In the preface to Bleak House , Charles Dickens wrote that he "purposely dwelt upon the romantic side of familiar things" (xxxv). This simple sentence hints at the narrative outline of the book, establishing a third-person omniscient narrator of "familiar" things, and the first-person narrative of Esther Summerson, whose task it was to write about the "romantic" side of things. Although not universally the case, most critics consider the omniscient narrator to be a powerful, compelling voice, but find Esther's voice to be somehow ineffective.

I will argue that it was Dickens's intent to provide a contrast between the two narrators, but not in the traditional sense viewed by many critics, which is that the omniscient narrator portrays a realistic, "familiar" view of the world, while Esther portrays a simple "romantic" view of the world. The "familiar" or realistic view offered by the omniscient narrator is that of a world coming apart and disintegrating, a nightmare world that has been discussed in numerous scholarly articles and books. It is generally agreed that the omniscient narrative is effective in portraying the external world of the novel. On the other hand, the "romantic" view of the world offered by Esther presents problems for critics. I will argue that Esther's perspective is not that of conventional domesticity, but that of a confused, unsure and unstable young woman who at critical times in her narrative enters a fugue state, which is only somewhat removed from the nightmare world of the omniscient narrator. By my reading, Esther is hardly an ineffective narrator, but rather succeeds as a deeply troubled one whose psychological complexity makes her unique among Dickens's female characters. In my view, the narration of Esther is not only effective, but necessary for the novel to be successful.

Ultimately, the conclusion drawn within the novel is that there is no escape possible, either from the "familiar" nightmare world of the omniscient narrator or the "romantic" world of Esther's fugue states. By the end of the novel, the reader concludes that the "bleakness" of Bleak House has become both externalized in the "familiar" or real world, and internalized in the household or "romantic" world.

In my first chapter, I will address scholarly views of the narration of Esther Summerson. The first discussion deals with the two distinct views of Esther's narrative technique: one view holding that Esther is ineffective as a narrator, the second view holding that her narrative is effective. The second series of critical viewpoints deals with Esther's narrative of the "romantic" side of things and the portrayal of home and hearth that is Esther's counterpart to the detached role of the omniscient narrator.

In the second chapter, I will discuss critical views developed within the last thirty years of the psychological portrait of Esther. These views have led to an increased appreciation of Dickens as a writer of some psychological complexity and understanding.

Chapters three through five develop the thesis of the paper. Chapter three focuses on the structure and themes developed within Esther's narrative. In chapter four, I explore the role that emotions play in the makeup of Esther's psyche, and also present a reading of her character grounded in psychological theory. Chapter five examines the dream sequences that permeate Esther's experience--her early years, her illness, and finally her travels with Inspector Bucket. In this chapter I draw on Freud's theories of dream interpretation to arrive at an understanding of her personality and character.

Chapter six summarizes my conclusion: character is a psychological portrait necessary as a complement to the omniscient narrator's objective portrayal of the external world.