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Hard Times
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Plot Summary of Hard Times
"Thomas Gradgrind's family has been taught that material things are the only things of importance. His daughter Louisa marries an elderly banker to help her brother Tom who works for him. Tom robs the banker and casts suspicion on an innocent weaver, Stephen Blackpool.

          Louisa attracts the attention of a sleazy politician named Harthouse, and to escape an affair with him, she goes to her father. Gradgrind is shocked by the results of his teaching, helps her. She leaves the banker. Her brother flees the country and Blackpool is cleared of all charges."

Jack Goodstein, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Hard Times
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - thoughtful
Time/era of story - 19th century
Romance/Romance Problems Yes
Kind of romance: - secretly interested in business objective
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - wealthy
Age: - 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality - British
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - politician/elected ruler
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 8 ()
Europe Yes
European country: - England/UK

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
Weird Victorian/Shakespearean English? Yes
Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog
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The Reckoning by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
The Immoralist by Andre Gide
Widow of the South by Robert Hicks
Treasures of the North by Tracie Peterson


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Charles Dickens Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
David Loftus  

SCHOLARS:
Laura Southcombe  A. Antonow  Jack Goodstein  Alan Sykes  Matt Pfouts  Erinnae Baker  Helena Woolums  aishwarya singh  Megan E. Davis  


Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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