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3.33 AVERAGE
3.33 AVERAGE
It was barely daybreak, when, with a parting look round his room, mournfully wondering whether he should ever see it, again, he went out. The town was entirely deserted as if the inhabitants had abandoned it, rather than hold communication with him. Everything looked wan at that hour. Even the coming sun made but a pale waste in the sky, like a sad sea.
By the place where Rachael lived, though it was not in his way, by the red brick streets; by the great silent factories, not trembling yet; by the railway, where the danger-lights were waning in the strengthening day; by the railway's crazy neighbourhood, half pulled down and half built up; by scattered red brick villas, where the besmoked evergreens were sprinkled with a dirty powder, like untidy snuff-takers; by coal dust paths and many varieties of ugliness; Stephen got to the top of the hill, and looked back.
Day was shining, radiantly upon the town then, and the bells were going for the morning work. Domestic fires were not yet lighted, and the high chimneys had the sky to themselves. Puffing out their poisonous volumes, they would not be long in hiding it; but, for half an hour, some of the many windows were golden, which showed the Coketown people a sun eternally in eclipse, through a medium of smoked glass.
So strange to turn from chimneys to the birds. So strange to have the road-dust on his feet instead of the coal-grit. So strange to have lived to his time of life, and yet to be beginning like a boy this summer morning! With these musings in his mind, and his bundle under his arm, Stephen took his attentive face along the high road. And the trees arched over him, whispering that he left a true and loving heart behind.
By the place where Rachael lived, though it was not in his way, by the red brick streets; by the great silent factories, not trembling yet; by the railway, where the danger-lights were waning in the strengthening day; by the railway's crazy neighbourhood, half pulled down and half built up; by scattered red brick villas, where the besmoked evergreens were sprinkled with a dirty powder, like untidy snuff-takers; by coal dust paths and many varieties of ugliness; Stephen got to the top of the hill, and looked back.
Day was shining, radiantly upon the town then, and the bells were going for the morning work. Domestic fires were not yet lighted, and the high chimneys had the sky to themselves. Puffing out their poisonous volumes, they would not be long in hiding it; but, for half an hour, some of the many windows were golden, which showed the Coketown people a sun eternally in eclipse, through a medium of smoked glass.
So strange to turn from chimneys to the birds. So strange to have the road-dust on his feet instead of the coal-grit. So strange to have lived to his time of life, and yet to be beginning like a boy this summer morning! With these musings in his mind, and his bundle under his arm, Stephen took his attentive face along the high road. And the trees arched over him, whispering that he left a true and loving heart behind.
This book reminded me why I love Dickens as an author. I haven't read any new works of his for about six years now (I've reread Tale of Two Cities multiple times) and I'd forgotten how powerful of an author he is. The critique of the modernist/Enlightenment worldview in this book was wonderful, though I thought that Gradgrind's conversion of sorts was rather rushed and not set up very well. It certainly made sense why he should change from his awful point-of-view, but it seemed a bit out-of-place with his character and a bit abrupt of a change. I also wasn't particularly fond of how Dickens portrayed marriage in this book, since he attacks the institution a fair bit and doesn't defend it as much as he could/should have. That's a small complaint though, as the superb storytelling mixed with fascinating characters and a rich anti-Enlightenment theme more than made up for it. So much goodness in here. Of the three works by Dickens I've read so far (Oliver Twist, Tale of Two Cities, and this one), Hard Times is probably my favorite. Great stuff.
Rating: 4-4.5 Stars (Excellent)
Rating: 4-4.5 Stars (Excellent)
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would! Pacing was a little slow.
Dickens' shortest novel was an unexpected triumph for me; it is a sentimental, swooning satire that preoccupies itself with the most overt of sensations in its depiction of the opposition between utilitarianism and humanity, and yet it is so precisely manifested into a very gripping and subtle redemption story that any of its obviousness is quickly dispelled due to the complexity offered by the narrative surrounding it. The Russians might have been the kings of 19th-century melodrama (Chekhov! Dostoevsky! Gogol!) but Dickens still packs some heat here, particularly with the Blackpool and Harthouse storylines, which very elegantly crescendo into a thrilling and positively stirring third act. I'm not going to pretend this is his best work (as I've not read anything more from him but this and parts of Great Expectations) but it's a highly entertaining tale and a very narratively rewarding one at that.
Dickens' shortest novel was an unexpected triumph for me; it is a sentimental, swooning satire that preoccupies itself with the most overt of sensations in its depiction of the opposition between utilitarianism and humanity, and yet it is so precisely manifested into a very gripping and subtle redemption story that any of its obviousness is quickly dispelled due to the complexity offered by the narrative surrounding it. The Russians might have been the kings of 19th-century melodrama (Chekhov! Dostoevsky! Gogol!) but Dickens still packs some heat here, particularly with the Blackpool and Harthouse storylines, which very elegantly crescendo into a thrilling and positively stirring third act. I'm not going to pretend this is his best work (as I've not read anything more from him but this and parts of Great Expectations) but it's a highly entertaining tale and a very narratively rewarding one at that.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pedophilia, Racism, Classism