A damning indictment of Utlilitarianism & the dehumanising influence of the Industrial Revolution Charles Dickens&s Hard Times is edited with an introduction & notes by Kate Flint in Penguin Classics In Hard Times the Northern mill-town of Coketown is dominated by the figure of Mr Thomas Gradgrind school headmaster & model of Utilitarian success Feeding both his pupils & family with facts he bans fancy & wonder from any young minds As a consequence his obedient daughter Louisa marries the loveless businessman & &bully of humanity& Mr Bounderby & his son Tom rebels to become embroiled in gambling & robbery & as their fortunes cross with those of free-spirited circus girl Sissy Jupe & victimized weaver Stephen Blackpool Gradgrind is eventually forced to recognize the value of the human heart in an age of materialism & machinery This edition of Hard Times is based on the text of the first volume publication of 1854 Kate Flint&s introduction sheds light on the frequently overlooked character interplay in Dickens&s great critique of Victorian industrial society Charles Dickens is one of the best-loved novelists in the English language whose 200th anniversary was celebrated in 2012 His most famous books including Oliver Twist Great Expectations A Tale of Two Cities David Copperfield & The Pickwick Papers have been adapted for stage & screen & read by millions If you enjoyed Hard Times you might like Dickens&s Bleak House also available in Penguin Classics &A masterpiece a completely serious work of art&FR Leavis