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Chapters
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Chapters
Chapters at a glance
Bleak House has 67 chapters.
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Chapters67 items
In Chancery
The novel opens inside the Court of Chancery on a foggy London day. Dickens sets up the endless lawsuit of Jarndyce and Jarndyce, which has dragged on for so many generations that…
In Fashion
The narrative shifts to the aristocratic world of Lady Dedlock and her husband Sir Leicester Dedlock at their estate and in London society.
A Progress
Esther Summerson begins narrating her own story. She describes a lonely childhood raised by a cold, religious aunt who told her she would have been better off never born.
Telescopic Philanthropy
Esther, Ada, and Richard arrive in London and stay with Mrs. Jellyby, a woman obsessed with a charitable mission to Africa while her own home and children fall into chaos.
A Morning Adventure
Esther and Ada go out walking and encounter a strange, ragged woman who seems to know Esther, though Esther cannot place her.
Quite at Home
Esther, Ada, and Richard arrive at Bleak House and meet their guardian John Jarndyce for the first time. The house turns out to be warm and eccentric rather than grim, and Jarndyc…
The Ghost's Walk
The narrative shifts to Chesney Wold, the Dedlock country estate, and focuses on Sir Leicester and Lady Dedlock. A housekeeper, Mrs.
Covering a Multitude of Sins
Mrs. Pardiggle, a forceful philanthropist, drags Esther and Ada on a visit to a brickmaker's cottage.
Signs and Tokens
Richard begins to show his instability about choosing a profession, cycling through enthusiasm and doubt. Jarndyce watches this with concern.
The Law-Writer
The third-person narrator introduces Nemo, a law-writer who copies legal documents in a miserable room above Krook's rag-and-bottle shop.
Our Dear Brother
Jo the crossing-sweeper leads Lady Dedlock and her French maid Hortense (though Esther later suspects it was Lady Dedlock in disguise) to the pauper graveyard where Nemo was burie…
On the Watch
Tulkinghorn continues his quiet, methodical investigation into the connection between Lady Dedlock and the dead law-writer Nemo.
Esther's Narrative
Esther, Richard, and Ada visit Krook's rag-and-bottle shop, and Esther meets Miss Flite, the eccentric woman who haunts the Chancery courts.
Deportment
This chapter focuses on the Turveydrop household, where Prince Turveydrop teaches dancing and his father, old Mr. Turveydrop, does nothing except cultivate his appearance and repu…
Bell Yard
Jarndyce takes Esther and the young wards to Bell Yard, a poor London street, where they visit the family of Gridley, a man ruined by the Chancery courts.
Tom-all-Alone's
The narrator shifts to the ruined slum of Tom-all-Alone's, a decaying property tangled up in the Jarndyce suit. Jo the crossing-sweeper lives there, and the chapter makes clear th…
Esther's Narrative
Esther resumes the story. She, Ada, and Richard are now settled at Bleak House with Mr.
Lady Dedlock
The narrative returns to the third-person voice and follows Lady Dedlock at Chesney Wold. She is bored, restless, and performing the role of aristocratic wife with visible effort.
Moving On
Jo the crossing-sweeper is repeatedly moved on by the police and by anyone with authority over public space. The chapter follows his wandering and makes the point that society has…
A New Lodger
Mr. Tulkinghorn takes on a new lodger in his building in Lincoln's Inn Fields.
The Smallweed Family
We meet the Smallweed clan, a family defined by money-grubbing and complete absence of sentiment. Old Grandfather Smallweed is bedridden and sharp-tongued, constantly hurling insu…
Mr. Bucket
Inspector Bucket is introduced, and he is immediately one of the most watchable figures in the novel. He is friendly, observant, and completely in control of every room he enters.
Esther's Narrative
Esther resumes narrating after the third-person chapters. She describes her recovery from the illness that has left her face permanently changed, and she processes the emotional w…
An Appeal Case
This chapter follows Mr. George's situation after his arrest and shows the legal machinery grinding forward without much concern for whether he is actually guilty.
Mrs. Snagsby Sees It All
Mrs. Snagsby has convinced herself that Jo, the crossing-sweeper, is her husband's illegitimate child, and her jealousy has reached a point of near-paranoia.
Sharpshooters
George Rouncewell's shooting gallery becomes the focus as Bucket and Tulkinghorn close in on the Jarndyce case. Tulkinghorn is hunting for the person who wrote a legal document in…
More Old Soldiers Than One
Mrs. Bagnet and her household provide some of the novel's warmest domestic scenes, but the chapter also advances the Tulkinghorn plot.
The Ironmaster
Rouncewell the ironmaster, Mrs. Rouncewell's son, visits Chesney Wold to negotiate with Sir Leicester about his son Watt's relationship with Rosa, one of Lady Dedlock's maids.
The Young Man
This chapter follows Richard Carstone as his instability deepens. Richard has now committed himself to pursuing the Jarndyce lawsuit as his life's purpose, and the obsession is vi…
Esther's Narrative
Esther resumes narration and the focus returns to her domestic life and her relationships with Ada and Jarndyce. She reflects on her own feelings, including her complicated sense…
Nurse and Patient
Esther takes on the role of caretaker for Richard, who is growing visibly weaker and more consumed by the Chancery suit.
The Appointed Time
This chapter delivers one of the novel's most dramatic events. Mr.
Interlopers
The aftermath of Krook's death draws unwanted attention to the Sol's Arms and to Weevle and Guppy. Various characters converge on the scene, including the Smallweeds, who move qui…
A Turn of the Screw
Tulkinghorn continues to tighten his grip on Lady Dedlock. He has been gathering evidence about her past and now uses it to control her rather than expose her outright.
