Charles Dickens

Hard Times illustrated Charles Dickens

Published in 1854, the novel revealed Dickens' keenest views on capitalism and its questionable moral basis and sparked significant critical debate among his contemporaries. This story of class conflict in Victorian England serves as a powerful critique of the social injustices that plagued the industrial revolution. It is the 10th novel by Charles Dickens and tells the tragic story of Louisa Gradgrind and her father. When Louisa, trapped in a loveless marriage, falls prey to a lazy seducer, the crisis forces her father to reconsider her beloved system. However, even if the development of the story reflects Dickens' growing pessimism towards human nature and society.