Great Expectations

Great Expectations is a novel or coming-of-age story as we follow the growth of the protagonist nicknamed Pip from his childhood to adulthood. It was Charles Dickens’s thirteenth novel (he was then in his late forties) and his penultimate completed novel, published in 1861. As for the narration it was his second novel written in the first person after David Copperfield which contained several autobiographical elements.

As it was published in a periodical in weekly episodes, it required short chapters centered on a single topic. As a book it is divided into three stages of Pip’s expectations: the first one deals with the boy’s childhood and early youth in Kent during which he wishes to rise above his humble condition, the second part depicts his time in London after his dreams were granted, and finally the third part is about his disappointment when he knows the source of his fortune. The whole structure of the book is noticeable in the fact that each stage of his life is divided into twelve parts of equal length, evoking perfection.

The story is set in Kent in the early 19^th century. Philip is the main protagonist, he is an orphan living a simple life with his hot-tempered sister and nice brother-in-law, Joe. His future will be changed thanks to a mysterious benefactor who allows him to fulfil his dream of becoming a perfect gentleman for the woman he loves. Yet his destiny will force him to face an internal conflict when he learns the identity of his protector.

In this novel, Dickens tackles the theme of moral values that are more valuable than ambition and social advancement or wealth. Pip is seen as an idealist who is in search of constant self-improvement, which explains the title because Pip always has “great expectations”.

Nowadays the success of the novel is still confirmed and it has been adapted to the screen in the form of films or TV series a great number of times; at least six films have been released so far and almost ten TV series have been shot. It continues to arouse the readers’ emotions through a valuable historical interest.

Coming-of-age story : histoire sur le passage à l’âge adulte
Penultimate : avant-dernier
An expectation : une attente, espérance
An orphan : un orphelin
A benefactor : un bienfaiteur
To tackle with : aborder
Wealth : la richesse
Improvement : l’amélioration
To arouse : susciter

Charles Dickens is still seen as a pillar of English literature in the 21^st century. He remains one of the most loved writers of all time. His contribution to classic novels is great, he belonged to the Victorian era and almost represented it. He displayed a stark portrait of the underclass and he shed light on important social and political issues for which he felt deeply concerned: the difficult working conditions of children and women in Britain, slavery in the USA.

He was born in Portsmouth in 1812 and died in 1870; he was buried in the poets’ corner at Westminster Abbey in London. He spent his early childhood in Kent and then his parents settled in a poor neighbourhood in London. In his early life, he had to face adversities along with loneliness and despair. His father was sent to prison with the entire family, apart from Charles, because of his debts, when the boy was just 12. He had to leave school in order to work in a factory, enduring terrible conditions which were a source of inspiration for the adult writer.

In 1836 he married Catherine Hogarth with whom he had ten children but they separated in 1858 and Dickens fell in love with Ellen Ternan, an 18 year-old actress; their passion was to last until Dickens’ death.

Like many writers he began his career as a journalist: he edited a weekly newspaper for 20 years. At that time the demand for monthly serialisation was high, each episode introduced some new element (a plot twist or a new character) so it maintained the reader’s interest. Therefore Dickens’s novels were all serialised in weekly and monthly magazines before being printed in standard books.

Dickens obviously contributed to the golden age of the British novel which became the leading literary genre. He wrote fifteen novels featuring vivid characters and an exhaustive depiction of contemporary life sometimes leaning on his personal experience. His first great success was The Pickwick Papers followed by Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, The Old Curiosity Shop, etc. The prolific author wrote almost one book a year.

A pillar : un pilier
Stark : saisissant, dur
An adversity : une épreuve
A serialisation : une adaptation en feuilleton
A twist : un tournant
Vivid : vivant, frappant
A depiction : un portrait