“It is not a large world. Relatively even to this world of ours, which has its limits too … it is a very little speck. There is much good in it; there are many good and true people in it; it has its appointed place. … It is a deadened world, and its growth is something unhealthy for want of air.”
Bleak House by, Charles Dickens has been sitting on my shelves for a couple of years now and I always found it intimidating. I’s over 1000 pages and Dickens likes sub plots within his sub plots within his sub plots. However, now that I’m almost half way through (by the time of this post), I’m finding Bleak House to be a lot more approachable than I assumed it would be. Because this is such a large novel, I’ll review it in four parts; dedicating four posts for each quart and then a fifth post for my overall thoughts once I’ve completed the novel and gave it some time to marinate. This post will cover Parts I - V. I’ll just share what I find interesting, but will try to stay away from spoilers. I always find it fun to break up these massive novels in this way - it makes them easier to digest and helps me recall what I’ve read, especially with a novel that has a lot of characters and details.
Bleak House is a novel that has the infamous court case, Jarndyce and Jarndyce case running in the background of the plot. Even when it’s not being discussed, you know this never ending case is relevant. Jarndyce and Jarndyce has been going on for so long, that people can’t remember when it started or what it’s entirely about at this point - all people know is that this case consumes finances and resources. It’s draining the inheritances of Ada adn Richard, who are distant cousins and somehow, the main protagonist, Esther Summerson is involved. At this point, all the reader knows is that her parentage is a mystery, and it’s a scandalous one.
The novel begins in this excel, moody, evocative and dark way - it’s descriptive, dirty, cold and muddy. Dickens dives head first into the attorneys involved in Jarndyce and Jarndyce and critiques the legal system.
“In trickery, evasion, procrastination, spoliation, botheration under false pretenses of all sorts, there are influences that can never come to good.”
How delicious is that sentence? I love how Dickens play around with words like this - he doesn’t need to, but it’s fun and it really exemplifies his mastery of language.
I adore Esther - she’s humble, smart and witty. She is kind and yet knows how to bring up topics in conversations that others find awkward. She actually reminds me a bit of Marian in The Woman in White. I’m eager to see how Dickens fleshes out her background story as he pieces together who her parents are. I have an idea, but I’m not saying. Also, I think I know who her love interest may be. There is this really hilarious proposal from another young man and Esther was horrified.
We have Ada, who is Dickens’ classic good-two-shoes for this novel. He always has to have a female character that is almost obnoxiously sweet, perfect and pretty. This doesn’t bother me, though I have seen this as a critic from many regarding Dickens. I always approach the characters in his novels as caricatures - many of his characters are static and don’t change much throughout the novel. They all tend to represent the many facets and traits within human nature and it’s like he assigns a character to play traits like innocence, greed, lust, evil, beauty, kindness, intelligence, etc.
We also have Richard, who is a young man who is at the point in his life in which he needs to settle down and pick a career - expect he’s indecisive. He is in love with Ada, yet he needs to mature and become a bit more established before they can potentially marry. I have a feeling there are going to be a few bumps in the road for Ada and Richard.
Esther, Ada and Richard have become wards to Mr. Jarndyce, who lives at Bleak House. Bleak House is a house that is constructed and laid out in the most curious manner, with hallways and staircases and odd spaces and corners here and there. Mr. Jarndyce is a quirky, yet kindly man who’s obsessed with “the east wind” - meaning something distasteful to unsettling coming to change the mood.
There is Sir Leicester and his wife Lady Dedlock, a rather wealthy couple. They are picture perfect, yet Dickens hints that something is off and there is especially something that Lady Dedlock is hiding.
“But, whether each evermore watches and suspects the other, evermore mistrustful of some great reservation; whether each is evermore prepared at all points for the other, and never to be taken unawares, what each would give to know how much that other knows - all this is hidden, for the time, in their own hearts.”
Dickens also begins his critique on how the wealthy are often hypocritical - they are charitable for the sake of appearances, while they aren’t taking care of essential things within their own lives.
So far, I’m really enjoyed my read fo Bleak House. It’s easier to follow than I anticipated - there are a few sub plots going on but I’m not confused. The first five parts have been a great introduction to many of the characters and Dickens is doing a LOT of fe actual foreshadowing, even though there isn’t much to go on about court case yet. Also - this book is hysterical! I was not expecting is to be this funny, but there are times I busted out laughing. Lastly, the writing is just gorgeous, as one should expect with Dickens. He knows how to turn a phrase.
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