GE, Chapters 09-10

[Natalie]

Thank you, Tristram. The issue of the ability to improve one's financial class, if not social class, seems to loom large in Victorian novels in general.

I've been thinking of the definition of a "gentleman" in the 19th century and although we may equate the idea with good manners and good behavior, it seems as if in Victorian society a "gentlemen" was somebody who did not have to work for a living or who worked in a very small sphere of occupations, such as being relatively high in the church hierarchy.

According to The Victorian Web (and I really do not know how much academic authority they have) Dickens wanted to become a "gentleman" and believed that his occupation (writer) should merit the "gentleman" label. The Victorian Web says that "Great Expectations," which contains a great deal of disguised self-analysis, is at once a portrait or a definition of Dickens's concept of the Gentleman and a justification of his own claim to that title."

[Peter]

Tristram wrote: "Everyman wrote: "Tristram wrote: "I am now reading Hardy's "Tess" (something I should have done a long while ago, but for some reason I have always failed to realize just what a marvellous writer H..."

Tristram

Not a problem to the world but rather a solution. :-)

[Peter]

Tristram wrote: "Natalie wrote: "Pip clearly is having a dreadful time reconciling what he thinks of as his criminal career in contrast with life at Satis House."

Well observed, Natalie! What we should probably ke..."

Yes. I think nuances and a more subtle yet still clear understanding of social classes and class consciousness are evident in Dickens's later novels. This shift may well be because Dickens has matured as a writer, become wiser and more insightful to the world around him or perhaps, most interestingly, because Dickens become more aware of the differences in class structure because of his own rise in society.

The change from a struggling young parliamentary reporter and hopeful short story author to the heights of his fame, prestige and wealth in later life gave him experiences few people would have ever experience in life. In terms of authors, I can only think of Shakespeare and Chaucer who experienced such change in their lives. Perhaps J.K Rawlings as well... ?

[Everyman]

Natalie wrote: "... of the guiltily coarse and common thing it was..."

Presumably this comes, directly or indirectly, from Estella calling him coarse and common. So why is he looking forward to his next week at Miss Havisham's?

[Everyman]

Tristram wrote: "Kim wrote: "German shouldn't be very hard to learn, there aren't that many words in it, you just make everything one very, very long word."

:-D"

Is it at least theoretically possible to write an entire short story in one word in German?

[Mary Lou]

Everyman wrote: "Is it at least theoretically possible to write an entire short story in one word in German? "

I imagine one could at least write one of these six word stories:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05...

[Jonathan]

For me the most powerful story line in GE was the relationship between Pip and Joe. When Pip returned home and told Joe he didn't want to be common, I felt for Joe. It was like Pip had seen a new side of life at Satis House, and he wanted to "better" himself, which meant he wanted to be better than Joe, sadly.

But, in Chapter 9, we see that Pip still has a conscience and really cares about his old pal and protector. He didn't mind lying to the rest of the crew, but his conscience couldn't bear lying to Joe. Pip really loves him, how will his trips to Satis House impact this?