Hard Times (Modern Library Classics)

by Charles Dickens

Hard Times (Modern Library Classics)

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2864 ratings, 3.38 average rating, 200 reviews (more data...)

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published

July 10th 2001 (first published 2003) by Modern Library

binding

Paperback, 368 pages

isbn

067964217X (isbn13: 9780679642176)

description

Dickens's widely read satirical account of the Industrial Revolution.

Dickens creates the Victorian industrial city of Coketown, in northern...more

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All ratings | 5 stars (406) | 4 stars (896) | 3 stars (963) | 2 stars (362) | 1 star (147) | avg 3.38

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Evil_Dead_Junkie

Evil_Dead_Junkie rated it:

(review of isbn 0321107217)

09/04/08

bookshelves: classic-lit

Not Dicken's best work, but still, ya know, Dickens.

It's pretty much "Lets light some straw men on fire!" day in Dickens land. Presumably Hard Times was chosen as the title because "Let's Kick Some Deserving Fuckers In The Teeth" was already taken.

Still I don't know anyone I'd rather watch burn people and deliver teeth kicks then Dickens.

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

6 comments

Cori

Cori rated it:

(review of isbn 0553210165)

08/06/07

Read in June, 2007

recommends it for: audio book lovers

From my blog:

NOTE: I listened to the audio version.

For some reason, I could never get into Dickens. I was an English major, for goodness' sake. I tried David Copperfield. I tried the Pickwick Papers. I tried Oliver Twist. All meh, and I didn't finish any of them. I have, however, enjoyed many a film adaptation of his novels, including Bleak House (fan. tas. tic.) and Nicholas Nickleby, so I knew that it couldn't be that bad. Anyway, my friend Hillary has recommended Hard Times for a lo...more

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Michael

Michael rated it:

(review of isbn 0321107217)

02/21/08

bookshelves: fiction

Here's how much of an impression this book made on me: When scanning my (physical) bookshelves adding books to my Goodreads account, I completely forgot that I had read this book (just a couple months ago) and stuck it on my to-read "shelf" rather than read. Then just now driving home a random train of thought led me to think of Dickens, and how I had only read one Dickens novel, but then I had this vague memory that in fact I had read a second Dickens novel. I could only remember the ...more

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Jennifer

Jennifer rated it:

(review of isbn 0321107217)

04/28/08

bookshelves: classics, read-2008

Read in April, 2008

Shortest Dickens book I've ever read (listened to actually), but VERY good. I love the come-uppance of Josiah Bounderby in the end! I also like Dickens' way of pointing out that the perfect ending would have been for Louisa to have gotten married and had a bunch of kids, but that is NOT what ended up happening. But then he did give her a happy ending, after all, just a different one. I especially love the way Dickens names his characters. You never have to wonder whether somebody is going to be ...more

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Michelle

Michelle rated it:

(review of isbn 0321107217)

08/24/08

Somewhat grimmer Dickens than I really prefer but very involving story anyway. Poor guy couldn't tell the difference between Benthamites and normal capitalism though.

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1 comment

Isil

Isil rated it:

(review of isbn 014143967X)

09/07/08

bookshelves: angleterre, litterature, victorien, xixe

Read in July, 2008

J’adore son écriture, sa folie douce, sa vivacité, ses emportements lyriques, le mélange de tendresse et d'amertume. J’ai dévoré Les Temps difficiles. C’est un conte moral dans lequel Dickens exprime sa colère face à la façon dont se déroule l’industrialisation de l’Angleterre au milieu du XIXème siècle. Il prend une idée et la pousse à son extrême. Imaginons un monde où seule l’efficacité économique règne, où la statistique l’emporte sur l’empathie et le senti...more J’adore son écriture, sa folie douce, sa vivacité, ses emportements lyriques, le mélange de tendresse et d'amertume. J’ai dévoré Les Temps difficiles. C’est un conte moral dans lequel Dickens exprime sa colère face à la façon dont se déroule l’industrialisation de l’Angleterre au milieu du XIXème siècle. Il prend une idée et la pousse à son extrême. Imaginons un monde où seule l’efficacité économique règne, où la statistique l’emporte sur l’empathie et le sentiment. Ses personnages sont comme toujours absolument mémorables, qu’il s’agisse de Mr Gradgrind, qui ne vit que pour les faits et les statistiques (deux de ses enfants s’appellent Adam Smith et Malthus !), y compris pour le mariage de sa fille avec un homme de trente ans son aîné ou de Mr Bounderby qui aime tellement rappeler qu’il est un « self made man ». Face aux faits, Dickens oppose l’imagination et la fantaisie de Sissy, la jeune fille qui a grandi dans un cirque. Il évoque aussi les difficultés des ouvriers à travers le personnage touchant, quoique trop parfait, de Stephen, amoureux de Rachael mais lié à une femme alcoolique dont il ne peut se séparer. Ce roman a été écrit au même moment que Nord et Sud, d’Elizabeth Gaskell, qui parle aussi beaucoup de la condition ouvrière. Je n’ai pu m’empêcher de penser à cet autre roman même s’il est très différent dans son traitement. La vision de Gaskell était certainement mieux informée et plus réaliste, notamment dans sa description des syndicats mais la lecture du Dickens est tout aussi plaisante. Les descriptions de l’ambiance d’une ville industrielle, grise, rythmée par les sirènes de début ou d'arrêt de travail, sont saisissantes dans ces deux romans.

"Les Temps difficiles" n'ont pas d'intrigues multiples comme c'est d'habitude le cas chez Dickens. C’est peut-être aussi un des romans les plus sombres de Dickens mais c’est aussi un des plus beaux grâce à la virtuosité de son écriture. Même si, parfois, le contexte n'est pas facile à comprendre (il y a de nombreuses références à l'utilitarisme), cela n'enlève aucun plaisir à la lecture. Un roman que j’ai envie de relire en le refermant. Ce livre a cependant un gros défaut, il est court (pour du Dickens)....less

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Brad

Brad rated it:

(review of isbn 0192833677)

08/07/08

There is a character that appears in all of Charles Dickens' books whom I can't stand. He is the noble worker, the lower class moral compass, and he is consistently a source of Dickens' naive idealism, which, for a jaded soul like me, is a constant impediment to full enjoyment of Dickens' excellent prose.

Bob Cratchett, Scrooge's clerk in A Christmas Carol, is the most insufferable of his kind, Joe Gargery, Pip's Uncle in Great Expectations, is the most sufferable of his kind, and Stephen Bla...more There is a character that appears in all of Charles Dickens' books whom I can't stand. He is the noble worker, the lower class moral compass, and he is consistently a source of Dickens' naive idealism, which, for a jaded soul like me, is a constant impediment to full enjoyment of Dickens' excellent prose.

Bob Cratchett, Scrooge's clerk in A Christmas Carol, is the most insufferable of his kind, Joe Gargery, Pip's Uncle in Great Expectations, is the most sufferable of his kind, and Stephen Blackpool, Mr. Bounderby's weaver in Hard Times, falls somewhere in between.

Blackpool is morally perfect throughout Hard Times, the man we are to gauge ourselves and everyone in the book against. Blackpool actually believes in justice to such an extent -- despite evidence in his own life to the contrary -- that he would put himself in danger of imprisonment "to clear his name."

Further, he believes in the "goodness" of social conventions so completely that he withholds any chance of full happiness with Rachael so that he won't become a "bad" man.

I am not sure what I find more annoying, the fact that Dickens believes that people like this exist in such seeming numbers, or the belief that they are somehow people we should aspire to be like? I will concede that people like this do exist, but these people are, I reiterate, insufferable, and they are generally people who are incapable of truly thinking for themselves.

And all of this reveals Dickens as that most painful, wishy washy, and dangerous of people -- the bleeding heart liberal. The kind of person who believes, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that if we all just talk about things and complain peaceably the world will change for the better.

I proudly declare myself for the left of the political scale, but I'll be damned if I will get my permit to protest and go home with a happy glow in my heart that I've done the "right" thing, when I know full well that I changed absolutely nothing.

For a guy like me Dickens is a tough read. Still, Hard Times was one of Dickens' better ones, and at the very least I recognize and admire the strength of Dickens' prose. He is, politics aside, a beautiful writer....less

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Aaron

Aaron rated it:

07/18/08

Read in July, 2008

This is my second Dickens novel, and it did not disappoint. Dickens sustained picture through the novel of a monotonous, overworked life full of statistical averages, calculated by bosses, educators, and officials, which govern the movements and actions of a poor working class contrasted with a varied, imagaintive, emotional life which can foster naive hope and the ridiculous (the circus) but also higher virtues of empathy, compassion, patient commitment, and noble self-sacrifice is a powerful ...more

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Nocturnal

Nocturnal rated it:

(review of isbn 0321107217)

06/29/08

This book is, for me, Dickens' best. I loved every second of it, the darkness of Tom's steady descent into drinking and gambling were brilliant and there were several times I found myself simply rereading a few paragraphs over and over, in awe at them. (The end of Chapter XIX, The Whelp, is something I hold in very high regard as possibly one of his best pieces of writing ever.) I want to deal with the characters individually from here, since I feel they are all very important.

Mr Gradgrind -...more This book is, for me, Dickens' best. I loved every second of it, the darkness of Tom's steady descent into drinking and gambling were brilliant and there were several times I found myself simply rereading a few paragraphs over and over, in awe at them. (The end of Chapter XIX, The Whelp, is something I hold in very high regard as possibly one of his best pieces of writing ever.) I want to deal with the characters individually from here, since I feel they are all very important.

Mr Gradgrind - Facts. This man's obsession with facts and hate for fantasy is possibly one of the most genius parts of the plot, highlighting exactly what Dickens means to say. His regret at the end serves to show the inevitable outcome of living his sort of life, and is done in a very clever way. His name is also wonderful. I like to say it. Gradgrind. It's great, isn't it?

Bounderby - Dickens made me hate him, and he was made to be hated. For all his bluster and superiority he is in fact worse in moral integrity than Stephen or Tom, which is why I was intensely glad as Louisa took her steps away from him. He really is a 'bounder'.

Louisa/Loo - A perfect tragic heroine, but I couldn't help thinking more than once that she should really get some backbone. But I suppose that was the point, so she was well done too.

Cecilia/Sissy - I didn't like her very much, but I did like the way she was used, as the embodiment of fancy and fun. She served to drive the point home and was useful in terms of story development.

Tom/The Whelp - Goodness, I hated him sometimes. As I've already said, his descent was done well and some of the description around him was fantastic. Dickens' habit of referring to him as the whelp was perfect.

Stephen Blackpool - The character I could emphathise with most, he was likeable and pitiable. I loved his struggle with Slackbridge and the Trade Union, and his contrasting relationships with Rachel and his wife made me feel very sorry for both of them. His ending was also very sad, and shows just how cruel people can be to each other.

Mrs Sparsit - One of the most brilliant in the book. The image of her staircase, with Louisa walking to the bottom, is one that has stuck with me as being particularly genius. I also laughed at her disappointment by the train towards the end, as she was so anxious to see the downfall of others she ended up being nothing more than a jobless window.

James Harthouse - Although for most of the book I wished Louisa would run away with him, the end convinced me otherwise. Still, he was a very interesting character who provided a catalyst for all the suppressed emotions of the Gradgrinds/Bounderbys.

All in all, a brilliant book....less

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Tiffany

Tiffany rated it:

(review of isbn 0321107217)

08/20/08

Read in February, 2008

This book was not as compelling to me as far as the characters and their stories, but one of Dickens most fascinating novels as far as social commentary and one of his bravest.
One of the most interesting points that Dickens makes concerns the trouble with labor unions, something that I think we still struggle with today. On one hand, those unions were desperately needed to get people out of dangerous and impossible working conditions, to get them reasonable pay, to get children out of the fact...more

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Monica

Monica rated it:

(review of isbn 0321107217)

02/03/08

Read in August, 2007

Facts. That's what is important to Thomas Gradgrind and Josiah Bounderby in this Victorian Satire. Gradgrind doesn't allow his children to wonder, or imagine, or partake in fairy stories. He doesn't allow it of any of his students, either. Sense and reason and fact are what are pounded into their heads. When Gradgrind's eldest daughter, Louisa, is offered marriage, the decision she makes isn't based on feeling, but fact. These three are not the only characters in this short novel. Louisa's belov...more

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Gregg

Gregg rated it:

(review of isbn 0321107217)

12/30/07

bookshelves: victorian-lit

Read in December, 2007

Hard Times is no Tale of Two Cities, and it's definitely no Bleak House. It's a compact narrative, centered around maybe five people, rather than fifty-five, with a minimum of subplots and next to none of Dickens' usual brand of grotesque caricatures. (And yes, I'm ripping off the critic in the foreword of the book.)

But it's absorbing nonetheless. Maybe because of these differences in style (you need to devote about a month to one of his more convoluted narratives). The ...more

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Núria

Núria rated it:

(review of isbn 0321107217)

10/13/07

bookshelves: 2006, 3-buenos, decimononicos, literatura-en-ingles, mios

Read in January, 2006

Mi primer Charles Dickens. Ha supuesto una relativa sorpresa respecto a los prejuicios que me había podido crear por culpa de los trozos de adaptaciones cinematográficas que había visto por aquí y por allí. Me ha sorprendido sobretodo su sentido del humor y que es mucho más inteligente e incisivo de lo que me había imaginado.

Algo de lo que más me ha gustado es que no hay un único protagonista sino muchos personajes cuyas vidas se entrecruzan. Se agradece mucho que Dickens maneje muy...more Mi primer Charles Dickens. Ha supuesto una relativa sorpresa respecto a los prejuicios que me había podido crear por culpa de los trozos de adaptaciones cinematográficas que había visto por aquí y por allí. Me ha sorprendido sobretodo su sentido del humor y que es mucho más inteligente e incisivo de lo que me había imaginado.

Algo de lo que más me ha gustado es que no hay un único protagonista sino muchos personajes cuyas vidas se entrecruzan. Se agradece mucho que Dickens maneje muy bien las elipsis, vaya al grano y no nos lo cuente todo, porque todo esto ayuda a que el libro sea realmente ágil y, como se dice, enganche. Pero lamentablemente no todo es tan perfecto. Como me temía, hay algunas escenas (pero no tantas como me temía) excesivamente sentimentales que en mis orejas son tan insoportables como el sonido de uñas arañando una pizarra. Además, tampoco no puedo soportar que los buenos sean tan buenos y tan perfectos, tan de una pieza.

Tampoco es que el libro sea maniqueista, porque los malos sí que tienen muchos matíces y resultan incomparablemente más interesantes, como James Harthouse (mi favorito, pero, bueno, esto quizás sea también porque tengo una debilidad patológica por todos los personajes que sean mínimamente nihilistas, pero esta vez realmente me ha gustado que, aunque al final pueda llegar a sentir algo, no se redima del todo, tal como sería la solución más fácil).

Otra cosa que me ha sorprendido gratamente es que la crítica social no ha resultado tan ingenua como parecía en un principio, cuando toda la crítica era en plan "la industrialización es muy mala; ¡volvamos al campo!" Pero luego Dickens ya demuestra tener un mejor ojo clínico y es capaz de criticar la actitud de los empresarios hacia los obreros. Así, por ejemplo, retrata la actitud de algunos empresarios que se hacen siempre los mártires, porque los obreros, que son mezquinos por naturaleza, siempre quieren aprovecharse de su immensa generosidad.

Sin embargo, la mejor crítica, la más divertida, es la que dedica a tipos de personas concretas, como Mr. Bounderby, que siempre fanfarronea de sus orígenes extremamente humildes y de como ha sido un hombre que se ha hecho a sí mismo, porque claro si los otros obreros no han llegado a la posición que ha llegado él es porque no quieren, porque son unos vagos.

Resumiendo, me ha sorprendido positivamente y me ha gustado, sobretodo por la sátira que se advierte en muchos pasajes (que es realmente divertida), y porque es capaz de crear unos malos, complejos, interesantes y fascinantes. Me ha gustado como para volver a leer pronto algo más de Dickens, pero no me ha gustado tanto como para atreverme aún a leer un libro suyo donde predominen pobres niños desafortunados.
...less

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James

James rated it:

(review of isbn 014143967X)

10/08/07

bookshelves: fiction, newberryclass

Read in September, 2007

Dickens' novel Hard Times presents some of the themes common to Dickens. There is a young child, Sissy Jupe, whose father abandons her. And we have yet another example of mal-education with the system of Thomas Gradgrind, "facts, facts, facts". Dickens creates interest with deft touches like the scene of Gradgrind's children, Louisa and Thomas, finding their imaginations stirred (perhaps for the first time) at the sight of a Circus. This does not last for long -- not in the family of M...more

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Kanchan

Kanchan rated it:

(review of isbn 0321107217)

08/22/07

Despite being a bestselling novel, critics have been found to have a diverse range of opinions on Dickens' novel. Renowned critic John Ruskin declared Hard Times to be his favourite Dickens work due to its exploration of important social questions. However, Thomas Macaulay branded it "sullen socialism", because it is clear that Dickens did not fully comprehend the politics of the time. This point was also made by George Bernard Shaw, who decreed Hard Times to be a novel of 'passionate ...more

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Brad

Brad rated it:

(review of isbn 0321107217)

06/29/07

bookshelves: novel

Read in January, 1997

A trenchant vision of English society and the ills of industrialization shot through with the biting satire of Dickens at the height of his powers.

My generic comment about Charles Dickens:
First of all, although I am a partisan of Dickens' writing and have read and relished most his works, I concede to three flaws in his oeuvre that are not insignificant. First, while he seemed to develop an almost endless variety of male social types, his female characters are much less well developed. Sec...more

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Andrew

Andrew rated it:

(review of isbn 0140620443)

05/22/07

Read in April, 2004

recommends it for: fans of workers' rights; people who have a soul, or who want one

Here I am stealing from the preface provided in the annotated edition I read in high school and from my English professor Joe Butwin, but this novel is just like Stephen Blackpool's favorite expression, "a muddle."

Like Dickens novels tend to do (the ones I've read, which is sadly a list lacking much depth), "Hard Times" goes from one sweeping scene to another, in traditional dramatic (i.e. having to do with the art of drama, as opposed to overly cloying) fashion. Dickens...more

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Colby

Colby rated it:

(review of isbn 1416523731)

05/19/08

Read in May, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jeanne

Jeanne rated it:

(review of isbn 1593081073)

02/23/08

bookshelves: dickens

Read in February, 2008

It's my second Dickens novel of 2008! Here goes. . .

In this outing, we meet the Gradgrinds: Mr. Gradgrind is all reason and practicality and has raised his children to be the same; young Thomas Gradgrind is his troubled son, who has rebelled against his upbringing and is often referred to as "the whelp"; and Louisa is his dutiful daughter, who, of course, lacks emotion.

Enter Josiah Bounderby, wealthy industrialist and aging bachelor. After Louisa is persuaded (by her fath...more

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Brian

Brian rated it:

(review of isbn 0321107217)

08/17/08

Read in November, 2002

Reading Charles Dickens was a fascinating experience. Though I read this six years ago in a senior English class, I can still remember a couple of my favorite passages and even their approximate page numbers because of how clever and telling they were to the characters and story; the schoolchildren as "little pitchers" philosophy of Thomas Gradgrind, or Josiah Bounderby, in a heightened state of egomania, ready to explode himself into his own portrait (metaphorically, of course). These...more

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