Reaching deep into himself, Dickens created this novel of moral exploration, high comedy, and page-turning narrative power.
Pip, an orphan raised by his bullying sister and her sweet-natured blacksmith husband, discovers one day that he has a mysterious benefactor. The good-hearted Pip suddenly has "great expectations" of his life and begins to reject spiritual values for materialistic ones.
Despite his financial windfall, things do not go well for Pip. Estella, the beautiful but haughty young woman he loves, coldheartedly tortures him. And then there is the reappearance of Magwitch, the escaped convict who forced Pip to steal for him when Pip was a young boy.
While Pip's maturation and moral education forms the heart of Great Expectations, Dickens enlivens the novel with his usual array of unforgettable characters: Miss Havisham, the embittered heiress who wanders through her musty mansion wearing the yellowed bridal gown from her tragic wedding day; Joe Gargery, the blacksmith whose heart is his strongest muscle; and Jaggers, the cagey lawyer whose phenomenal courtroom successes haven't quite wrung all the empathy out of his soul.
Great Expectations represents one of Dickens's greatest triumphs. It manages to be both funny and moving--and still compels readers with the twists and turns of its winding plot.
About the Author
Charles Dickens (1812-1870) is probably the greatest novelist England has ever produced, the author of such well-known classics as A Christmas Carol, Great Expectations, David Copperfield and Oliver Twist. His innate comic genius and shrewd depictions of Victorian life—along with his indelible characters—have made his books beloved by readers the world over.
