Great Expectations

[vladline]

I'm currently reading "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens. I'm half way through the book and I find it to be a deeply emotional read for me.

I find the different characters in the book fascinating. A good example is Joe Gargery who is so kind, loving, but at the same time strong in his convictions who I found to be very inspirational. Though others including Pip the main character in the book, consider Joe un-intelligent, simple, un-educated, and shamefully poor, I believe that Joe is the kind of person that so many of us should strive to be morally!

The other characters in the book also have interesting personalities (some more one sided than others!)which in my opinion makes this book a great read for anyone interested in how money will change some people, but will never change others.

Although my synopsis is a great injustice to the depth one can experience by reading this book. I would love to discuss this book or any other of Charle Dickens books with anyone interested. Thank you.

[KJo]

I've been reading the book A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens in my Pre-Ap class. It is not really that interesting and I can not get in to it.
I started reading A Christmas Carol on my own time and enjoyed it much more!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Admin]

A Christmas Carol isn't a typical Dickens novel. Its much shorter and larger geared towards a different demographic.

[KJo]

If A Christmas Carol is not a typical Dickens novel, than is there a novel by him as interesting and as well written as A Tale of Two Cities?

[Admin]

His most popular novels would be Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist, and David Copperfield (which is autobiographical).

[KJo]

Thank you for telling me this. I will try to read some of those books.

[MortalFool]

I'm sorry to say this, but I HATED Great Expectations. It had way too many coincedences, and I just don't care for Dickens's style.

[amethyst]

I really hated Great Expectations too. It was a forced read in English, and although there is some strong character development, the storyline was pretty lame, and Dickens dwelled on every little detail in a very annoying sort of way. There are SO many things to read that are better than that book. (don't try to find refuge in Life on the Mississippi though, that's a horrible book too)

[aboAbdullah]

Introduction : The novel (Great Expectation) instinct of crucial events , strange incidents , depicting the lifestyle in English society , revealing some political affairs , specially the daily life for everyone who faces different sorts of problems and obstacles . The following questions show how English society was :
(*)Question of classes : In Great Expectation by Charles Dickens , Estella is from a wealthy class while Pip is from a low class . it is evident that there is such of perpetual conflict exhibited by Estella towards Pip . She sometimes contemns him . When Miss Havisham asks her to play with Pip she says : (With this boy ! Why, he is a common laboring-boy!) . This means that he is from a low class and being from high class , Estella wonders . While they are playing cards , she says with disdain : (!He calls the knaves , Jacks) . She wants to embarrass him that he is not educated. Estella continually dashes his morals before the game is over and discloses: (And what coarse hands he has ! And what thick boots!) . She insults him by looking at him with a look of supreme aversion. Estella gives Pip some bread and meat without looking at him as insolently as if he were a dog . Estella slaps Pip for he has told Miss Havisham that she is insulting and saying to him :(You little coarse monster) . Pip is influenced by these things and has insisted to become a gentleman .
(*) Question of Education: this aspect has been touched upon in Great Expectation. For example, We find that Pip , Joe Gargery and Miss Estella are illiterate . Pip has tried to improve his knowledge at an evening school . He is keen to learn how to read and write . Mr. Joe Gargery has been taught reading and writing by Pip . Any village or town that has no teaching schools or does it have vocational one, it must have analphabets. Miss.Estella has been sent to London for learning to become an educated lady. This certainly insinuates that schools are available only in big cities. Dickens hopes to have a number of educational schools and professional ones in all corners of London. Moreover, Dickens wishes to have some kindergarten schools constituted for teaching moppets as Pip . Pip has not joined any vocational school nor has he learnt at teaching one . However, when he has been residing at Mrs.Joe , he has perceived that he is unable to do any work unless he has much training so , he is forcibly obliged to become an apprentice at the forge of Mr.Joe Gargery to get experienced . It is accepted that , By education , English society tries to bridge the gap among classes : the aristocratic , middle and working
(*) Question of poverty: It is generally accepted that Charles Dickens must have touched upon poverty since he has been suffering from in his childhood . Pip as an orphaned poor boy seeks money so as to live his own life . He has to live with his coarse sister and her large-hearted husband . Once , he is asked by Mr.pumplechook to go to Miss Havisham so, he is pleased on the chance that he may have some pennies . Miss Havisham commands him to play cards with Estella who detests and embarrasses him in sight of Miss Havisham. He is shocked of Estella and insists not to come over again to Manor house of Havisham . At length , he is given his postponed wages by Miss Havisham when he is about to be an apprentice for Mr. Joe Gargery . Signing his indenture with Joe , blacksmith , Pip starts a new life enduring the flames of fire so that he may have such delayed wages . He is sometimes asked by some of his neighbors to scare the birds off their corn fields or sent on an errand to carry and bring something. He is forcibly obliged to accept any work to do , though he does perceive that he is going to be cruelly treated by the master . Why? Well , it is evident that poverty has been forcing him more and more . Dickens tries to expose and state that this problem prevails in English society and even in the world . people should not read what is written only but they should recognize to what it refers .

