Author(s): Charles Dickens; Judith John (Contribution by)

Classics

Hard Times (1854) - The novel takes place in a dreary English industrial town where there are many stories to reveal. Among the townfolk are a child abandoned by her circus-performing father, a teacher who believes children should only learn facts even if that means they cannot cope in society, and a bank and mill owner who is living a lie. Hard Times is a satire on the social and economic conditions of the Victorian era. It is set in the fictitious industrial Coketown in Northern England and is broken into three sections. All relate to Galatians 6:7, "For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." English author Charles Dickens (1812 -1870) is sometimes cited as the best novelist of the Victorian period despite his lack of education and impoverished childhood. His books include: Oliver Twist (Serial 1837-39); Nicholas Nickleby (Serial 1838-1839); and The Old Curiosity Shop (Serial 1840-1841).