Charles Dickens

Bio 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870 Born in Portsmouth, England Forced to leave school to work in a factory when his father was thrown into debtors' prison. Had little formal education, and his early impoverishment drove him to succeed. Wrote fifteen novels, five novellas and hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles. Campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education, and other social reforms.

Great Expectations (From shmoop.com) It’s the story of a young blacksmith boy Pip and his two dreams—becoming a gentleman and marrying the beautiful Estella. Great Expectations was serialized from December 1, 1860 until August 3, With two chapters every week, Great Expectations (and other serialized novels like it) were as close as Victorian England got to Breaking Bad or Mad Men.

Great Expectations (From shmoop.com) People waited anxiously every week for the next "episode" to arrive in the newsstands and on the shelves—and you can see why. Dickens was a master of the serialized novel, writing segments full of cliff- hangers and nail-biting action, while remaining true to the novel's overall storyline. His stories worked in pieces and as a cohesive whole.

Context (From shmoop.com) Great Expectations takes place in 19th century England. Pip is born in the early 1800s, and our narrator is telling his story in This is a busy time for England, seeing the momentum of the Industrial Revolution (and the invention of things like the steam engine and light bulb) as well as the abolishment of slavery in the British colonies in 1834.

Context (From shmoop.com) London is a thriving metropolis, and England is a powerful, wealthy, global giant. But Dickens's depiction of London, however, doesn't exactly fall in line with this notion of England as all- powerful, rich, and healthy.

Social Criticism (From shmoop.com) The novel was a major success. Like most of Dickens's work, it addressed contemporary issues of social justice and inequality. While England was growing rich and powerful in the era of colonialism and the Industrial Revolution, Dickens saw the injustice that ran rampant among the working and lower classes. He documented Britain's underbelly and explored the fight for survival in a time of such wealth.

Two Pips Pip is both narrator and protagonist; as such, he recounts with hindsight the story of the young boy he was, who did not know the world beyond a narrow geographic and familiar environment. The novel's direction emerges from the confrontation between the two layers of time.

Pay Attention to... Fog. How money/class effects people (it’s not always bad). “Everyone in Dickens is either a jailer or a prisoner...” Shadows, light, and darkness. Humor. It’s frequently there, but you have to read closely. Crime, justice, and punishment. Clues, twists, and revelations. Old, difficult words. Look stuff up. Character quotes of significant length and meaning that only that character would say. Those are the stuff of quizzes.

Clips BBC miniseries: Old School: New School: