Chiltern Classics: Great Expectations

Great Expectations, Charles Dickens' most acclaimed and popular novel, tells the story of Pip, a young orphan, who narrates the tale. Pip grows up in the marshlands of Kent, where he lives with his disagreeable sister and her sweet-natured husband, the blacksmith Joe Gargery. While visiting his family members' graves in the churchyard, the young Pip encounters Abel Magwitch, an escaped convict. Pip brings him food and a file, but the fugitive and Compeyson--his former partner in crime and a supposed gentleman who is now his enemy--are soon caught. Later Pip is requested to pay visits to Miss Havisham, a woman driven half-mad years earlier by her lover's departure on their wedding day. Living with Miss Havisham at Satis House is her adopted daughter, Estella, whom she is teaching to torment men with her beauty. Pip, at first cautious, later falls in love with Estella, who does not return his affection. He grows increasing ashamed of his humble background and hopes to become a gentleman, in part to win over Estella.