Great Expectations was first published in a serialised form in 1861. It was published in a Victorian periodical called All the Year Round and was broken down into weekly installments of two chapters. It was one of Dickens' last completed works, it is also one of his shortest.
Charles Dickens' Early Life
Charles Dickens’ was himself brought up in poverty and was a very vocal detractor of the class delineations of Victorian England. His novels often contain a ‘rags to riches’ theme. However, Dickens’ is cynical about the effect of money, as in the case of Great Expectations.
Dickens’ childhood was one of constant moves and struggles to make ends meet. His father was sent to a debtors’ prison, so the young Dickens was forced to work in a London factory, where he would stick labels onto jars of boot polish.
His difficult upbringing was a huge source of inspiration in Dickens’ later works of fiction. The themes of poverty and imprisonment would appear again and again in his novels.
Synopsis of Great Expectations
Great Expectations tells the story of Pip, a young orphan who lives with his older sister and her husband Joe. Pip visits his parents’ graves on Christmas Eve night, when he comes face to face with a convicted criminal named Magwitch. Magwitch is on the run and persuades Pip to help him to escape.
Pip also has an encounter with the spinster, Miss Havisham. Havisham is a wealthy woman, who was tragically jilted at the alter, something she has never managed to overcome. Pip falls madly in love with Miss Havisham’s adopted daughter, Estella.
Pip is suddenly propelled into a new world when he is left a large amount of money by an anonymous benefactor. But, he soon learns that money is not all it’s cracked up to be.
Analysis of The Novel
Dickens’ cynical view of the true value of money is very evident in Great Expectations. Pip’s expectations hinge on the vast successes that he naïvely believes his new found wealth will afford him.
The characters within Great Expectations are thought to be amongst Dickens’ best. Particularly the tragic Miss Havisham, who is a wonderfully colourful and rich character. Her eccentricities are both humorous and tragic. They are also very genuine, the pain of her disappointment is palpable to the reader. Critics consider her to be one of Dickens’ most entertaining creations.
To this day, the novel is considered to be one of the most sophisticated ever written. It is also one of the most adapted, having been produced for the stage and screen over two hundred in over two hundred and fifty productions.
