Charles Dickens

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Great Expectations

A TERRIFYING ENCOUNTER with an escaped convict in a graveyard on the wild Kent marshes; a summons to meet the bitter, decaying Miss Havisham and her beautiful, cold-hearted ward Estella; the sudden generosity of a mysterious benefactor - these form a series of events that change the orphaned Pip's life forever, and he eagerly abandons his humble origins to begin a new life as a gentleman. Dickens's haunting late novel depicts Pip's education and development through adversity as he discovers the true nature of his 'great expectations'.

The orphaned boy Pip's life takes an unexpected turn when, during his apprenticeship with a blacksmith, he receives a large sum of money from an anonymous benefactor. What once seemed like a bleak future suddenly opens up to the possibility of prosperity. However, the path ahead is fraught with challenges, and it remains uncertain whether money truly leads to happiness.

Great Expectations was first published as a serial in the magazine All Year Round from 1860 to 1861. Written in the style of a classic Bildungsroman, it features some of Dickens most iconic characters: the idealistic Pip, the tragic and bitter Miss Havisham, and the mysterious and imposing Magwitch.

CHARLES DICKENS [1812-1870], born in Portsmouth, England, was the most popular English-language novelist of his time. He created a fictional world that reflected the social and technological changes of the Victorian era. Among his most famous works are David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, A Christmas Carol, and The Pickwick Papers.