Hard times
an authoritative text, backgrounds, sources, and contemporary reactions, criticism
by Charles Dickens
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The 'terrible mistake' was the contemporary utilitarian philosophy, expounded in Hard Times (1854) as the Philosophy of Fact by the hard-headed disciplinarian Thomas Gradgrind. But the novel, Dickens's shortest, is more than a polemical tract for the times; the tragic story of Louisa Gradgrind and her father is one of Dickens's triumphs. When Louisa, trapped in a loveless marriage, falls prey to an idle seducer, the crisis forces her father to reconsider his cherished system. Yet even as the development of the story reflects Dickens's growing pessimism about human nature and society, Hard Times marks his return to the theme which had made his early works so popular: the amusements of the people. Sleary's circus represents Dickens's most considered defence of the necessity of entertainment, and infuses the novel with the good humour which has ensured its appeal to generations of readers.
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Fiction, Social problems, Utilitarianism, Education, Social life and customs, Social conditions, Married people, Industrial revolution, Problèmes sociaux, Conditions sociales, Romans, nouvelles, Mœurs et coutumes, Criticism and interpretation, Hard times (Dickens, Charles), Manners and customs, Aufsatzsammlung, Hard times (Dickens), British and irish fiction (fictional works by one author), Fiction, political, Fiction, family life, England, fiction, Dickens, charles, 1812-1870, Large type books, Fiction, family life, general, Education, fiction, Social problems, fiction, Children's fiction, Fiction, general, Utilitatianism, English literature, Married people, fiction, England -- Fiction, Domestic fiction, Social problems -- Fiction, Utilitarianism -- Fiction, Education -- Fiction, Political fiction, Social sciences, Psychology, Révolution industrielle, Dickens, charles , 1812-1870, Social problems--fiction, Pr4561.a2 f67 1990, 823/.8, British and irish drama (dramatic works by one author), Adaptations, English language, English language, textbooks for foreign speakers, Long Now Manual for Civilization, Work environment, History, Poverty, Imagination, Truthfulness and falsehoodPeople
Charles Dickens (1812-1870)Places
Manchester, England, Great Britain, Angleterre, Northern EnglandTimes
19th century, 19e siècleShowing 17 featured editions. View all 1029 editions?
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Hard Times: An Authoritative Text, Contexts, Criticism
2017, Norton & Company Limited, W. W.
in English
0393284387 9780393284386
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Hard times: an authoritative text, backgrounds, sources, and contemporary reactions, criticism
1990, Norton
in English
- 2nd ed.
0393959007 9780393959000
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Book Details
Edition Notes
Includes bibliographical references (p. [429]-430).
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Work Description
Dickens scathing portrait of Victorian industrial society and its misapplied utilitarian philosophy, Hard Times features schoolmaster Thomas Gradgrind, one of his most richly dimensional, memorable characters. Filled with the details and wonders of small-town life, it is also a daring novel of ideas and ultimately, a celebration of love, hope, and limitless possibilities of the imagination.
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- Created April 1, 2008
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| July 29, 2025 | Edited by MARC Bot | import existing book |
| March 19, 2025 | Edited by MARC Bot | import existing book |
| July 30, 2024 | Edited by MARC Bot | import existing book |
| December 19, 2023 | Edited by ImportBot | import existing book |
| April 1, 2008 | Created by an anonymous user | Imported from Scriblio MARC record |