Franklin Library: CHARLES DICKENS: OXFORD U: HARD TIMES: LONDON INDUSTRALIZATION

Description: Franklin Library leather spine edition of Charles Dickens's "Hard Times: For These Times," a Limited edition, Illustrated by F. Walker and Maurice Greiffenhagen, introduced by Sir Dingle Foot, one of the OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, published in 1983. Bound with a 1/4 red leather spine, the book has marbled paper end leaves, satin book marker, hubbed spine, gold gilding on three edges---in near FINE condition. Charles Dickens, who lived from 1812-1870, was born near PORTSMOUTH, England but his family moved to LONDON when he was two years old. Begun in 1849, "Hard Times" centers on the Gradgrind family and focuses on the fictional town of Coketown, England, and the people who live there and their struggles. It begins with Thomas Gradgrind lecturing about facts. "Now, what I want is Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing lese, and root out everything else." The Academic supervisor in the community of Coketown, Gradgrind believes facts provide the keys to success. Fun, needless to say, is normally withheld from Gradgrind's children, and he is horrified one day to find his children, Louisa and Tom, captivated by the sight of Coketown's circus. Gradgrind discusses this behavior with a close friend, the wealthy Josiah Bounderby. He blames the children's classmate, Sissy Jupe, the daughter of a circus performer, for piquing the children's interest in carnivals. Sissy, the two men decide, must leave school. But arriving at the circus to inform Sissy's father of her dismissal, they learn he has disappeared, probably never to return. Gradgrind determines Sissy should move into his home. Having Sissy in Gradgrind's house worries Bounderby, who wants to marry teenage Louisa. He fears Sissy will corrupt Louisa, but he is mistaken. Sissy is kind and diligent, except when her father's disappearance overwhelms her. Then, she cannot help but cry. Noticing Sissy's tears one day, Louisa comforts her. Sissy and Louisa then become closer. While Sissy is often criticized at school for delighting in fancy rather than fact, Louisa has discovered she prefers imagination to reason. Nonetheless, when Bounderby, whom Louisa does not love, asks her to marry him, she agrees. As Louisa prepares to become a bride, another resident of Coketown wants to end his marriage. A factory worker, Stephen Blackpool lives in the poorest part of Coketown, a hellish place where soot and smoke fill the air and where awful smells and mechanical noises overpower the senses. Stephen knows he cannot help his wife, who is an alcoholic and a thief. He has fallen in love with Rachael, who is always generous and kind. Thinking of Rachael makes his long days happy, while he works the mechanized loom at the factory owned by Bounderby, the person Stephen turns to for advice about ending his marriage. Bounderby said: "I was born in a ditch, and my mother ran away from me. Do I excuse her for it? No." Bounderby though, informs Stephen that only the rich can get divorced. Bounderby's own marriage will soon fail. His wife is now being pursued by young political aficionado James Harthouse, whom Louisa's father, a new member of Parliament, is mentoring. Having befriended Louisa's brother Tom, who now drinks heavily and works for Bounderby, crafty James knows quite a bit about Louisa and enjoys trying to seduce her. Although Louisa initially resists, her affection for James grows. They are unaware that a woman named Mrs. Sparsit, once Bounderby's housekeeper has begun watching them. She hoped to wed Bounderby herself and is still furious that he married Louisa. Sparsit is delighted one day to overhear the couple make arrangements to meet, and she reports these plans to Bounderby. Before Bounderby arrives at Stone Lodge to confront Louisa though, Louisa goes there to talk to her father. She informs him of how unhappy her marriage is and how she loves James. Her father is heartbroken and regrets the way he raised her. James' departure does nothing to alleviate Bounderby's anger about losing Louisa. His rage intensifies when he learns a bank he owns has recently been robbed and the thief, Bounderby is certain, is Blackpool. Dickens became an unabashable do-gooder. Aged and infirm authors, ditto actors, fallen women, the insane, prison inmates, child laborers---Dickens helped the weak and helpless! 279 pages---a RARE title! I offer Combined shipping.

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End Time: 2024-11-11T02:33:25.000Z

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