[Toose]

I loved this book. Pip's perspective on things is wonderful. I cracked up reading about Pip eating dinner behind the "Pumblechookian Elbow." Great read!

[bakestewah]

I hated Gret Expectations too! Yes i have taken it into consideratio that he originally wrote it in weekly instalments and in the 30's but really the coincidenses are retarded and personally, i found the book so predictable. I hate it when you have to read a book that is uninteresting in english class.

[Shea]

Yes i have taken it into consideratio that he originally wrote it in weekly instalments and in the 30's

Uh... no. It was written in the 1860's. I'm sorry you didn't like it. There were a few books that I had to read in school that I didn't like at the time either. But when I read them later in life, I really enjoyed them. This is one that I read on my own and very much enjoyed.

[bakestewah]

Shea, sorry about the date mix up. Could you help with the exam im currently studying for?

[Shea]

Well, I'll try to help, but I won't give answers. You're sort of talking to an English teacher. :) What's the trouble?

[The Intended]

Reading it was difficult, but I was really glad I did. I loved Miss Havisham (she reminds me of my aunt, and Estella of my cousin, isn't that sad?) and Jagger.

[zakiah]

graet expectations is a very interesting books on it own, in a way it is a semi - autobiography of charles dickens, Charles Dickens, who himself had suffered poverty as a child and always had a demand of better care for children and poor people, through the novel Great Expectations, from his experience of people and society in Victorian times, he has explored self-improvements and ambitions through each character challenging that high social class and wealth are not more important than inner character and how one responds to another, also to the way each character judges another and how each everyone is three dimensional, their external character can be totally different to their personality and inner character. Also the change in Pip’s life from being a lower class person to a gentleman makes him move from one social extreme to another while dealing with the strict rules and expectations that governed Victorian England.

[Phangirl7]

I had to read this a few years ago for my 9th grade English I Pre-AP class and I really enjoyed it! We did all kinds of fun little projects and that helped me enjoy it more than I would have if we had just straight read it.
P.G.7.

[EritreanPriness]

Hey,
can some help me understand how Dickens portary Magwitch in Great Expectations, please?

I like writing about Great Expectations and I have done about how dickens portary Pip, Estella and Miss Havisham; but I need some help on the portary of Magwitch.
Thanks

[optimisticnad]

Out of the few Dickens' novels I have read G.E is my favourite. When I was younger I didn't like Dickens' style but if I'm honest it was only because I was forced to read him and didn't understand his vocabularly or the layers of meaning in his novels. G.E is so bloody good! I can't believe I've scrolled up and read some posts saying how they hated it - of course you're entitled to your opinion, but really - tell me what was it that you didn't like? Miss Havisham is one of the most original characters I've ever come across and Pip's love for Estella is real and true - none of that fairy tale stuff, I empathised with his enduring unreciprocated ( is that a word?) love, the longing, the jealousy but always the hope, always the bloody hope of a union, it was bittersweet. And then his love reached the stage where it was simply enough that she existed, that she was alive and well and happy. That's beautiful....:bawling::bawling:

And if Angelina Jolie can read it than so can you! :lol:
http://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?b=6820

[Truthlover]

I'm half way through this book. I am reading it leisurely, which I think is the best way to read any book. I'm 65 years of age, and even though I majored in English in college, and went on to get my master's and doctorate in liberal arts studies, I really could not understand novels until after I was 50. The human mind needs time to mature and gain perspective about the meaning of life. This is also why I have become capable of reading philosophy and actually understanding it. I could never have done this 20 years ago.

[blazeofglory]

I really love reading Dickens and I have read several of his books and Great expectations is the one I read as a child