Great Expectations

by Charles Dickens

Libby audiobook 15.5 hours

Read by: Simon Prebble

Published: 1861 (this version 2011)

Genre: realistic (historical) fiction

I can't believe I haven't blogged this before! I taught it to ninth graders back in the 90s. I've read it multiple times, but not in recent years. (I've not yet seen a movie version.)

I'd forgotten some of the details and was delighted to reacquaint myself with "the Aged Parent" and some of the other characters. It's amazing to me how powerfully Dickens can evoke emotions and examine human nature in his characterizations.

 

As always, I start the story being sympathetic to Pip and upset with his sister, Mrs. Gargery. Joe Gargery is a fascinating character, strong, kind, sympathetic. He had an abusive dad and he wanted to protect his mother. He put up with Pip's sister because of the kind of person he was, not because of her merits. He was an illiterate blacksmith who did his best to protect Pip. (I had forgotten what happened to Mrs. G . . . )

"Philip Pirrip" came out of the little boys' mouth as "Pip." I love that name! I had forgotten that Herbert Pocket had given him the nickname of "Handel."

Miss Havisham was her creepy self as I remembered. I had forgotten her grief at realizing what Estella had become.

There were a couple of times that I wasn't sure of what word I heard. I only jotted down one from chapter 8: "farinaceous—having a mealy or powdery texture." (https://nycmsenglish.weebly.com/great-expectations-vocabulary.html)

Some of my favorite parts were when Pip spoke up for Matthew Pocket to Miss Havisham, when Joe came to nurse Pip back to health, and when Herbert rescued him on the marshes.

My least favorite characters were Compeyson, Orlick, and Pumblechook. My favorites were Pip (most of the time), Wemmeck, and Joe. Joe is the best!