Great Expectations

"Great Expectations" charts the progress of Pip from childhood through often painful experiences to adulthood, as he moves from the Kent marshes to busy, commercial London, encountering a variety of extraordinary characters, ranging from Magwitch - the escaped convict, to Miss Haversham - locked up with her unhappy past, and living with her ward, the arrogant, beautiful Estella. In this compelling story, Dickens shows the dangers of being driven by a desire for wealth and social status. Pip must establish his own sense of self against the plans which others seem to have for him, and thus discover a firm set of values and priorities. Whether such values will allow one to prosper in the complex world of early-Victorian England is, however, the major question posed by "Great Expectations". This edition uses the text of the Clarendon edition, with a new introduction and explanatory notes. The appendices give the original, discarded ending, Dickens's brief working notes, and the serial instalments and chapter divisions in different editions.