Great Expectations: Authoritative Text, Backgrounds, Contexts, Criticism
- Downloads：6601
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-25 09:55:15
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Charles Dickens
- ISBN：0393960692
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
The newly established text is based on all extant materials and is accompanied by several textual essays。
Backgrounds provides readers with an understanding of Great Expectations's inception and internal chronology。 A discussion of the public-reading version of the novel is also included。 A wonderfully rich Contexts section collects thirteen pieces， centering on the novel's major themes: the link between author and hero and， relatedly， Victorian notions of gentility， snobbishness， and social mobility; the often brutal training， at home and at school， of children born around 1800; and the central issues of crime and punishment。
Criticism gathers twenty-two assessments of Great Expectations， both contemporary and modern， which offer a range of perspectives on Dickens and his novel。
Backgrounds provides readers with an understanding of Great Expectations's inception and internal chronology。 A discussion of the public-reading version of the novel is also included。 A wonderfully rich Contexts section collects thirteen pieces， centering on the novel's major themes: the link between author and hero and， relatedly， Victorian notions of gentility， snobbishness， and social mobility; the often brutal training， at home and at school， of children born around 1800; and the central issues of crime and punishment。
Criticism gathers twenty-two assessments of Great Expectations， both contemporary and modern， which offer a range of perspectives on Dickens and his novel。
Reviews
Stefani Tiff
，
One star short of perfection just because of the ending。 Without any spoilers， all I’ll say is that the “bad” ending， which others have commented on too， in now way should reflect badly on the author’s obvious talent and abilities。 I hope this one star less， and what I will end this review with， encourages other artists （be it musicians， painters， photographers etc。） who may be struggling with a similar thing that Dickens was when choosing an ending and publishing his book: go with your gut - no One star short of perfection just because of the ending。 Without any spoilers， all I’ll say is that the “bad” ending， which others have commented on too， in now way should reflect badly on the author’s obvious talent and abilities。 I hope this one star less， and what I will end this review with， encourages other artists （be it musicians， painters， photographers etc。） who may be struggling with a similar thing that Dickens was when choosing an ending and publishing his book: go with your gut - not what you are told to do in order to appeal to a larger audience。 Stay true to your creativity and what you want to share with the world！ 。。。more
Irene
，
I was surprised how much I enjoyed this novel。 I found it funny， engaging and I came to like even the most irritating characters。
Jack
，
I give this book five stars despite not enjoying it even a little bit。 This is because the lesson of the story is actually experienced by the reader as he follows Pip through his grand adventure from poverty to riches， only to find that he never left。 The "great expectation" is in reality a disappointment， and you， the reader， feel it。 As you read， you grow with Pip， you learn his hopes and dreams and his personality。 All of us are like Pip， young hearted and hopeful at first and boldly take on I give this book five stars despite not enjoying it even a little bit。 This is because the lesson of the story is actually experienced by the reader as he follows Pip through his grand adventure from poverty to riches， only to find that he never left。 The "great expectation" is in reality a disappointment， and you， the reader， feel it。 As you read， you grow with Pip， you learn his hopes and dreams and his personality。 All of us are like Pip， young hearted and hopeful at first and boldly take on the world when it seems that the time is right， only to find out that you're in over your head and your presupposed ideas that brought you to where you are now were in the first place misplaced。 So， the book is a disappointment。 When the reader leaves Pip's home with him， we expect a great adventure， we expect Pip to get the girl， earn the riches， and make a great name for himself。 We believe， like he did， that his opportunity was a great miracle - that the Universe itself was rooting for him and hoping for his success。 This is the Great Expectation。 Then we learn that Pip only ever escaped his impoverished family because a thief he had helped in the past had returned the favor。 Yes， rather than being gifted excellence by a higher-up individual who saw a man of equal worth in Pip， Pip's opportunity was given to him by a man more disgusting and hated than himself。 The elite class Pip had hoped was bringing him up with them was not on his side at all， and the girl was simple a tool used by a sadistic old hag to mock him。 His Great Expectations are shattered， and Pip is forced to pick up the mess and retreat into humble acceptance。 The book is devastating， and you， the reader， are just as disappointed as Pip when you are now forced to read a mundane， sad story when you had expected a grand one。 Yes， like Pip， your own Great Expectations have deceived you。 A masterpiece。The book has two endings， one is happy， one is sad。 Obviously， you want to believe in the happy one， in which Pip and his girl find each other again after years of wrong turns， but we all know this isn't true。 Pip's real ending， like the readers， is a reserved acceptance of the events that unfolded and his place in relation to them。 It is a humbling experience that Pip had gone through， and a lesson the reader will hopefully learn。 。。。more
lycheereads
，
“I looked at the stars， and considered how awful it would be for a man to turn his face up to them as he froze to death， and see no help or pity in all the glittering multitude。”
Roi
，
Poner esta novela en su justo valor no es tarea fácil。 Dickens extiende toda su maestría a lo largo de la obra : la descripción del marjal y suburbios de Londres， del entorno del chico protagonista， Pip， la herrería，las costumbres y usos de la Inglaterra victoriana。 Y sus personajes， modelados por el patrón social de su época， a veces de forma grotesca y barroca : la rica y esquizofrénica Lady Havisham， muñeca rota digna representante del universo Carroll o de la iconografía de la artista britán Poner esta novela en su justo valor no es tarea fácil。 Dickens extiende toda su maestría a lo largo de la obra : la descripción del marjal y suburbios de Londres， del entorno del chico protagonista， Pip， la herrería，las costumbres y usos de la Inglaterra victoriana。 Y sus personajes， modelados por el patrón social de su época， a veces de forma grotesca y barroca : la rica y esquizofrénica Lady Havisham， muñeca rota digna representante del universo Carroll o de la iconografía de la artista británica Kate Bush; el engolado señor Pumblechook y el halcón de la City，el eficaz abogado Jaggers; los pillos， convictos ，buscavidas。。。。Por otra parte， los dechados de bondad y rectitud: el hombre sencillo de la herrería，Joe Gargery; el fiel amigo， Herbert o la angelical Biddy。En este mundo el autor mueve al huérfano de esta novela，Pip，en un camino que Dickens suele trazar y que lleva de la más solemne de las miserias al éxito material y personal。 Es un claro precedente del "sueño americano"， gestado en una sociedad industrial y competitiva。No voy a descubrir al posible lector si Pip llega o no a lo más alto， pero sí comentaré que el genial escritor se queda un poco a medias: el relato es excesivo， a veces un río recreado en sus meandros （aunque en manos de Dickens ésto lo borda） y determinados personajes y tramas pudieran sobrar， pueden resultar pesados。 Hay que tener en cuenta que Grandes Esperanzas apareció durante años como relato por capítulos en un periódico londinense。Y para terminar， el final， aunque verosímil，no termina de convencer。En resumen， a mi modo de ver， no es la mejor de las novelas de Dickens， pero permite disfrutar de todo su universo de figuras y ambientes。 。。。more
Dianna
，
Finally finished！ I really enjoyed this， Estella is one of the best female characters I’ve read from an author of this era。 She seems like am actual person and not an ornament？ Crazy。But Pip and Herbert were obviously wonderful and stole the show。 This book was so engaging but I did struggle to read more than a chapter at a time。
Kristy Bookish♡
，
My favorite classic I've read so far！ I really enjoyed Pip's character。 My favorite classic I've read so far！ I really enjoyed Pip's character。 。。。more
Wendy
，
How could I have finished my formal education without having read a Dickens’s novel？ I was surprised by the humor， the characters’ relatable shortcomings， and the charming language of his time。 I can now understand why he was so popular during his lifetime， and am not surprised that his work is still loved。 I’m very happy to have read this great book， and btw， loved both endings presented in my copy。
Lourdes
，
Boring lol why am I doing this to myself。 Maybe I’ll return to it one day
Ajit Kumar
，
I thought I'd read my worst book when I was done with "Lord of the Flies" a cuple weeks back。 Mr Dickens beats Golding black and blue。 I have no damn idea why this book is hailed as an epic read and if this is Dicken's best， Id choose to stay away from his other books。 I so wanted to read "tale of two cities" but no more do I have that plan。 It's such a bore that I threw the book twice while reading。 It sounds absurd but yes I did that。 I blame my OCD of finishing once I start a book。 There was I thought I'd read my worst book when I was done with "Lord of the Flies" a cuple weeks back。 Mr Dickens beats Golding black and blue。 I have no damn idea why this book is hailed as an epic read and if this is Dicken's best， Id choose to stay away from his other books。 I so wanted to read "tale of two cities" but no more do I have that plan。 It's such a bore that I threw the book twice while reading。 It sounds absurd but yes I did that。 I blame my OCD of finishing once I start a book。 There was no other reason for going through this torture of myself。 Many a times， I just went through reading pages without even remembering where I am in the story and where the characters are and where the （missing） plot is。 Bad characters， none to be remembered of， apart from poor Joe。 Main character is the most confused one that I have ever come across in my Reads so far。 Book is more than twice the length it ought to have been。 It just doesnt seem to end， just doesnt。 It took me more than a week to finish and I have been reading it everyday， I cudnt muster the strength to read more than 50 pages of this epic bore in a day。 My humble suggestion to those who r planning to read it， PLEASE STAY AWAY。 。。。more
Mimi Chapman
，
i hate this book so much。 i don’t care about pip AT ALL he’s so annoying。 estella is a lesbian and i will not be accepting criticism on that。
Priyanka
，
This is my second Charles Dickens， and the writing style of this book is excellent。。。 The subtle dry ironic writing style of the author is classic。。。 For example， there is a line in the book （roughly quotes）， his great-aunt got out of her bad habit of going on living。。。 The story is okay， the book is a bit stretched but it is so very humane。。 very true of how life unfolds for us。。。 A great book。。
Meredith Reads
，
Dickens does it again。 I'm adding this novel to my list of favorites。 Dickens does it again。 I'm adding this novel to my list of favorites。 。。。more
Rania
，
c’était vraiment éclaté et extremely boring。 if i could rate it 0 star i would。 way too overrated。 never read it。 why did she keep her wedding dress for all those years？ get over yourself madame！
Lauren Curtis
，
WOAH… that’s it。。 just WOAH
Catarina
，
Eu sei que é um clássico， mas para mim foi maioritariamente um livro bastante aborrecido com algumas partes interessantes pelo meio。 Definitivamente não é o género de livro que me atraia。
John Langley
，
Listening to this on Spotify Classics， I connected with the protagonist， Pip， early on through his experience of unusually clear childhood memories， and trying to do the right thing。 However， his life falls apart when he trusts nebulous promises of wealth from the most random people。 He clings to a woman with his heart while she abuses his friendship， and he lets his emotions run the rest of his life after her rejection。 Not super inspireing except in how not to behave as a man。
Tanya
，
Well， I had greater expectations for the ending （:Обходила Диккенса стороной из-за неудачного опыта в детстве， но， видимо， напрасно。
Mykl
，
A long worthwhile read！ IT is very long but sometimes you need a captivating story you can really soak in。 If you really can't sit down & bring yourself to read it try the audiobook version available in the Libby library app。 A long worthwhile read！ IT is very long but sometimes you need a captivating story you can really soak in。 If you really can't sit down & bring yourself to read it try the audiobook version available in the Libby library app。 。。。more
Aalok Ghimire
，
