Great Expectations

by Dickens, Charles

• ISBN13: 9780743487610
• ISBN10: 0743487613
• Edition: Unabridged
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-05-01
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Summary

"Great Expectations" is at once a superbly constructed novel of spellbinding mastery and a profound examination of moral values. Here, some of Dickens's most memorable characters come to play their part in a story whose title itself reflects the deep irony that shaped Dickens's searching reappraisal of the Victorian middle class.

Author Biography

Charles Dickens was born in 1812 near Portsmouth where his father was a clerk in the navy pay office. The family moved to London in 1823, but their fortunes were severely impaired. Dickens was sent to work in a blacking-warehouse when his father was imprisoned for debt. Both experiences deeply affected the future novelist. In 1833, he began contributing stories to newspapers and magazines, and in 1836 started the serial publication of The Pickwick Papers. Thereafter, Dickens published his major novels over the course of the next twenty years, from Nicholas Nickleby to Little Dorrit. He also edited the journals Household Words and All the Year Round. Dickens died in June 1870.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. vii
Chronology of Charles Dickens's Life and Work	p. xv
Historical Context of Great Expectations	p. xvii
Great Expectations	p. 1
The Original Ending of Great Expectations	p. 599
Notes	p. 601
Interpretive Notes	p. 614
Critical Excerpts	p. 621
Questions for Discussion	p. 631
Suggestions for the Interested Reader	p. 633
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