Great Expectations (A Norton Critical Edition)
Great Expectations charts the progress of Pip from childhood through often painful experiences to adulthood, as he moves from the Kent marshes to busy, commercial London, encountering a variety of extraordinary characters ranging from Magwitch, the escaped convict, to Miss Havisham, locked up with her unhappy past and living with her ward, the arrogant, beautiful Estella. Pip must discover his true self, and his own set of values and priorities. Whether such values allow one to prosper in the complex world of early Victorian England is the major question posed by Great Expectations, one of Dickens's most fascinating, and disturbing, novels. This edition includes the original, discarded ending, Dickens's brief working notes, and the serial instalments and chapter divisions in different editions. It also uses the definitive Clarendon text.
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Community Reviews
I am of the opinion that you cannot read Dickens in a rush. The minority low ratings of this book seem to be filled with accusations that Great Expectations is “slow”, “boring”, or “dull.” I think this sentiment is largely a result of the readers lacking the luxury (or patience) to slow down to Dickens pace. This is an author, after all, who rented a commercial boat to sail down the river just to make sure he could write accurately about obscure ...read more
Reread this classic, remembering much of the plot. Forgot how much Pip cried and his lack of confidence. Nature v nurture - poor Pip. What would Pip do today?
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