Deconstruction Ideas

1.     The theme in Bleak House of dysfunctional families could be ‘deconstructed’ to mean that functional families, which are sorely lacking in the novel, are the most important. They should be dominant over dysfunctional, but are not in Bleak House.

2.     Another idea could be the poor/rich dynamic. In this novel, the rich are dominant over the poor. However, this might indicate the poor are more important in a deconstructionist point of view. This would make sense because their numbers are greater and their lack of wealth speaks of a one-sided system. The poor people fueled the economy and worked for the wealthier citizens, they are the more important ones.

3.     The lawyers in this book are either sneaky and manipulative or just nosy. There are hardly any truly straitlaced attorneys. The lawyers who are honorable are needed in Bleak House and they would be an essential good force if present. The sneaky lawyers are dominate over the good.

Summary of Ch 1-30

• The book starts with an intro to the Chancery Court describing its legendary slowness and general incompetence. One case in particular, Jarndyce vs Jarndyce, is elaborated on. It is mentioned this case has dragged on so long that no one really understands the nature of the original suit. All this is set to an equally dismal foggy London.
  Next, a formidable lawyer, Mr. Tulkinghorn is introduced, along with his clients Lady and Sir Dedlock. Lady Dedlock is essentially a socialite/trophy wife to the much older husband. She mysteriously faints towards the end of the appointment after being unusually interested in one document.
• The third person narrative switches to a first person one in the head of Esther Summerson. She is baisically a saint and truly believes everything bad that has happened to her is her own fault, or not really bad but she is just stupid to recognize it. The reader understands that her godmother was an awful (mentally abusive) person. She has no known family at this point.
• Esther's godmother dies of a fit of some-sort (crazy-mean disease perhaps) and Kenge, a lawyer, comes to tell her that she can attend a school and learn about domestic duties, free of expense at a Mr. Jarndyce's expense. However this comes with the stipulation that she go work for Mr. Jarndyce at some point. Esther also finds out that her godmother was actually her aunt.
• Esther accepts the offer, very very gratefully, and goes to Greanleaf college. On the way there she meets a stranger in the coach. She lives and studies at the school completely happy and content. About six years later, out of the blue, she gets a letter that says Mr. Jarndyce will need her services at being a governess to another of Mr. Jarndyces wards. She depart shortly after then to London.
• In London Esther meets Ada, her new charge, and Richard, another ward or Mr. Jarndyce. They stay at the Jellyby residence, an unkept and crazy household. The mother is focused on helping people in Africa and essentially ignores the children around her. The children themselves are wild and unruly to the point of falling down staircases and getting lost in downtown markets.
• The trio go out for a morning walk before departing for Bleak House and encounter a crazy old lady. She is a character who earlier was shown to be in Chancery, a hopeless case. They go to her apartment and meet another crazy old person, Mr. Krook. They both disturb the wards in different ways and sound ominously prophetic.
• They leave to Bleak House and meet Mr. Jarndyce, who generally seems like an awesome, modest guy. Esther is invested with being Housekeeper as well as governess. She is unreasonably delighted. They are introduced to Harold Skimpole, a good-for-nothing, a man Mr. Jarndyce essentially allows to live off him. He gets into debt troubles often and a collector comes. Richard and Esther bail him out because he is so slimily charming.
• Meanwhile at Chesney Wold, the country residence of the Dedlocks, an old housekeeper gets a visit from Mr. Guppy ( an assistant to Kenge) who looks around the house on a tour. He really is interested in the portait of Lady Dedlock. The old housekeeper tells a legend about the Ghost's Walk, a place where it is rumored a vengeful previous Lady Dedlock haunts the family.
• Esther and Jarndyce bond. He mentions a previous suicide because of the Jarndyce case. She and Ada are accosted by a crazy do-gooder, they venture out for a walk to confirm the lady's claim and find a poor family.The sad state of them effects Esther and she feels a lot of pity for the mom and just the situation in general.
• Jarndyce has Mr. Boythorn over for dinner and to stay a while. He enters with a bang and his large, forceful, but kind, personality make Esther delighted. The next morning Mr. Guppy comes calling, she met him back in London, and to her surprise proposes marriage to her. She tells him to get lost.
• In London, the Snagsby family is introduced. They hire copiers for legal documents and have a shop for legal supplies. The wife is horrible. Tulkinghorn goes to them and asks about the the document that so interested Lady Dedlock. He tracks down the copier at Krook's place and finds out the guy is dead.
• There is a fuss around the dead guy “Nemo”. We are introduced to Jo, a poor orphan child, who claims to be the only one to have known Nemo.
• The Dedlocks throw a party at Chesney Wold after returning from Paris. Tulkinghorn arrives and him and Lady Dedlock butt heads.
• At Bleak House, the gang goes to London to help Richard settle into a job. Ada and Esther call on Caddy and discover she is engaged to a Prince Turveydrop. They then visit Ms. Flite and learn more about the birds she keeps.
• The gang then learn about some poor orphans from Skimpole and go to investigate.\
• Back in third person, and in London, Jo (the poor orhpan boy) is approached by a mysterious lady inquiring about Nemo. He tells her everything he knows.
• In Esther-world, Esther discovers Richard is not doing well as an apprentice doctor and has a penchant for gambling. They set up another job as an assistant at Kenge's office.
• The whole gang visits Boythorn's home and have a run-in with Lady Dedlock. All are very uncomfortable and it is just majorly awkward.
• 
  
