Jarndyce and Jarndyce (or Jarndyce v Jarndyce) is a fictional court case in Bleak House (1852–53) by Charles Dickens, progressing in the English Court of Chancery. The case is a central plot device in the novel and has become a byword for seemingly interminable legal proceedings. Dickens refers to the case as "Jarndyce and Jarndyce", the way it would be spoken of. The v in the case title is an abbreviation of the Latin versus, but is normally pronounced "and" for civil cases in England and Wales.