Bleak House Explained

The Boarding House

Bleak House by Charles Dickens (Book Analysis)

Unlock the more straightforward side of Bleak House with this concise and insightful summary and analysis! This engaging summary presents an analysis of Bleak House by Charles Dickens, which centres around a byzantine and seemingly endless legal case. Through the case of Jarndyce v. Jarndyce, the reader is introduced to a wide range of characters who are affected in some way by the lawsuit, although ultimately it is only the money-grabbing lawyers who benefit from it. The extensive cast of characters offers a vivid depiction of Victorian society, which is shown to be rife with poverty, deceit and corruption. Bleak House is widely regarded as one of the greatest achievements of one of most influential British authors of all time. Dickens’ many novels also include Oliver Twist, Great Expectations and A Christmas Carol. Find out everything you need to know about Bleak House in a fraction of the time! This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you: • A complete plot summary • Character studies • Key themes and symbols • Questions for further reflection Why choose BrightSummaries.com? Available in print and digital format, our publications are designed to accompany you on your reading journey. The clear and concise style makes for easy understanding, providing the perfect opportunity to improve your literary knowledge in no time. See the very best of literature in a whole new light with BrightSummaries.com!

Dickens and the Broken Scripture

In Dickens and the Broken Scripture, Janet Larson examines the paradoxical role of the Bible in Dickens' novels, from such early works as Oliver Twist and Dombey and Son, in which the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer were drawn upon for the most part as stable sources of reassurance and order, to the far more complex novels of Dickens' maturity, such as Bleak House, Little Dorrit, and Our Mutual Friend. In these later works, biblical allusion performs an increasingly contradictory and dissonant role that brings into question not only the moral character of Victorian society but also the sanctity of received religious traditions. Critics have tended to view Dickens' extensive use of the Bible as a not particularly complex or admirable aspect of his artistry--as a device he used primarily as a means of reassuring and building solidarity with his Victorian public. But as Larson demonstrates, Dickens' use of biblical allusion was as sophisticated and multifaceted as his use of character, narrative, description, and plot. In Dickens' novels, the Bible is a broken book, in need of revitalization and reinterpretation for his time, but also desperately vulnerable to attack from the tempestuous Victorian society of his day.