Great expectations, big disappointment. (Great Expectations - Charles Dickens)

Member Name: Prufrock

Product:	Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
Date:	17/09/00 (336 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Social Comments galore, and a good view on life in Victorian England.

Disadvantages: Far too long. Over the top descriptive prose.

I had to read this book for A' Level English Lit. Before going into detail about the book, I must explain a few things about Dickens, the man. Firstly, Dickens' father was imprisioned in one of the many Debtor's prisons for non-payment. This had a devastating effect on Dickens, and is often a theme in his books. Secondly, Dickens' works were written to be serialised. Dickens published then in his own magazine, and was paid per word. This led Dickens to write rather unnecessary, lengthy descriptions of everything in his novels. His books were the victorian version of modern day soap operas.
Great Expectations is no different in that it is very long, very descriptive, and quite frankly, boring. Although Dickens covers a wide range of what would have been very important social issues at the time, he gets so bogged down in his descriptions, the result of which is that his work loses any real significance. The story is well thought out, and very good, and all characters are developed to the full. He even uses the naming of characters to make social comments, and to make each character's personality more obvious.
Without giving too much away, the story centres around the life of Pip, from childhood to adulthood. It has many twists, the best of which is the revelation as to whom is Pip's benefactor. Throughout the book, we are led to believe that it is Miss Havisham, but this is not the case. Also, I did find the conclusion very satisfying. Dickens' stuck to realism, and did not try to make out that life always has a happy ending.

Overall, if you are a Dickens fan, you will not be disappointed with this book. As a comment on social issues of the period, it is invaluable. You can really get a feel for life in Victorian England. However, it must be said that it is a hard read; too long with too many over the top descriptions. You can pick this book up for around £2 under the Oxford Classics range, but I would advise against it
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