| Hard Times by Charles Dickens, Fiction, Classics Contributor(s): Dickens, Charles (Author) |
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ISBN: 1598180797 ISBN-13: 9781598180794 Publisher: Aegypan OUR PRICE: $24.26 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: July 2006 * Not available - Not in print at this time * |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Fiction | Classics |
| Dewey: FIC |
| Lexile Measure: 760 |
| Physical Information: 0.69" H x 6" W x 9" (1.11 lbs) 248 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 19th Century - Cultural Region - British Isles |
| Accelerated Reader Info |
| Quiz #: 50672 Reading Level: 9.3 Interest Level: Upper Grades Point Value: 20.0 |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: "Hard Times" is regarded as one of Dickens' darker novels. It introduces the character of Thomas Gradgrind. Like many of Dickens' characters, Gradgrind's name tells the reader much of what they need to know. As schoolmaster Gradgrind says, "Now, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else. You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts: nothing else will ever be of any service to them. This is the principle on which I bring up my own children, and this is the principle on which I bring up these children. Stick to Facts, sir " Gradgrind's factual upbringing dooms his children, Tom and Louisa, in different ways. The book is set in "Coketown," an industrial city. Because of its treatment of the role of factory work, as well as education, in society, "Hard Times" was thought to be a "socialist" work at the time of its publication. It was also written during a time when Dickens was experiencing trouble in his own marriage, and it features a number of unhappy couples and much family discord. Less popular at its publication than many of other Dickens' works, "Hard Times" remains one of the most-taught of Dickens' major books, possibly because of the group, it is the shortest. |
Contributor Bio(s): Dickens, Charles: - "Charles John Huffam Dickens (1812 - 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity. Born in Portsmouth, Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education and other social reforms." |