Discount Price: $7.95
Price fluctuation possible.
How soon does it ship: Normal ship time within one day
Shipping? Absolutely FREE if you qualify for Super Saver Shipping.
Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.8
EAN num: 9780192833594
ISBN number: 0192833596
Label: Oxford University Press, USA
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 544
Printing Date: June 25, 1998
Publishing house: Oxford University Press, USA
Sale Popularity Level: 220760
Studio: Oxford University Press, USA
Other books you might be interested in perusing:
Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
With a new introduction and notes, this edition of Great Expectations offers new insights into one of Dickens's most fascinating and disturbing novels. Charting the progress of Pip from childhood to adulthood, Dickens shows the dangers of being driven by a desire for wealth and social status. As Pip moves from the Kent marshes to busy, commercial London, encountering many extraordinary characters--from Magwitch, the escaped convict, to Miss Havisham, a woman locked up with her past--he is confronted with the challenge of establishing a sense of his own identity and values contrary to the plans others have for him.
Amazon.com Review:
An absorbing mystery as well as a morality tale, the story of Pip, a poor village lad, and his expectations of wealth is Dickens at his most deliciously readable. The cast of characters includes kindly Joe Gargery, the loyal convict Abel Magwitch and the haunting Miss Havisham. If you have heartstrings, count on them being tugged.
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
-
It is astonishing to read literature this good, such that within the very first few pages you know that no matter what the author does to the characters or how he concludes the story, and whether it suits my tastes in any specific direction, you realize that here is a work of lasting skill, value, and impact, truly a classic.
Now I came to this book with perhaps reduced expectations, not great ones, having only remembered reading The Christmas Carol by Dickens, a story so well known that it seems more created ex nihilo than spun of raw materials from the human mind. It exceeded my expectations in every direction--humor, plot and pacing, dialogue, description, action, romance, poignancy.
And it is interesting that in the end, Pip, despite his tremendous character growth and recovery from terminal and self-defacing self-centeredness, is still not the moral equal of Joe and Biddy (I should have seen that one coming, but didn't). I'm not sure even Dickens is conscious of the fact that no matter how far Pip has come in his redemption, he is still far behind Joe and Biddy in their pure human worth.
Wow.
Rated by buyers -
"Great Expectations" is one of the few works by Charles Dickens that I had neither read nor had any contact with. Other than knowing title and author, I had no knowledge of the work before reading this book. After reading it, I can say that the effect was what one would hope the Classics Illustrated works would have on people. The contact generated a desire in me to read the original work.
The artwork is generally dour, reflecting the reality of London in Dickens' time. While there were pockets of great wealth, there were enormous sections of grinding poverty and struggle. The lot of orphans was especially hard, with no social safety net of any kind, they were at the mercy of whatever benefactors they happened to encounter.
In many ways, the best way to learn about the social conditions of England in the mid nineteenth century is to read the novels of Charles Dickens. He tells it like it is, a place of great social consciousness, where the upper classes could do no wrong and the lower classes were expected to know their place. There is no better indicator of that than when working class Joe Gargery nurses the now gentleman Pip back to health and then after his recovery, Joe leaves Pip and goes back to his social station.
Rated by buyers -
Philip Pirrip, otherwise known as Pip, has great expectations. Given the opportunity to become 'a gentleman', his life becomes a quest fueled by his misguided and false hopes and dreams. And most of all: of unrequited love. All of which unravels.
There is something there for everyone: mystery, thriller, drama, comedy, social commentary, romance (in a twisted sort of way). GE is about human nature and love, forgiveness and hope; a perfect blending of all these gritty elements that make up Life.
I'm not going to go into the plot, others have done it, and much better than I ever could. What I will say is that Great Expectations is a book that everyone should try to read. Don't rush, but peruse, read slowly, savor it, appreciate it. The characters are vivid and heart-breaking, the personal growth of Pip from young boy to man, emotional and dramatic. You will feel for all the characters that will stay with you long after you've finished it.
The introduction by Irving should be read. But AFTERWARDS. He gives an interesting biosketch on Dickens, the story arch and influences of GE. I was definitely enriched for having read it. The back also has the Original Ending of GE that Dicken's wrote, a list of works and a short but concise bibliography about Dicken's the man and his works.
This was my very first read of Dicken's and I was expecting a book bogged down and heavy with prose or overtly poetic speeches, and a book that would make me want to go to sleep: I was pleasantly surprised. While the style can be difficult & you will have to re-read parts of it, it's manageable, though, it's a good idea to have a dictionary on hand. There are parts that do go on and chapters that seem static, but the language and rendering of 19th century England and the characters make it all the worth while. Only then, will you understand why this book a true Classic.
Rated by buyers 
-
Great Expectations didn't meet my expectations. I was a little bored throughout the begining and middle of the story. I think what kept me reading on was the desire to read a "classic" (I usually read biography or history).
I continued reading because I wanted to find out if Magwitch would meet his daughter. In addition, I was interested in Pip's strong desire to be a gentleman. Other than help his friend in business and dawdle about thinking about an emotionally deadweight chic, Pip didn't seem interested in obtaining a job or taking real advantage of his opportunities. I'll give Pip credit for helping his friend attain stature in business, and eventually going on to operate with his friend after losing his unearned wealth. But the lazy part is 19th century gentleman, huh?
Maybe Dicken's purpose was to show the benefits of wealth and the slothfullness of one who didn't have to work himself to attain it. Maybe it hit me at the wrong time, as my fiancee just took a hike and left me after I just sold my house (and now have no place to go). Trust you me, I won't be wasting my life away like Ms. Havisham though. I haven't reached gentlemanly status and need to continue working . . . .
I've only read Charles Dicken's Nicholas Nickleby and Oliver Twist in addition to "Great Expectations". Of these, I thoroughly enjoyed Nicholas Nickleby. In the future, I'll look for Kates and Madellines and not Estellas. Great Expectations was a tougher read for me as these characters just simply didn't entice my interest too much. Of course, maybe I needed a brighter read . . .
Rated by buyers -
Many people scoffed this book back in my freshman English class, because it was Dickens, and Dickens meant "boring" to them. However, shrug off the normal tendencies to stereotype an old-time classic to be a bore, one can find a true delight in this beautiful story of a young man struggling with an impossible love, the pressures of money and society, and, of course, himself. It is an excellent, absolutely enriching read.
Find other books like this one:
