Finding a place of importance and belonging has always been a prevalent theme in literature. In Great Expectations, Charles Dickens tells the story of a man’s journey in search of his ideal life.
I have always loved classic books; I feel like they provide a passage of insight into generations and societies that have long passed. I heard a lot of great things about Great Expectations, so decided to give it a try.
This classic was published in 1861 and has been praised as one of the most remarkable Victorian Era novels, due to its criticism of social lifestyle and themes of social class, self-improvement and crime.
Tthe narrator and main character, Pip, begins his journey at the age of 13 and ends at least a decade later. His story begins with the encounter with an escaped convict. From there, Pip receives a surprise donation from a mysterious source and must choose to leave his world behind on an entirely new adventure.
From there, Dickens continues his story with mystery, love, money and surprising twists. Each seemingly random event intertwines to create a wonderful story.
Overall, I enjoyed Dickens’s compelling writing style. Most classic novels are too deep to read through quickly, so there are usually not a lot of cliffhangers in the writing. But this is probably one of the first classic books I have encountered that had unanswered questions at the end of the chapter, urging me to continue reading.
Dickens developed interesting characters as well, providing a variety to keep me interested in the story. With characters ranging from a poor convict to a young, heartless temptress, the work captivates and engages the reader in many different lifestyles of 19th-century Britain.
The themes of social class and crime are important points in the novel. Since Dickens’s family was thrown into debtor’s prison, he grew to dislike the English justice system at the time. His thoughts and beliefs on this issue are shown through the story and the intricate character development.
Though this was overall a great book, there were still a few downfalls of the novel. First, there are a lot of unimportant scenes, or moments that dragged on much longer than necessary. I felt like there was too much fluff in the novel that did not add to the development of the story.
In addition, the vocabulary could be difficult to understand. Since this book was written in the 19th century, a lot of the words used by Dickens are no longer used in our common language. Unless words like “farthingale” are common in the reader’s vocabulary, it might be a tough book to get through.
Due to the Victorian-Era English, many publishers of the novel, including the Barnes & Noble Classics Edition, provide footnotes and other useful tools to help the reader understand what is going on. I would suggest buying a version with these helpful inclusions.
Through its inspirational characters and dramatic themes, this work gives deep insight and presents a creative story. Great Expectations is a great read for anyone looking for depth and entertainment in a novel.
Great Expectations is available in various editions at Amazon.com and at most local bookstores.
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