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Great Expectations

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In 1861 Charles Dickens gave the world a story…

Chapter 1My father's family name being Pirrip, and my Christian name Philip,my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or moreexplicit than Pip. So, I called myself Pip, and came to be called Chapter 1My father's family name being Pirrip, and my Christian name Philip,my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or moreexplicit than Pip. So, I called myself Pip, and came to be called

“My father's family name being Pirrip, and my Christian name Philip, my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or more explicit than Pip. So, I called myself Pip, and came to be called Pip.”

Chapter 1My father's family name being Pirrip, and my Christian name Philip,my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or moreexplicit than Pip. So, I called myself Pip, and came to be called Chapter 1My father's family name being Pirrip, and my Christian name Philip,my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or moreexplicit than Pip. So, I called myself Pip, and came to be called

It has been read by millions, young and old, and retold by countless directors of the stage and screen.

Chapter 1My father's family name being Pirrip, and my Christian name Philip,my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or moreexplicit than Pip. So, I called myself Pip, and came to be called Chapter 1My father's family name being Pirrip, and my Christian name Philip,my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or moreexplicit than Pip. So, I called myself Pip, and came to be called

Dickens’ tale has been repeatedly analyzed by literary critics, and it is rarely absent from the canon of literature taught in high school.

Chapter 1My father's family name being Pirrip, and my Christian name Philip,my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or moreexplicit than Pip. So, I called myself Pip, and came to be called Chapter 1My father's family name being Pirrip, and my Christian name Philip,my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or moreexplicit than Pip. So, I called myself Pip, and came to be called

But are these the reasons you should read Great Expectations, or any book for that matter?

Chapter 1My father's family name being Pirrip, and my Christian name Philip,my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or moreexplicit than Pip. So, I called myself Pip, and came to be called Chapter 1My father's family name being Pirrip, and my Christian name Philip,my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or moreexplicit than Pip. So, I called myself Pip, and came to be called

Absolutely not.

Chapter 1My father's family name being Pirrip, and my Christian name Philip,my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or moreexplicit than Pip. So, I called myself Pip, and came to be called Chapter 1My father's family name being Pirrip, and my Christian name Philip,my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or moreexplicit than Pip. So, I called myself Pip, and came to be called

Many things have changed in the world since the time of Charles Dickens.

Some things have not.

Industrialization and urbanization choked London with pollution.

An immense gap separated a small, wealthy class of citizens from the impoverished masses. Social status typically dictated…

Living conditions,employment,

education, & legal protection

Crime and debt pressed England’s prisons beyond capacity. With no room left to house inmates they began deporting law breakers to the recently-established colony in Australia. Dickens’ own father was sent to Marshalsea Debtors prison.

Like today, relationships between parents and children were often strained or nonexistent. Young people of the lower classes were eager for something more.

What are we willing to sacrifice in order to succeed?

Family

Values

Love

Although Great Expectations is a jewel of Victorian literature, it’s messages are not confined to any particular age. Because readers bring their own experiences, opinions, and values to the table - what this book means will depend on...

you!

Great Expectations PhotoAlbum

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Strategies and Supports for Reading

Reading Pace: Giving Time to Pause

Great Expectations is composed of nearly sixty chapters.

The book was first published as a series of two chapter installments in in a periodical named All Year Round.Because the book was written for ‘serial’ publication, these chapters often leave the readers anxious to find out what will happen in the next installment.

Strategy: When you reach the end of chapters pause to consider what has happened and where you believe the story is headed.

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Characters and Characterization

A fearful man, all in coarse grey, with a great iron on his leg. A man with no hat, and with broken shoes, and with an old rag tied round his head. A man who had been soaked in water, and smothered in mud, and lamed by stones, and cut by flints, and stung by nettles, and torn by briars; who limped, and shivered, and glared and growled; and whose teeth chattered in his head as he seized me by the chin.

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Traits and description inform the reader about who the characters are, their backgrounds, and the acts of which they might be capable. Charles Dickens invested a lot of thought and print to fuel his readers impressions.

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"Hold your noise!" cried a terrible voice, as a man started up from among the graves at the side of the church porch. "Keep still, you little devil, or I'll cut your throat!“

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This dialogue alone is enough to get our attention. The terror amplifies when we read on and learn of this man’s appearance.

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AlternateRepresentations

Project Gutenberg provides a free eText version of this novel. This text is compatible with various assisted reading programs.

Great Expectations has been adapted for various film productions. These retellings are recommended only as a supplement to the text (Click on the link below to learn more about the 1946 version).

In addition , audio recordings of the novel can typically be found within your local library district.

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People and Places of Great Expectations

Illustrations that accompanied the first serial publication of the novel(click to enlarge)

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People and Places of Great Expectations

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River Thames

TempleDistrict

Barnard’s Inn

People and Places of Great Expectations

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From left to right: Newgate Prison, Satis House, Rochester(click to enlarge)