• ·      In London, the Snagby couple (mainly the crazy-mean-religious wife) invites another couple, the Chabands, over to dinner. The husband takes religious fevor to a new level. The party encounters Jo who has been stopped by a policeman and questioned about the amount of money he has and how he was involved with the mysterious veiled woman. The wife is revealed to be the previous caretaker of Esther.
  
  
  ·      Guppy and some cronies plan to essentially spy on Krook by planting a guy in Nemo’s old room. The three are Young Smallweed, Tony Joblin, and Guppy. Joblin gets planted in Krook’s household because he needs lodging and will work for Mr. Snagsby as a law writer because Guppy will recommend him to Snagsby.
  
  
  ·      We are introduced to Smallweed’s family. They include a scary sister, a money-obsessed Grandmother, and a coo-coo, greedy, Grandfather. A man, Mr. George is indebted to him and asks for an extension on his loan. He gets an ‘as if’ from Old Smallweed.
  
  
  ·      Meanwhile, Snagsby has come to report Jo’s interaction with the mystery lady to Tulkinghorn. Mr. T has hired a detective, Mr. Bucket, to help sleuth the truth. They track Jo down who is in the company of the bricklayer’s wife that Esther encountered a few chapters ago. They kind of question Jo and try to identify the mystery woman form his memories. No luck.
  
  
  ·      Esther goes to London worried about Richard. He is still delusional. She help break the new of Caddy’s engagement to Prince Turveydrop to their respective parents. Charley, one of the three really poor orphans from earlier comes to Esther and tells her she will be Esther’s new maid.
  
  
  ·      Richard decides to try the army. Esther helps him get ready and meets Mr. George in the process. They end up at George’s place where he’s been sheltering Gridley, the man Bucket was looking for.
  
  
  ·      Mr. George gets a nasty visit from Smallweed demanding some of Captain Hawdon’s writing for a lawyer (Tulkinghorn). He drops hints about Richard being in debt to him, George tells him to shove it. However, he agrees to see this lawyer. However, upon arrival George is really suspicious and refuses to cooperate.
  
  
  ·      Guppy goes to Lady Dedlock with the reasoning that he has figured out she is related to Esther. She flips and it is revealed (but not upfront to Guppy) that Esther is her illegitimate daughter that she believed dead!
  
  
  ·      Mrs. Woodcourt stays at Bleak House. Then Caddy gets married after Esther helps her with the wedding. Mr. Jellyby warns her to never take up a cause. Poor guy, he just wants the best for his daughter.

Critism Qs/Topics for BH

New Critic

·      Bird Symbolism

·      Character names

·      Description of London/Setting and relation to plot

·      Duty – Esther/Mr. Jarndyce/ Mrs. Jellyby

·      Corruption ie Tulkinghorn blackmail, Court

Reader Response

·      My Lady Dedlock  - idea who is talking to 3^rd person narrator

·      Why would Dickens choose Esther as a narrator

·      How does Bleak House have different meanings from when it was written to now

BH Interesting Things CH30+

CH 30

The atrocious state of the Jellyby family brings misery to all members, except the wife. This whole situation appears mysoginistic and rather exaggerated. The idea that a wife focused on her career, job or hobby  means a poor family wife and disasterous monetary situation is ridiculous. Although the wife is exaggerated, the whole idea is still there.

CH 31

Esther is an easily identifiable saint, but her latest sacrifice has trumped all previous doings. She sits with her desperately ill maid, Charley, knowingly subjecting herself to the contagion. Her sacrificial nature compounds her devotion and also by resolving to keep Ada away, she exhibits her common sense. The character of Esther is the ideal human.

32

Mr. Krook spontaneously combusts. He declared himself Lord High Chancellor and got a fate, according to the narrator, fitting for all those like him. The narrator doesn’t make any particularly snarky comments or use irony as a weapon. They uncharacteristically directly make the comparison between Krook’s fate and the deserved one of the Chancellor. This seems to be out of character and does not fit in with the narrator’s personality.

CH 33

Mrs. Snagsby is a ridiculous, overbearing woman. Her character is overbearing and stifles her husband. This is at least the third woman who is represented as just an awful person and wife. The author might be trying to expound in the idea that social strife causes unnecessary suffering fir all people, even if it is expressed in different ways.