--page numbers, Dent (Everyman) edition

1. Since Hard Times was written, among other things, as specific criticism of Utilitarianism, we had better have some pretty clear idea of just what Utilitarianism actually is. Look up the term in some good reference source.
--With what particular aspects of Utilitarianism does Dickens appear to be taking issue? Examples?

2. Explain Dickens' criticism of the Gradgrind theory of education.
What are its flaws? How do we know?
What are its effects? how do we know?
Can such a system be made to work, perhaps given a different set of circumstances?

3. Why does Mr. Gradgrind use the names he does for Sissy Jupe? How do other characters "keep her in her place" by means of language manipulation? Does this sort of enforcement of class distinctions by means of language occur elsewhere in the novel?

4. Are we supposed to regard Louisa and Sissy Jupe as foils? As doubles?

5. Note that on p. 202 (II, 12). Louisa tells her father she married Bounderby to be "useful" to Tom. Is she, therefore, a self-deluded victim of Utilitarian thinking? Is she a victim (consciously or unconsciously) of the sexist attitude that sees women's most important function as their being "useful" to men? Has Louisa--at any level--consciously chosen to pursue a life of apparent misery to which she then consciously resigns herself?
What is the effect of Louisa's collapse on pp. 203-04?

6. Is Bounderby (and by extension, capital) at the "top" of the Coketown system? What appear to be the "moral standards" and the prevailing value system of Coketown society?

7. Note Bounderby's definition of "education" (p. 225). How does it relate to Gradgrind's?

8. Consider Bounderby's opinion of himself and Louisa on pp. 225-27. How does the view he expresses here relate to those he has expressed about her elsewhere in the novel? Does he love her? Did he ever?
--What do you suppose Bounderby would say if we asked him for his definition of love?
--Would he define a man's love for his wife in the same way he would define a woman's love for her husband?

9. What does Bounderby assume to be a wife's "duties"? What does he assume to be a husband's "duties"?

10. Consider the revelations about Bounderby on pp. 244-45. What is Dickens' purpose in this section? Is he overly villainizing Bounderby? Or do we, as middle-class readers, enjoy the deflation of Bounderby? If we do, why do we?
--Have we seen anything similar to this sort of "unmasking" anywhere else in the novels we have considered? If so, where?

11. What does Bounderby's opinion of "the hands" (p. 119) reveal about labor-management conflicts in general?
Note that on p. 225 Bounderby applies to Louisa much of the same terminology he has applied to the hands (and especially to Stephen Blackpool). Why does Dickens do this? Does he mean to imply Bounderby is simply lumping her together with the hands?

12. What are we to make of Stephen Blackpool anyway? He certainly is something of an enigmatic character. Why has Dickens included him (and his history) in the novel? Consider this one very carefully--look for both thematic and structural functions.

13. What exactly is it that the hands are striking for or against in Part II?

14. Why has Dickens painted so uncomplimentary a picture of Slackbridge, the union organizer?

15. Why does Dickens have Sleary "hide" Tom by putting him in the act as a clown?

16. What, in fact, is the function of Sleary's riding circus in the novel as a whole? Does Sleary (and his entourage) belong to a class of characters we have encountered in any of the other novels?

17. Consider Bitzer's comment that "the whole social system" is based entirely upon "self-interest" (p.268) and Sleary's response that it is not (p. 272). Given the context of the novel as a whole, who is right? Proof?

18. Consider both the structural and the thematic implications of some of the apparently parallel plots and themes, including
a. the "outsider" figure
b. the irresponsible "agent provocateur"
c. Jobean suffering victims.
Are there other such parallels at work in the novel? Examples?

19. Consider Dickens' use of names. What similarities and differences do there appear to be between his practice and that of other novelists we have considered?

20. Dickens dedicated Hard Times to Thomas Carlyle. Why? Does it matter that when the novel first appeared, serialized in Dickens' own journal, Household Words, it was call not just Hard Times but Hard Times for These Times?

Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens. From a daguerreotype by Mayall, c. 1853

Some Internet Resources

David Perdue's Charles Dickens Page. This award-winning website offers a wealth of information on Dickens' life, works, and cultural milieu. It is an excellent starting-point for surfing the world of Dickens. There is an excellent page on illustrations to Dickens' works, with many useful links to the viusual artists with whom Dickens worked, including most importantly Hablot Knight Browne ("Phiz") (1815-1882). You will also find a great deal of linked information about London in Dickens' time, as well as an interactive, expandable map of Dickens' London.

Dickens on the Victorian Web. This is another excellent resource, packed with all sorts of links with everything relatingto Dickens and his time. Here you can find good links to Dickens and the visual arts, as well as a spectacular collection of linked resources on the political history of Dickens' England.

The Dickens Page. This is a huge and somewhat unwieldy miscellany of Dickensiana, with everything from electronic texts to press releases about Dickens sites. It is arranged in reverse chronology of postings, beginning with the most recent. This is a great place to browse, but it is probably not the place to begin any serious searching.

The Charles Dickens site on Victorian Station. This site may look unimpressive at first, since the opening page is simply a brief biographical notioce of Dickens. But explore the links at the bottom of the page for a wealth of profusely illustrated information about Victorian culture. Especially good are the links for Architecture, Arts and Literature, Interior Design, and Lifestyles.

There is also a most interesting and engaging British website managed by the British Broadcasting Corporation, the BBC Dickens. It contains a variety of visual and audio clips and other fun things to explore. This site is well worth a visit.

A Dickens filmography. An extensive listing (150 titles and still growing!) of film versions of various works by, or adapted from, Dickens. The filmography is arranged in reverse chronology, beginning with the most recent and extending all the way back to 1897.

Although some early editions of Hard Times had one or more illustrations, it was not until the 1870s that the novel appeared with as many as twenty illustrations, done by the well-known illustrator Harry French. You can examine all these illustrations here.

Stephen C. Behrendt, 7/26/03