Bleak House (1852-3)

Bleak House (1852-3) is one of a handful of novels by Charles Dickens likely to appear on the GRE Literature exam. It was originally published as a serial.

The novel centers on the fictional legal case Jarndyce and Jarndyce, and serves as a critique of the slow, antiquated British system of chancery law. Jarndyce and Jarndyce is commonly used in allusion as an example of a long, tortuous legal dispute.

For the GRE Literature exam, associate the following characters with Bleak House.

1. Ester Summerson
-Orphan; stands, possibly, to inherit money in Jarndyce and Jarndyce.
2. Caddy Jellyby
-Ester's friend and confidant

The novel has a large cast. For more detail, check out this list of characters.

I would not recommend adding Bleak House to your GRE reading list.