Charles Dickens’s “David Copperfield” and “Hard Times” novels

Charles Dickens’s “David Copperfield” and “Hard Times” novels are about poverty and economic hardships in which people badly suffer.

Today’s Blog Post — Wednesday, July 13, 2022

I really think the world and not just the United States will be in a recession this year or the next. If the United States is, indeed, already in a period of declining economic performance at the time of writing this blog post, I think this bleak and unwelcome event will be more felt later this year or the next.

I really don’t trust today’s industries. I don’t think they’re sustainable, considering the constant shift in consumer behaviors and preferences, inevitable technological developments, and so forth.

Additionally, the prices of eggs, shampoo, corn, gas, snacks, chicken, red meat, beverages, and all other commodities are increasing these days globally. Working-class consumers have no choice but to cut costs.

I really believe a global recession will happen soon with many negative news surfacing daily which are about the following:

1. Russia’s potential gas cutoff in Europe in the winter, involving the Nord Stream 1 or 2 pipelines;
2. the ever-increasing Omicron sub-variants of the coronavirus or COVID-19 materializing these days which seem neverending and actively infecting thousands of people worldwide;
3. the latest COVID-19 lockdowns in Macau and Hong Kong;
4. the anti-government demonstrations in Sri Lanka and Argentina lately;
5. incessant gun violence in the United States;
6. the ongoing Russia-Ukraine armed conflict
7. soaring inflation worldwide;
8. a strengthening US dollar at the expense of the world’s foreign currencies that consequently depreciate in value;
9. US dollar-euro parity; and
10. Many other negative news from around the world.

Charles Dickens’s “David Copperfield” and “Hard Times” novels are about poverty and economic hardships in which people badly suffer.

These events make me want to read the printed books and watch the screenplay adaptations of Charles Dickens’s two novels: “David Copperfield” and “Hard Times.”

I already saw the 2019 film “The Personal History of David Copperfield” starring British actor Dev Patel sometime in 2020 or last year. I also a found an online version of “Hard Times” and its 1994 BBC film adaptation on YouTube, which is divided in two or three parts, as well as a 4-episode 1977 TV mini series.

Charles Dickens’s “David Copperfield” and “Hard Times” novels are about poverty and economic hardships in which people badly suffer. They involve debt, hunger, crime, and violence which people today are not strangers to, given what is happening worldwide.

I think Charles Dickens’s “David Copperfield” and “Hard Times” novels are worth reading and watching these days as I think they are relevant. I hope to find the time to do so later.

Anyway, I want to post the PDF and online-readable versions of the “Hard Times” and “David Copperfield” novels and the YouTube videos’ links here in my blog post so I can access them easily later:

(A) “Hard Times” by Charles Dickens

The book’s online version: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/786/786-h/786-h.htm

(B) “David Copperfield” by Charles Dickens

PDF Book: https://www.ibe.it/ebook/David-Copperfield.pdf

(C) “Hard Times” by Charles Dickens

1994 BBC Home Entertainment Adaptation:

(Part 1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9qpj2egbkI

(Part 2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B25KfZWZhy8&t=15s

(D) “Hard Times” by Charles Dickens

1977 TV mini series:

Episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbDhtkwoDHg

Episode 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTVF8cqhK-8

Episode 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BQjdQGL8aQ

Episode 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP7qx-bTRyI