseby the NumbersOrder of Bleak House in the novels Dickens wroteInstallments in whichthe novel first appearedAmount the Jarndyce estate had left after legal costs0920Female narrator in allof Dickens’s novels: Esther1AuthorCHARLES DICKENS1812–70One of the most prolific English writers of the 19th century and by far the most popular, Charles Dickens was a consummate entertainer and a constant crusader for the poor and underprivileged. In Bleak House he satirizes the injustices of the legal system in Victorian England.ThemesHelp vs. PhilanthropyAppearing to assist the poor is not the same thing as actually helping to prevent crime, disease, ignorance,and misery.IdentitySome characters are trying to discover their true identity; others are trying to conceal it.Law vs. JusticeThe legal system fills the pocketsof lawyers but emptiesthe pockets—and souls—ofordinary people. Bleak House tells the interlinked stories of three young people who go to live with a kind benefactor, the Jarndyce and Jarndyce probate case, and the mystery that surrounds the wealthy Lady Dedlock. Love, money, and murder come together in this satirical exposé of Victorian society and its legal system.A Questionof InheritanceMAIN CHARACTERSCOMPANIONSRESENTED ADVISERJohn JarndyceJarndyce heir; owner of Bleak HouseMr. TulkinghornRuthless lawyerAllan WoodcourtCaring doctorAda ClareKind orphan and Jarndyce heir Sir Leicester DedlockBaronet; owner of Chesney Wold Lady Honoria DedlockBored and fashionable wife Esther SummersonSupposed orphan ENGAGEDSECRET MOTHERGUARDIANRichard CarstoneOrphan obsessed about the case; Jarndyce heirMARRIED COUSINSMARRIEDBLACKMAILSMARRIEDSources: British Library, A Catalogue of Selected Editions of Worksin English Literature by Bernard Quaritch, Confessions of a MysteryNovelist, Encyclopaedia Britannica, The Greatest Books, The LiteratureNetwork, Mimi Matthews, Naxos, New York Times, University of Glasgow, University of Warwick, Special Collections, The Victorian WebCopyright © 2016 Course Hero, Inc.SymbolsCharles Dickens1852–53EnglishNovel AuthorYears PublishedOriginal LanguageBleak HouseDrama
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