Dickens is always an absolute joy to read。 The threads of the story are picked out and handled with extreme care， always moving in ambiguous ways until it all comes together， sometimes with surprise， other times with a sense of irony but rarely with indifference。 There are some major themes followed throughout the book:1） The theme of ingratitude: In his infancy and boyhood， Pip is constantly accused of ingratitude， although he hasn't anything particular to be grateful about， at least not to the Dickens is always an absolute joy to read。 The threads of the story are picked out and handled with extreme care， always moving in ambiguous ways until it all comes together， sometimes with surprise， other times with a sense of irony but rarely with indifference。 There are some major themes followed throughout the book:1） The theme of ingratitude: In his infancy and boyhood， Pip is constantly accused of ingratitude， although he hasn't anything particular to be grateful about， at least not to the people accusing him of it。 Later， charges imbued on a child's tender brain play out in the solid soil of life。2） The theme of "mist": This is a well known Dickensian theme。 In paths going through murk and fog， the fate of characters is sealed。 Right down from the convict's initial meeting with Pip， to his final adventure in the open， is shrouded in fog。 Notice that the description of our convict's final adventure in the open had to be confirmed by someone else for our narrator to be sure exactly what happened - the fog。 Pollution's courtesy。 I'm sure a more attentive reader than me can pick out more themes， the collars by which the writer holds on to his story。 Here， the narration is tender。 The themes are rather a friend's hand by which Pip holds on to his past。 The grotesque descriptions （ children tumbling， hairs being pulled， rumbling coughing， faces either entirely human or devilishly slimy） sometimes weigh down the narration。 But this effect is faint and is abandoned before it cloys。 。。。more
Samar Al otaibi
，
قرأت هذه الرواية إثناء قرائتي لسلسلة مقبرة الكتب المنسية لكارلوس زافون وقد ذكرت كثيرا رواية رائعة
Anoushkaa Paul
，
I found it too slow and boring。。。。 but then I'm 16， what do I know！ Probably I'll read it again when I'm all grown up （not sure when that will be:） I found it too slow and boring。。。。 but then I'm 16， what do I know！ Probably I'll read it again when I'm all grown up （not sure when that will be:） 。。。more
Peter Metcalfe
，
A hell of a read 。 Full of great and mysterious characters。 A timepiece of another time and a bit of a Mystery as well。 He knew suspense for sure。
Sarah Levesque
，
While reading， I used to fantasize about killing myself so I could meet Dickens in Hell and wring his neck for writing it。
Kyle
，
What a romp。 A lot more light-hearted than I remember from high school。 I have yet to really ever *fall* for Dickens and so I have yet to ever truly love reading him。 I'll keep waiting， though。 What a romp。 A lot more light-hearted than I remember from high school。 I have yet to really ever *fall* for Dickens and so I have yet to ever truly love reading him。 I'll keep waiting， though。 。。。more
ellie ☽
，
I looked at the stars， and considered how awful it would be for a man to turn his face up to them as he froze to death， and see no help or pity in all the glittering multitude。
Jennifer Le
，
DNF
Kristina
，
“Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears， for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth， overlying our hard hearts。 I was better after I had cried， than before--more sorry， more aware of my own ingratitude， more gentle。”I'll come back and edit this later to add more when I have the time， but my god this book is a treasure。 Why did we waste time in my language arts classes reading Great Gatsby and spending painful weeks trying to pull literary meaning out of a color of the car or b “Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears， for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth， overlying our hard hearts。 I was better after I had cried， than before--more sorry， more aware of my own ingratitude， more gentle。”I'll come back and edit this later to add more when I have the time， but my god this book is a treasure。 Why did we waste time in my language arts classes reading Great Gatsby and spending painful weeks trying to pull literary meaning out of a color of the car or blinking light when this book is dripping with remarkable meaning， literary elements and substance？？？ 。。。more
Marija Simić
，
I just love when the books have happy endings， with a sense that everything is good。God is Great！
Sandryne David
，