Bleak House

Character Guide

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Esther Summerson (Dame Durden, Little Woman)

An orphan raised without knowing her parentage, she becomes companion to Ada Clare and housekeeper of Bleak House; she narrates much of the novel in a modest, self-effacing voice.

John Jarndyce (Guardian)

The generous, eccentric owner of Bleak House and guardian to Esther, Ada, and Richard, who refuses to let the ruinous Jarndyce and Jarndyce lawsuit embitter him and retreats to his 'growlery' when out of sorts.

Ada Clare

A beautiful, sweet-natured young ward of the Jarndyce suit who becomes Esther's dearest friend and companion at Bleak House.

Richard Carstone (Rick)

The other young ward of the suit, charming but restless and unable to settle on a profession, increasingly drawn to hopes pinned on Jarndyce and Jarndyce.

Jo

A destitute, illiterate crossing-sweeper who knows almost nothing of the world and is perpetually told to 'move on,' yet becomes entangled with several other characters' secrets.

Lady Dedlock (My Lady)

The proud, elegant, and bored wife of Sir Leicester Dedlock, whose composure cracks when she recognizes a piece of handwriting connected to the Jarndyce suit.

Sir Leicester Dedlock

Lady Dedlock's much older, deeply conventional husband, devoted to family name and dignity.

Mr. Tulkinghorn

A powerful, secretive lawyer to the Dedlock family who collects information and seems to know more than he says.

Mr. Kenge (Conversation Kenge)

A solicitor involved in the Jarndyce case who arranges for Esther, Ada, and Richard's futures at the novel's opening.

Mrs. Jellyby

A well-meaning but comically neglectful mother obsessed with African philanthropic projects to the total neglect of her own household and children.

Caddy Jellyby

Mrs. Jellyby's overworked eldest daughter, pressed into endless secretarial service for her mother's causes.

Harold Skimpole

A charming, childlike friend of Mr. Jarndyce who claims total innocence of worldly matters like money and responsibility.

Miss Flite

A poor, half-mad little old woman who has haunted the Court of Chancery for years, convinced a judgment is coming any day.

Mr. Snagsby

A mild-mannered law-stationer in Cook's Court, married to a sharp-tempered wife, who becomes uneasily involved in matters he doesn't understand.

Glossary

Jarndyce and Jarndyce

The interminable, ruinous Chancery lawsuit over a disputed will that serves as the novel's central symbol of legal corruption and delay.

Chancery / Court of Chancery

A historical English court handling estates, trusts, and wardships, notorious in Dickens's time for excruciatingly slow, costly proceedings.

Ward in Chancery

A minor (like Ada or Richard) placed under the court's legal protection and control, often pending resolution of a lawsuit.

The Growlery

John Jarndyce's invented name for the room he retreats to when in a bad mood, especially when 'the wind is in the east.'

Law-stationer

A tradesman (like Mr. Snagsby) who sold paper, parchment, and other supplies specifically for legal documents and copying.

Reticule

A small handbag, often carried by women in the period, mentioned as holding Miss Flite's 'documents.'

Articled clerk

A young man apprenticed under contract to a solicitor to learn the legal profession.

Petty-bags / Six Clerks

Minor court officials or offices associated with the old Chancery bureaucracy, referenced satirically as part of its excess formality.

Law-hand

A particular formal style of handwriting traditionally used for legal documents, distinct from ordinary penmanship.

Mercury

A slang/joking term for a liveried footman, alluding to the Roman messenger god, used to describe Sir Leicester Dedlock's servants.

Terewth

Rev. Chadband's pompous mispronunciation/rendering of 'Truth' in his rambling sermonizing speeches, used satirically by Dickens.

Pounce

A fine powder used before blotting paper to dry ink on a page, listed among Mr. Snagsby's stationery goods.

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