Hard Times (1854)
0.1614Canon Score · ranked #132 all time
Aggregated from 4 of 14 authoritative lists, weighted by authority and adjusted for each list's scope and age. How scoring works →
About the book
Dickens scathing portrait of Victorian industrial society and its misapplied utilitarian philosophy, Hard Times features schoolmaster Thomas Gradgrind, one of his most richly dimensional, memorable characters. Filled with the details and wonders of small-town life, it is also a daring novel of ideas and ultimately, a celebration of love, hope, and limitless possibilities of the imagination.
Why it ranks #132
Every list on which Hard Times appears, with its position as published.
| List | Authority | Position |
|---|---|---|
| OCLC/WorldCat Top 500 Novels (2019) | Editorial list | #120 / 500 |
| Guardian 1000 Novels (2009) | Critics' canon | Selected |
| 1001 Books You Must Read (union) | Critics' canon | Selected |
| Bloom, The Western Canon (1994) | Editorial list | Selected |