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Hard Times (version 3), Locked Out and On Strike

Hard Times (version 3), Locked Out and On Strike

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Number of Chapters: 22

Length: 11 hours and 41 minutes

Language: English

Hard Times was Dickens's shortest novel and the only one to be set in the industrial north of England. A fast moving story with a typical cast of larger than life characters, the novel is a vehicle for a humanist critique of both utilitarian education ('Teach these boys and girls nothing but facts', says Mr. Gradgrind in the opening paragraph) and the mutual antagonism between capital and the trade union. A humanist education system, it turns out, is Dickens's solution to the class struggle. Hard Times is set in the fictional Coketown and was partly inspired by a visit to Preston during the factory lockout that brought the town's industry to a standstill in 1853. This version is read as it appeared in 20 issues of Dickens's weekly Household Words from April to August 1854. It is followed by two earlier articles - Locked Out and On Strike - that describe Dickens' visit to Preston and do much to clarify his thinking on education and class conflict. - Summary by Phil Benson

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1 April 1854 - Chapters 1-3 (Phil Benson)
8 April 1854 - Chapters 4-5 (Phil Benson)
15 April 1854 - Chapter 6 (Phil Benson)
22 April 1854 - Chapters 7-8 (Phil Benson)
29 April 1854 - Chapters 9-10 (Phil Benson)
6 May 1854 - Chapters11-12 (Phil Benson)
13 May 1854 - Chapters 13-14 (Phil Benson)
20 May 1854 - Chapters 15-16 (Phil Benson)
27 May 1854 - Chapter 17 (Phil Benson)
3 June 1854 - Chapters 18-19 (Phil Benson)
10 June 1854 - Chapters 20-21 (Phil Benson)
17 June 1854 - Chapter 22 (Phil Benson)
24 June 1854 - Chapter 23 (Phil Benson)
1 July 1854 - Chapter 24 (Phil Benson)
8 July 1854 - Chapters 25-26 (Phil Benson)
15 July 1854 - Chapters 27-28 (Phil Benson)
22 July 1854 - Chapters 29-30 (Phil Benson)
29 July 1854 - Chapters 31-32 (Phil Benson)
5 August 1854 - Chapters 33-34 (Phil Benson)
12 August 1854 - Chapters 35-36 (Phil Benson)
Locked Out (Phil Benson)
On Strike (Phil Benson)
The audiobook Hard Times (version 3), Locked Out and On Strike falls under the genres of . It is written by .