爱华网BackgroundofAuthor
CharlesJohnHuffamDickens;7February1812–9June1870)wasanEnglishnovelist,generallyconsideredthegreatestoftheVictorianperiod.Dickensenjoyedawiderpopularityandfamethanhadanypreviousauthorduringhislifetime,andheremainspopular,havingbeenresponsibleforsomeofEnglishliterature'smosticonicnovelsandcharacters.
Manyofhiswritingswereoriginallypublishedserially,inmonthlyinstalments,aformatofpublicationwhichDickenshimselfhelpedpopularise.Unlikeotherauthorswhocompletednovelsbeforeserialisation,Dickensoftencreatedtheepisodesastheywerebeingserialised.Thepracticelenthisstoriesaparticularrhythm,punctuatedbycliffhangerstokeepthepubliclookingforwardtothenextinstalment.Thecontinuingpopularityofhisnovelsandshortstoriesissuchthattheyhavenevergoneoutofprint.
Dickens'sworkhasbeenhighlypraisedforitsrealism,comedy,masteryofprose,uniquepersonalitiesandconcernforsocialreformbywriterssuchasLeoTolstoy,GeorgeGissingandG.K.Chesterton;thoughothers,suchasHenryJamesandVirginiaWoolf,havecriticiseditforsentimentalityandimplausibility
BackgroundofGreatExpectation
GreatExpectationsisanovelbyCharlesDickensin1861.ItisabildungsromanwritteninthefirstpersonfromthepointofviewofanorphanPip,describinghisexperiencesandstrugglesingrowthandthedisillusionmentofhis“greatexpectations”.LikemostofDickens’sworks,itdepictsthedifficultresearchforindividualidentityoftheprotagonistwhileinvolvingawiderangeofclasses.Throughoutthebook,Pipgoesthroughavarietyofstruggles,notonlyagainsttheoppressiveperipheralenvironmentbutalsoagainsthisownconscience,whichareveryoftenimpliedandsymbolizedbyaseriesof“prison”imageslikeironchains,hulks,jail,etc.
SocialBackground
TheVictorianperiodcanberegardedasawatershedofthehistoryofliterature.BeforetheVictorianperiod,peopletendedtoseetheworldfromareligiouspointofview.Becauseoftheimprovementofscience,Victoriansbegantochangetheirattitudesandstartedtoconsiderthingsfromascientificperspective.CharlesDarwin,theauthorofTheOriginofSpeciesandTheDescentofManandSelectioninRelationtoSex,introducedevolutionarytheoryandcreatedaheateddisputethathaslasted,tosomedegree,evenuntiltoday.ThisthesisappliesDarwin’stwoideas—naturalselectionandsexualselection—toinvestigateintoCharlesDickens’sGreatExpectations.TheintroductionbrieflydiscussesDarwin’sevolutionarytheoriesandtheirapplicationinDickens’sGreatExpectations.Thefirstchapterinvestigatesnaturalselectionandsexualselectionwithmorespecifics.Simplyput,forexample,organicbeingsevolveinordertoadapttotheenvironment.Maleofallspeciestrytoseducefemalesinordertopropagate.Thesecondchapterdealswiththedifferencebetweenuniformitarianismandcatastrophism,andhowDarwinchallengestheideaof“progress”andhownaturalselectionappliestothenotionofmaterialism.Inaddition,recallingDarwin’sobservationthatorganicbeingswouldchangethemselvesduetothepressureofsurvival,readersofDickens’snovelsseehowenvironmentalchangesbringeffectsuponcharacters.ThethirdchapterconcentratesonDarwin’ssexualselection,includingthecontrastbetweenparthenogeneticreproductionandsexualselection,femalesupremacyintheanimalworldandmaledominanceinthehumansociety,aswellasfemale’smaternalinstinctsandmale’scompetitivetendencies.Finally,IconcludewiththegenderedideologythatbothDarwinandDickensrevealintheirworks.Inconclusion,approachingDickens’snovelfromtheperspectiveofDarwin’sevolutionarytheories,weseehowVictorianliteratureandsciencemergedtogether.
Plotsummary
OnChristmasEve,around1812,Pip,anorphanofaboutsix,encountersanescapedconvictinthevillagechurchyardwhilevisitinghismother's,father'sandyoungerbrothers'graves.TheconvictscaresPipintostealingfoodforhim,andafiletogrindawayhisshackles,fromthehomeheshareswithhisoldersisterandherhusbandJoeGargery,ablacksmith.Thenextday,soldiersrecapturetwoconvictsengagedinafightandreturnthemtotheprisonship.
MissHavisham,awealthyspinster,whowearsanoldweddingdressandlivesinthedilapidatedstatishouse,asksPip'sUnclePumblechooktofindaboytoplaywithheradopteddaughterEstella.PipbeginstovisitMissHavishamandEstella,withwhomhefallsinlove.
MissHavishamwithEstellaandPip.ArtbyH.M.brock.
AsayoungapprenticeatJoeGargery'sforge,Pipisapproachedbyalawyer,MrJaggers,whotellshimheistoreceivealargesumofmoneyfromananonymousbenefactorandmustleaveforLondonimmediatelywhereheistobecomeagentleman.PipbelievesMissHavishamtobehisbenefactressandvisitsherandEstella,whohasreturnedfromstudyingontheContinent.
WithPipnowheavilyindebt,hisbenefactorisrevealedtobeAbelMagwitch,theconvicthehelped,whowastransportedtoNewSouthWaleswhereheeventuallybecamewealthy.
ThereisawarrantforMagwitch'sarrestinEnglandandhewillbehangedifheiscaught.Aplanisthereforehatchedforhimtofleebyboat.ItisalsorevealedthatEstellaisthedaughterofMagwitchandMrJaggers'shousemaid,Molly,whomhedefendedinamurderchargeandwhogaveupherdaughtertobeadoptedbyMissHavisham.
PipconfrontsMissHavishamwithEstella'shistory.MissHavishamstandstooclosetothefirewhichignitesherdressandsheeventuallydiesfromherinjuries.
Whileattemptingtoescape,Magwitchiscapturedandsenttojailwherehediesshortlybeforehisexecution.Pipisabouttobearrestedforunpaiddebtswhenhefallsill.Joenurseshimbacktohealthandpaysoffhisdebts.
MycommentonGreatExpectations
Literatureisagoodstoryandwritingskillsuniquecombinationofunity."GreatExpectations"wasthelateBritishauthorCharlesDickensnovelofagoodeducation,itisgrowingaroundtheheroPepyscoursefordescription.Thearticleon"GreatExpectations"inappreciationofthecleverwritingskillsthatapplytothestoryandtheheroofthegrowthprocess.Pip'sgrowthprocessmaybeunderstoodasfourstages.ThefourstagesaredifferentfantasyPip,"GreatExpectations"untilthese"GreatExpectations"istheprocessofdisillusionment.Pipfromthenaivetothevanity,theprocessshatteredbytheillusionthatitistheirmentalmaturity.
