Great Expectations
Tags
Summary
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers who enjoy Dickens and Victorian English literature and want to read a classic long novel
- Readers interested in class mobility, the ethics of wealth, and personal growth
- Readers who accept a slower buildup and prefer ensemble characters and reversals of fate
- Literature lovers who want to understand nineteenth-century English society through a classic
Not a good fit for
- Readers who prefer fast-paced, short web novels
- Readers impatient with nineteenth-century English settings and long-sentence narration
- Readers who want only a light romance and no moral reflection
Reading tips
- First map Pip's stages of growth, then examine the desires and fears behind each choice
- Pay attention to Joe, Havisham, Estella, and others as mirrors of Pip's different value options
- After finishing, revisit the opening and ending to compare how Pip's understanding of "expectations" changes
- Pair with background material on the Victorian era to understand class and attitudes toward wealth
Contents
- Copyright information
- Part I
- Part II
- Part III
- Part IV
- Part V
- Part VI
- Part VII
- Part VIII
- Part IX
- Part X
- Part XI
- Part XII
- Part XIII
- Part XIV
- Part XV
- Part XVI
- Part XVII
- Part XVIII
- Part XIX
- Part XX
- Part XXI
- Part XXII
- Part XXIII
- Part XXIV
- Part XXV
- Part XXVI
- Part XXVII
- Part XXVIII
- Part XXIX
- Part XXX
- Part XXXI
- Part XXXII
- Part XXXIII
- Part XXXIV
- Part XXXV
- Part XXXVI
- Part XXXVII
- Part XXXVIII
- Part XXXIX
- Part XL
- Part XLI
- Part XLII
- Part XLIII
- Part XLIV
- Part XLV
- Part XLVI
- Part XLVII
- Part XLVIII
- Part XLIX
- Part L
- Part LI
- Part LII
- Part LIII
- Part LIV
- Part LV
- Part LVI
- Part LVII
- Part LVIII
- Part LIX
FAQ
Is Great Expectations difficult to read?
Is this book suitable for middle-school students?
What do Pip's "great expectations" refer to?
Do I need to know Dickens before reading?
Comments
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About the author
Charles Dickens was the greatest novelist of the Victorian era in nineteenth-century Britain. Born in Portsmouth in 1812, he was forced to leave school and work as a child laborer because of his family's debts, an experience that profoundly shaped his critical view of society. His major works include Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectations, which expose social injustice and are filled with humanitarian concern. With intricate plots, vivid characters, and an infectious style, he portrayed the many facets of Victorian British society and addressed issues such as the gap between rich and poor, justice, and education. His works remain widely read today, and the library holds 128 editions of his works, spanning foreign literature, world classics, and inspirational coming-of-age categories.
