KevinAdams

Ms.Gardner
English10H2
14November2014\
TheComplexWebThatisDickens

Brackett,Virginia."Dickens,Charles."
FactsOnFileCompaniontotheBritishNovel:
Beginningsthroughthe19thCentury
,vol.1.NewYork:FactsOnFile,Inc.,2006.
Bloom'sLiterature
.FactsOnFile,Inc.Web.14Nov.2014

BiographiesofCharlesDickensareeasilyfound,butthisdocumentstandsoutsimplybecauseit
isclearandshort.BrackettretellsDickenslifeinaneasilyfollowedmannerthatalsoties
referencestohisvariousliteraryworkstohisimportantlifeevents.Thisallweavesacomplex
webthatallowsustogetafurtherunderstandingofhisnovels.Brackettgivesthisasemiformal
tonehowever,anevenmoresophisticatedtonewouldbeappreciated.

Brackett,Virginia."
HardTimes
."
FactsOnFileCompaniontotheBritishNovel:Beginnings
throughthe19thCentury
,vol.1.NewYork:FactsOnFile,Inc.,2006.
Bloom's
Literature
.FactsOnFile,Inc.Web.14Nov.2014

VirginiaBracketgivesreadersadetailedcriticismof
HardTimes
inherlengthyarticle.She
pointsouthow
HardTimes
hasalackofcomicrelief,andhowithelpstosendthediremessage

thisnovelhastooffer.

Brackettalsodissectstheideaofimaginationshowninthenovelby
relatingitsideastoideasofSissyJupescircus.Overall,thisarticleisafantastic,andunbiased
toolthathelpsusgainadeeperunderstandingofthesymbolismshowninDickensclassicwork.

Davis,Paul."circusesintheworksofCharlesDickens."
CriticalCompaniontoCharles
Dickens:ALiteraryReferencetoHisLifeandWork
,CriticalCompanion.NewYork:
FactsOnFile,Inc.,2007.
Bloom'sLiterature
.FactsOnFile,Inc.Web.14Nov.2014

PaulDavislookscarefullyatthecircus,asymbolfoundthroughoutthebook.CharlesDickens
usesthismetaphortosymbolizeimaginationaswellascontrasttheharshnessoffacts.Davis
givesinsightfulideasthathelpandgiveanewdepthandmeaningtothecircus.Whileproviding
ananalysisofthesymbol,DavisalsoprovidesbiographicalevidenceofDickens'schildhood
loveofcircuseswhichshowreaderswherehisinspirationcamefrom.Thisarticleiswrittenina
formaltone,aswouldbeexpectedofaBloomsentry.

Davis,Paul."laborunionsintheworkofCharlesDickens."
CriticalCompaniontoCharles
Dickens:ALiteraryReferencetoHisLifeandWork
,CriticalCompanion.NewYork:
FactsOnFile,Inc.,2007.
Bloom'sLiterature
.FactsOnFile,Inc.Web.13Nov.2014

Thisarticlediscussestheissueoflaborunions,andstrikinginregardstoCharlesDickens
novels.Unionizedlaborisanimportantissuemidwaythroughthenovel,andthearticlediscusses
thoroughlyDickensviewsonsocialinjusticeamongtheworkforce.WelearnthatDickens

believedthatworkershadtherighttofairconditionsandcompensation,aswellasfight
back.Thisdocumentiswrittenwithaformaltone,andalthoughitisamere3paragraphs,it
providesinvaluableinformationthatenlightensreaderswhilealsomanagingtocallustoaction
subconsciouslytofightthisoppressiveforceinourownlife.

Ruskin,John."ANoteon
HardTimes
,"(1860).Quotedas"On
HardTimes
"inBloom,Harold,
ed.
CharlesDickens
,ClassicCriticalViews.NewYork:ChelseaHousePublishing,2007.
Bloom'sLiterature
.FactsOnFile,Inc.Web.13Nov.2014

Thisarticle,writtentoinformreadersaboutthethemesandideasin
HardTimes
aswellasoffer
abroadliterarycriticism.Writteninthefirstperson,authorJohnRuskingivesushisthoughtson
thecharactersinthenovel,likedescribingStephenBlackpoolasadramaticperfectionist.
Becauseitwaswritteninthefirstperson,readersfeelasenseofconnectiontothework,thus
makingitseemmorerelatableandbelievable.Thistechniquedoeshoweverraisesomequestions
aboutitsbiases.

Shephard,MarieTennent."Dickens,Charles."InBloom,Harold,ed.
CharlesDickens
,Bloom's
BioCritiques.Philadelphia:ChelseaHousePublishing,2003.
Bloom'sLiterature
.Facts
OnFile,Inc.Web.28Oct.2014
ThiscomprehensivebiographywrittenbytheBloomsdatabaseprovidesadetailedandthorough
descriptionofCharlesDickenslife,andlooksatsomeofhisgreatestworksinrelationtohis
career.Itrevealstousthehardshipofhisupbringingandhowhisyouthalteredhiswritingstyle

tremendously.Ratherthanprovideamerechronologicalretellingofhislife,thearticledelves
furtherintohisworksandshowshowtheyareconnectedandinfluencedbyhislife.
Thisarticledoesnotwastetimewithhumor,anddeliversaclearandconcisemessage
rightfromthebeginning.Theauthorprovidesanunbiasedperspectiverelyingonfacts,not
opinioninordertocreateausefultooltoeducatepeople.However,itisinterestingthatoneof
thethingsthat
HardTimes
isprotestingistheconstantbarrageoffactsthatpeopleencounter,
showingthatsometimesfactualcontentisntasbadaswethink.Thisarticlehelpsfurther
readersunderstandingof
HardTimes
becauseitprovidesreaderswithdetailsofDickenslife.
Welearnabouthishardchildhoodandhowitaffectedhiswritingstyleasaman.