Did you watch Bleak House on Masterpiece Theater Sunday night? The book, by Charles Dickens, is said to be one of his best, and also is hailed as offering the best depiction of Victorian London, its highest highs and lowest lows, in all literature.
The Masterpiece Theater production is a sprawling one, with many characters, subplots, and twists. The six episodes will spread out over the next few weeks, depicting, among other things, a never-ending court case, which certainly strikes a resonant tone in our own era. The characters have typical Dickens names, which can make American ears wish for a crib sheet, in order to keep things straight.
Fortunately, help is at hand.
PBS offers extensive notes on the production at its website. Episode synopses, who's who, production information and more is all in abundance.
Dense novels like Bleak House are a challenge, no doubt about that, but often such challenges are supremely worth the effort in the end. Happy viewing!
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