Bleak House

By (author) Dickens, Charles
Short description/annotation
Part panoramic social satire and - with the introduction of the indefatigable police investigator Mr Bucket - part prototype of the detective genre, this dark, complex and intricately plotted book is considered by many to be both Dickens''s greatest work and the finest novel of the Victorian age.
Description
The interminable case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce has gone on for so long that it has become a subject of mirth in legal circles and a source of great profit to those professionally engaged in it. Held in its inexorable grip - along with a diverse cross section of mid-Victorian society, from baronets to crossing-sweepers - are two wards of court, Ada Clare and Richard Carstone, who, along with the selfless Esther Summerson, are taken in by the kindly philanthropist John Jarndyce, owner of the eponymous Bleak House. But as the legal machinery grinds mercilessly on, the quixotic but feckless Richard, determined to resolve the lawsuit once and for all, seems doomed to be crushed under its weight, while Esther uncovers a shocking mystery concerning her own past. Elsewhere, others are driven to ever more heinous acts, including blackmail - and even murder. Part panoramic social satire and - with the introduction of the indefatigable police investigator Mr Bucket - part prototype of the detective genre, this dark, complex and intricately plotted book is considered by many to be both Dickens''s greatest work and the finest novel of the Victorian age.
Review quote
When Dickens wrote Bleak House he had grown up.
Review quote
The power of [Dickens] is so amazing that the reader at once becomes his captive.
Biographical note
A literary phenomenon in his lifetime and renowned as much for his journalism and public speaking as for his novels, Charles Dickens (1812-70) now ranks as the most important Victorian writer and one of the most influential and popular authors in the English language. His memorable and vividly rendered characters and his combination of humour, trenchant satire and compassion have left an indelible mark on our collective imagination.
Promotional headline
One of Dickens’s finest achievements presented here in a new accessible edition, ideal for students.
Description for collection
Alma Classics Evergreens is a series of popular classics. All the titles in the series are provided with an extensive critical apparatus, extra reading material including a section of photographs and notes. The texts are based on the most authoritative edition (or collated from the most authoritative editions or manuscripts) and edited using a fresh, intelligent editorial approach. With an emphasis on the production, editorial and typographical values of a book, Alma Classics aspires to revitalize the whole experience of reading the classics.
Feature
Part of Alma Classics''s Evergreen Collection
Feature
Punctuation and spelling have been modernized to make it more accessible for the modern reader
Feature
Contains detailed and comprehensive extra material on the author’s life and works