Cheaper books allowed for more access to more classes of people. However, Altick mentions a contrast between certain bodies who read. One side fancied sensational literature whereas others preferred the “high culture” of classics or nonfiction. Altick writes, “The enduring popularity of literature of adventure and crime disheartened many who had welcomed the . . . dawn of an era of improved public taste. A more hopeful sign was the increased demand for cheap books of an altogether higher level “ (308). The comparison and presumed superiority of one over the other way of thinking is quite like the split between facts and imagination in Hard Times. Dickens makes the argument that life devoted solely to objectivity and facts will lead to misery. As her father calls fairytales and the like “destructive nonsense,” Louisa’s emotional development is greatly hindered (Book I, Ch. VII). She says, “In this strife I have almost repulsed and crushed my better angel into a demon. What I have learned has left me doubting, misbelieving, despising, regretting, what I have not learned; and my dismal resource has been to think that life would soon go by, and that nothing in it could be worth the pain and trouble of a contest” (Book II, Ch. XI). Once Louisa’s heart is awoken by James, she has no idea how to deal with these new feelings as she becomes “repulsed” and “crushed.” She was raised her whole life to look to facts and figures to solve problems, and those don’t apply to emotions. Whereas people like Gradgrind think some books are of a “higher level,” others would claim that too much exposure of one side is harmful. Dickens, through Louisa’s example, is arguing for a balance between sensational literature/imagination and high culture literature/facts.

This image is Sissy and Louisa, presumably as children.