01643cam a2200313 i 4500 295899414 TxAuBib 20100106120000.0 770216|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||eng|u 9780460002929 0460002929 eng rda TxAuBib rda Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870. Hard times [BOOK] / Charles Dickens ; introduction by G.K. Chesterton. London : Penguin Books, 2007.©1854. 366 pages ; 18 cm. txt rdacontent n rdamedia nc rdacarrier Coketown is dominated by the figure of Mr Thomas Gradgrind, school headmaster and model of Utilitarian success. Feeding both his pupils and family with facts, he bans fancy and wonder from any young minds. As a consequence his obedient daughter Louisa marries the loveless businessman and 'bully of humanity' Mr Bounderby, and his son Tom rebels to become embroiled in gambling and robbery. And, as their fortunes cross with those of free-spirited circus girl Sissy Jupe and victimized weaver Stephen Blackpool, Gradgrind is eventually forced to recognize the value of the human heart in an age of materialism and machinery. 20100106. Social problems Fiction. England Fiction. England Social life and customs 19th century Fiction. England Social conditions 19th century Fiction. Young adult fiction. Political fiction. Domestic fiction.