great expectations |
english |
Difino
| • | Great Expectations is a Bildungsroman (a novel tracing the life of the protagonist) by Charles Dickens and first serialized in All the Year Round from December 1860 to August 1861. It tells the story of the orphan Pip (short for Philip Pirrip) and his "expectations", inheritance and plans for progression in his life and status. Great Expectations is divided into three volumes, each of which corresponds to one stage of the hero Pip's expectations and his life journey. The first volume of the work is among the most evocative and varied of all Dickens' books. The portrayal of the countryside of Kent and the marshes on the lower regions or the Thames beautifully describe a part of the county in which Dickens lived and loved. The terrifying experiences of Pip in the opening chapters are contrasted with humour, always present in Dickens, of Pip's childish understanding of the world; such as being beaten is what being brought up "by hand" actually means. His visits to the forbidding and decaying Satis House, where he meets the almost equally threatening Miss Havisham, open Pip's eyes to even stranger worlds. Miss Havisham has been jilted at the altar by her lover, Compeyson, and her life has been frozen in time from that point on. Pip also meets Estella at Satis House, a proud, beautiful girl who is being schooled by Miss Havisham to be as cruel and heartless to others as she feels the world has treated her. These people and the themes relating to them affect Pip's future growth. There is very little agreement amongst readers as to which of Dickens' novels is the best, but Great Expectations is often placed at the top of polls. This contrasts with the end of the 19th century, when the author, George Gissing, in his study of Dickens' works, had to remind the readers of the plot of Great Expectations as it was largely ignored compared to his other works. The book's lack of popularity shortly after it was written and its greater status today is perhaps due to the fact that it is the least "Dickensian" of any of his books. The usual grotesque characters common to many of his books are more muted and believable in this book. The book is also very carefully plotted and less episodic than many of Dickens' other stories with the central character's changing viewpoint and perception of the world around him an important element of Source: [wikipedia: great expectations] |
works:_charles
| Fabrice: Great Expectations | ||
| chapter indexed html. includes a brief overview. | ||
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