Hard Times: For these Times

Charles Dickens

The Floating Press, May 1, 2009 - Fiction - 352 pages

First published in 1854, Hard Times is a profoundly moving, articulate and searing indictment of the life-reducing effects of the industrial revolution, and certain aspects of enlightenment thinking. Set in the fictional midlands mill-town of Coketown, the narrative centers on the industrialist, Mr Thomas Gradgrind, whose belief in scientific utilitarianism skews his world view and is a motive force, carrying the narrative towards farce and tragedy. Gradgrind's no-nonsense abhorrence of 'fancy' extends to his implementing an ambitious education scheme that aims to exclude all 'nonsense' and keep the minds of young people focused squarely on facts. The book is ultimately an argument in favor of fancy and radical thinking, and a damning critique of industrial capitalism and its exploitation and repression of the workers whose lives were spent (literally) in sustaining the system.

Contents

• Chapter I The One Thing Needful: 6
• Chapter II Murdering the Innocents: 8
• Chapter III A Loophole: 19
• Chapter IV Mr Bounderby: 28
• Chapter V The Keynote: 42
• Chapter VI Slearys Horsemanship: 53
• Chapter VII Mrs Sparsit: 78
• Chapter VIII Never Wonder: 91
• Chapter IX Sissys Progress: 102
• Chapter X Stephen Blackpool: 117
• Chapter XI No Way Out: 127
• Chapter XII The Old Woman: 141
• Chapter XIII Rachael: 150
• Chapter XIV The Great Manufacturer: 165
• Chapter XV Father and Daughter: 175
• Chapter XVI Husband and Wife: 190
• BOOK THE SECOND REAPING: 200
• Chapter I Effects in the Bank: 201
• Chapter II Mr James Harthouse: 226
• Chapter III The Whelp: 241
• Chapter IV Men and Brothers: 251
• Chapter V Men and Masters: 265
• Chapter VI Fading Away: 278
• Chapter VII Gunpowder: 301
• Chapter VIII Explosion: 324
• Chapter IX Hearing the Last of It: 348
• Chapter X Mrs Sparsits Staircase: 363
• Chapter XI Lower and Lower: 372
• Chapter XII Down: 388
• BOOK THE THIRD GARNERING: 397
• Chapter I Another Thing Needful: 398
• Chapter II Very Ridiculous: 410
• Chapter III Very Decided: 428
• Chapter IV Lost: 444
• Chapter V Found: 461
• Chapter VI The Starlight: 477
• Chapter VII WhelpHunting: 495
• Chapter VIII Philosophical: 516
• Chapter IX Final: 528

About the author

Charles Dickens, perhaps the best British novelist of the Victorian era, was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England on February 7, 1812. His happy early childhood was interrupted when his father was sent to debtors' prison, and young Dickens had to go to work in a factory at age twelve. Later, he took jobs as an office boy and journalist before publishing essays and stories in the 1830s. His first novel, The Pickwick Papers, made him a famous and popular author at the age of twenty-five. Subsequent works were published serially in periodicals and cemented his reputation as a master of colorful characterization, and as a harsh critic of social evils and corrupt institutions. His many books include Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Bleak House, Great Expectations, Little Dorrit, A Christmas Carol, and A Tale of Two Cities. Dickens married Catherine Hogarth in 1836, and the couple had nine children before separating in 1858 when he began a long affair with Ellen Ternan, a young actress. Despite the scandal, Dickens remained a public figure, appearing often to read his fiction. He died in 1870, leaving his final novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, unfinished.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Hard Times: For these Times
• Author: Charles Dickens
• Edition: reprint
• Publisher: The Floating Press, 2009
• ISBN: 1775411133, 9781775411130
• Length: 352 pages
• Subjects: Fiction / Classics