Bleak House character list below for the supposed inspiration of individual characters). Although not a character, the "Jarndyce and Jarndyce" case is a vital part of the novel. It is believed to have been inspired by a number of real-life Chancery cases involving wills, including those of Charles Day and William Jennens, and of Charlotte Smith's father-in-law Richard Smith. Much criticism of "Bleak House" focuses on its unique narrative structure: it is told both by a third-person omniscient narrator and a first-person narrator (Esther Summerson). The omniscient narrator speaks in the present tense and is a dispassionate observer. Esther Summerson tells her
Bleak House: The Death of Rudolph van Richten takes place in a city, where players follow up on leads gleaned from the madhouse to find out what fate has in store for Rudolph Van Richten. "Homecoming" draws the characters through the mists and back to Van Richten's family estate "Bleak House" where the characters must race to solve a mystery, stay sane, save Van Richten and get out alive. "Homecoming" employs an invisible time-line to keep the action rolling, the Tarokka (Tarot) system and four possible endings. Trenton Webb reviewed "Bleak House: The Death of Rudolph van Richten" for "Arcane" magazine, rating it an 8 out of 10