Great Expectations in Easley Library Bookworms

Feb 13, 2008 Werner rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-i-own, classics

I've actually read this quintessentially Victorian novel twice. The first time was as required reading in junior high school, where I liked it from the get-go; the second time was as an adult, back in 1997. It remains one of my favorites (among the ones I've actually read) of the novels of Dickens, a writer whose work I was first introduced to as a grade school kid, and have long counted as a favorite author. Written serially in 1860-61, it's a mature Dickens work (his second-to-last completed n I've actually read this quintessentially Victorian novel twice. The first time was as required reading in junior high school, where I liked it from the get-go; the second time was as an adult, back in 1997. It remains one of my favorites (among the ones I've actually read) of the novels of Dickens, a writer whose work I was first introduced to as a grade school kid, and have long counted as a favorite author. Written serially in 1860-61, it's a mature Dickens work (his second-to-last completed novel). By the time of its composition, his unequaled mastery of characterization, dry humor, social consciousness, and ability to evoke powerful emotion and to conjure totally realistic scenes and situations even while writing in a thoroughly Romantic style, were already honed to their fullest perfection. But he also brought to this novel a focused moral message, which is more marked here than in some of his earlier works, such as David Copperfield, and the classic simplicity of a basically linear plot (albeit with some tightly controlled and dovetailed subplots). And in the person of Pip, he gives us here a protagonist who's dynamic --that is, who changes in significant ways besides aging and altered circumstances, unlike, for instance, the eponymous heroes of David Copperfield or Oliver Twist. For this reason, it has a stronger effect on the reader (or at least this reader) than either of those novels. (I rank it in the same class as my other favorite Dickens works, A Tale of Two Cities and A Christmas Carol.)

Although David Copperfield is usually considered Dicken's most autobiographical work, Michael Slater (who contributes the introduction to the 1992 Knopf edition I read) makes the case that this novel represents "a far more ruthlessly honest fictional use of his personal life." It's certainly the case that he was born in the same part of England as Pip, the marsh country around the southern coast, and evokes that setting here with a vividness born of personal familiarity. (The same goes for his ability to bring the teeming, sooty urban jungle of London to life.) Again in Slater's words, "The deep concerns of Dickens life that feature so prominently in the novel...[include]...concealment of a shameful prison secret about one's past [his father spent time in debtor's prison], love for an unobtainable woman [Ellen Ternan], English class snobbery and the debate about what constitutes a 'gentleman,' the life of the imagination, the father/son relationship, bad mothering, and the moral and psychological consequences of brooding on past wrongs and betrayals."

It's worth noting that this is the only Dickens novel, to my knowledge, for which he wrote two entirely different endings, the original more "realistic" one (written in advance of publication) and a more ambiguous one which he wrote on the suggestion of his friend Bulwer-Lytton, and used in the published version. Both editions I've read included both (the original ending being added as an appendix), and this seems to be a common practice. So the reader has a sort of "choose your own ending" option. :-) (Personally, I prefer the Bulwer-Lytton approach --as Dickens apparently did himself, considering his decision to publish it and not the original!) If readers have a settled dislike or mental block towards Victorian prose, they won't like this book; yes, it's wordy (though, contrary to what some people believe, Dickens was NOT paid by the word for his writing), and the diction can be elaborate. But if that isn't a deal-breaker, this offers a great tale of Gothic atmosphere, lethal danger, intrigue and secrets, a window into a fascinating and vanished time --and most of all, Dickens' deepest exploration of what really matters (and what doesn't matter) in human life, and what makes for human happiness. (And what doesn't.)

1.) Note: A more in-depth discussion of the novel, with some significant insights and interesting background information about, for instance, the real-life models for some of Dickens' characters and settings, can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... .

2.) Note: Of the many movie and TV adaptations of this novel, the one I personally recommend is the 1999 version starring Ioan Gruffudd as Pip (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0167187/ ). That one adopts the published ending as its conclusion. ...more

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