Bleak House · Chapter
X: The Law-Writer explained
This chapter introduces Mr.
What happens
This chapter introduces Mr. Snagsby, a law-stationer in Cook's Court, Cursitor Street, and his household, including his domineering wife and the servant Guster. It also depicts Mr. Tulkinghorn in his chambers, and follows him as he visits Snagsby's shop.
Themes in this chapter
Bureaucracy and Dehumanization
The chapter details the mundane, repetitive trade of legal supplies and the dehumanizing treatment of Guster, reflecting the impersonal machinery of the legal system.
Appearance vs. Reality
Mr. Snagsby appears meek and content, but rumors suggest he is henpecked; Guster sees the Snagsby home as splendid, while it is actually modest and oppressive.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Snagsby
The mild, timid law-stationer who runs his shop in Cook's Court, dominated by his wife.
- Mrs. Snagsby
Mr. Snagsby's jealous and inquisitive wife, who manages the household and is often heard scolding.
- Guster
The lean, fit-prone workhouse servant who works for the Snagsbys and admires their home.
- Mr. Tulkinghorn
The secretive lawyer who lives in Lincoln's Inn Fields and visits Snagsby's shop.
Key passages
“Mr. Snagsby, law-stationer, pursues his lawful calling. In the shade of Cook’s Court, at most times a shady place, Mr. Snagsby has dealt in all sorts of blank forms of legal process...”
Mr. Snagsby runs a law-stationery business in the dim, narrow Cook's Court, selling legal forms and office supplies.
Introduces Snagsby's trade and setting.
“Guster, really aged three or four and twenty, but looking a round ten years older, goes cheap with this unaccountable drawback of fits...”
Guster is a young woman in her early twenties who looks much older due to her hard life and frequent fits, making her a cheap servant.
Describes Guster's condition and low status.