Esther's Narrative
Esther resumes her narration and reflects on the period following her illness and recovery. She is adjusting to her changed appearance after the smallpox and processing what her d…
Chesney Wold
Lady Dedlock's world at Chesney Wold grows quieter and more strained. Sir Leicester hosts political guests, but the real tension is beneath the surface: Lady Dedlock is haunted by…
Jarndyce and Jarndyce
The Jarndyce and Jarndyce suit grinds on, and this chapter gives a broader look at how the case has consumed the lives of those connected to it.
A Struggle
Esther faces a personal crisis. This chapter follows her emotional and psychological effort to suppress her feelings for Allan Woodcourt after she believes she must accept her cha…
Attorney and Client
Tulkinghorn meets with Sir Leicester on legal matters, but the chapter's real business is the power dynamic between Tulkinghorn and Lady Dedlock.
National and Domestic
The chapter moves between the public world of politics and the private world of the Dedlock household. Sir Leicester is absorbed in parliamentary matters and the fate of the Tory…
In Mr. Tulkinghorn's Room
Tulkinghorn presses Lady Dedlock harder. He has pieced together enough of her past to know about Hawdon, and he makes clear he intends to keep that knowledge close, using it as le…
In Mr. Tulkinghorn's Chambers
This chapter returns to Tulkinghorn's world and the web of people connected to him. George Rouncewell comes under renewed pressure regarding the Hawdon handwriting sample, and Tul…
Esther's Narrative
Esther resumes the story after her illness and recovery. She is adjusting to her changed appearance and trying to understand what her relationship with Jarndyce actually means.
The Letter and the Answer
Jarndyce formally proposes marriage to Esther in a letter, and she writes back accepting him. This is one of the most uncomfortable chapters in the book for modern readers because…
In Trust
Jarndyce tells Esther about the arrangement he has made for Richard and Ada, and the chapter deals with the practical and emotional fallout of their secret marriage.
Stop Him!
Bucket is hot on the trail of the person who has been blackmailing Lady Dedlock and connected to Tulkinghorn's murder.
Jo's Will
Jo, the homeless crossing-sweeper who has been moved from place to place throughout the novel, dies in this chapter. He is surrounded by a small group including Allan Woodcourt, w…
Closing In
Bucket arrests Hortense for the murder of Tulkinghorn, and the arrest scene is carefully staged. He has used his own wife as part of the trap, keeping Hortense close while gatheri…
Dutiful Friendship
Richard Carstone's condition continues to deteriorate. He is now fully consumed by the Jarndyce suit, spending money he does not have and trusting Vholes, the lawyer who profits f…
Esther's Narrative
Esther resumes the narration and describes her growing closeness with Allan Woodcourt. She is also dealing with the aftermath of her illness and the changes to her appearance.
Enlightened
Esther learns the full truth about her parentage from Lady Dedlock herself. Lady Dedlock intercepts Esther and confesses that she is her mother, swearing her to secrecy to protect…
Obstinacy
Sir Leicester refuses to accept that Tulkinghorn's investigation into Lady Dedlock has any merit, and he remains stubbornly loyal to her even as evidence mounts.
The Track
Bucket closes in on the truth about Tulkinghorn's murder. He has identified his suspect and is preparing to act.
Springing a Mine
Bucket arrests Hortense for the murder of Tulkinghorn. He does it in front of Sir Leicester, which also means revealing the full story of Lady Dedlock's past.
Flight
Lady Dedlock, knowing her secret is out, disappears from Chesney Wold. Bucket is tasked with finding her.
Pursuit
Inspector Bucket takes charge of the hunt for Lady Dedlock after Esther shows him the letter her mother left behind. Bucket moves fast, gathering information and chasing leads acr…
Esther's Narrative
Esther joins Bucket in the search for her mother. She narrates the desperate nighttime journey through snow and cold, describing the strange mix of hope and dread she feels.
A Wintry Day and Night
This chapter returns to the third-person narrator and covers events at Chesney Wold and in London while the search continues.
Esther's Narrative
The search ends. Esther and Bucket find Lady Dedlock dead at the gate of the pauper burial ground where Captain Hawdon is buried.
Perspective
The third-person narrator steps back and surveys the aftermath. Tulkinghorn's murderer, Hortense, has been caught and charged.
A Discovery
Tulkinghorn is found shot dead in his chambers. The discovery sends shockwaves through the legal and social world he inhabited.
Another Discovery
Inspector Bucket takes charge of the murder investigation and quickly proves himself a formidable detective. He gathers information, watches suspects, and begins closing in on the…
Steel and Iron
Bucket arrests Hortense for Tulkinghorn's murder, revealing that she shot him after he refused to help her extort Lady Dedlock.
Esther's Narrative
Esther learns that Lady Dedlock has disappeared and that she is in danger. She joins Bucket in a desperate overnight search through London and the surrounding countryside.
Beginning the World
The novel moves toward resolution. Richard Carstone, still consumed by the Jarndyce suit, finally sees the case concluded, but the entire estate has been consumed by legal costs a…
Down in Lincolnshire
The novel's third-person narrator returns to Chesney Wold for the final time. Lady Dedlock is dead, found collapsed at the gate of the pauper graveyard where Nemo is buried.
The Close of Esther's Narrative
Esther wraps up her story seven years after the main events. She is settled at a new Bleak House in Yorkshire with Woodcourt and their daughters.
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