Bleak House by Charles Dickens

The novel revolves around the never ending Jarndyce and Jarndyce lawsuit whose base is a disputed inheritance and those awaiting its conclusion. Dickens’ disdain for the British courts is quite evident in the almost Kafkaesque legal inactions depicted in Bleak House.

Written in two perspectives; Esther Summerson’s and an unnamed narrator, the many characters attached to the lawsuit are introduced and many subplots unfold.

Esther Summerson, an orphan, comes to Bleak House under the guardianship of John Jarndyce and acts as housekeeper and companion to two other orphans. Her calm and selfless manner appeal to the many confidantes she befriends.

John Jarndyce is an enigmatic man who is extremely uncomfortable with other’s gratitude. Benefactor to many, he remains humble and non judgmental to even those who disappoint him.

The mysterious Lady Dedlock appears cold, yet she harbors a long held secret that ties her directly to Esther. When her secret is finally revealed, we understand how she was also kept in the dark for years. A tragic ending for a tragic life.

A resident of Tom All-Alones, Jo, was left in the gutter as an infant and has lived as a street urchin with no hopes of ever living a better life. His only ally is Nemo, aka Captain Hawdon, with an unknown connection to Lady Dedlock. This is the character I rooted for, sadly, to no avail.

Quotes:

She was so very good herself, I thought, that the badness of other people made her frown all her life.

I thought it very touching to see these two women, coarse and shabby and beaten, so united; to see what they could be to one another; to see how they felt for one another; how the heart of each to each was softened by the hard trials of their lives. I think the best side of such people is almost hidden from us. What the poor are to the poor is little known, excepting to themselves and God.

And in his last look as we drove away, I saw that he was very sorry for me. I was glad to see it. I felt for my old self as the dead may feel if they ever revisit these scenes. I was glad to be tenderly remembered, to be gently pitied, not to be quite forgotten.

Ah Mr. Dickens, you never fail to entertain to the nth degree. How I would love to sit down with him and ask his opinion of current day affairs. No doubt, he’d have much to say and perhaps, he’d write an op-ed…

My rating for Bleak House is a 9 out of 10.

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Next up , Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway…