Bleak House in Never too Late to Read Classics

Sep 11, 2023 midnightfaerie rated it really liked it

Shelves: classic-tomes, classics, drama, mystery

Classics come in many forms; old, long, eloquent, brief and dirty, political, gritty and mean, sad with a touch of humor – but somehow, Charles Dickens manages to incorporate it all, and Bleak House is no exception.

While not my favorite Dickens by far, it’s often cited as one of his greatest works and I wonder if it’s just because the few that get through this tome feels it’s their right to cite it as the best, thereby making other classical lovers, such as myself, feel the need to read it. I fe Classics come in many forms; old, long, eloquent, brief and dirty, political, gritty and mean, sad with a touch of humor – but somehow, Charles Dickens manages to incorporate it all, and Bleak House is no exception.

While not my favorite Dickens by far, it’s often cited as one of his greatest works and I wonder if it’s just because the few that get through this tome feels it’s their right to cite it as the best, thereby making other classical lovers, such as myself, feel the need to read it. I felt like the characters in Great Expectations were just a bit more colorful, the plot in David Copperfield just a bit more relatable, and the lesson learned with a happy ending done so much better in A Christmas Carol. But there is much to love in Bleak House, and still worth the read.

So many themes beautifully written run through this story. Capitalism and the differences between the classes is once again a pedestal Dickens stands on. He works through the politics of the time and shows characters that are extreme in their conflicting life situations; from the poor homeless boy who is constantly used and then asked to “move on” to the upper-class gentlemen who refuses to acknowledge the self-made man as a true aristocrat. He shows the ineffectual work of the politicians running the country and characters who discuss the changing times vs those who insist on embracing tradition at all costs. He speaks to injustice and corruption in the legal system, going so far as to create characters that are driven mad by the processes of the court they get involved in. And of course love and sacrifice shown through our heroine, Esther, and so many other themes in between. This alone could label this a classic piece of literature. But there’s so much more, such as Dickens’ unique style of writing, the age of the book, and its popularity among others.

One of my favorite things about Dickens is how he writes his male characters. From their Dickensonian names to their descriptive attributes, I tend to love them all; from the slimy car salesman type man who picks his pimples, to the great-hearted guardian that tries to help everyone in his path. That being said, I am one of those who believes is a little 2-demsional when writing his women. I’ve stated this before and I don’t know if it’s because he is a man, or it’s how he saw women of the time, but they come across as flat with no depth. Esther is often criticized as being so sickly sweet-good, and it can be irritating, but I found her refreshing compared to the others in the novel. Lady Deadlock was probably written the best as far as the women went, with her secret she was hiding, that caused her torment and ultimately her fall from grace. A secret that would be considered ridiculous in today’s standards and I think on some level Dickens was trying to show that as well, or at least the difference between the struggles of a man vs. a woman during that time. Her maid was a great example of a 2-dimensional villain, consumed by her hatred and with no other interests in life that we could see as readers. There were many of these though, like Mrs. Snagsby who was obsessed with her jealousy towards the women her husband interacted with and her overactive imagination.

My favorite male character was probably Mr. Bucket, who apparently Agatha Christie modeled fictional detective Hercule Poirot after. The detective archetype is one of my favorites and I love to see different portrayals of them. I still think Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes is the best detective, with his arrogance and attitude, but Mr. Bucket pulled out some fun stops in Bleak House along the way as well. He was entertaining and engaging and even though I guessed a good part of the mystery I actually didn’t see everything coming. There was still some mystery in events that left me surprised, which I enjoy.

Overall, Bleak House probably falls somewhere around the middle if I had to rate what I’ve read by Dickens so far. It has all the same elements of his other books, I think I just didn’t enjoy the story as much as some of the others. I still love the way Dickens has so many characters and brings them altogether in the end in ways you don’t expect. The development of his plots are methodical and deliberate and always a joy to read. There is no ambiguity in the conflict of the story, as we always know who we’re supposed to be rooting for and who the bad guy is in that particular chapter (since there are always many characters we aren’t supposed to like). And the narrative follows form, the book leading up to multiple climaxes at the end, some with foreshadowing, some without, and always a few red herrings thrown in for good measure.

Another delightful book by Charles Dickens which again proves his authenticity and earns him the right to be termed a classical author.
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