“We need never be ashamed of our tears." - Charles Dickens

“Suffering has been stronger than all other teachings and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but - I hope - into a better shape.” - Charles Dickens 

One of Charles Dickens’s most famous works. It was published (as a novel in three volumes) in 1861. Great Expectations has generally termed a bildungsroman. Bildungsroman is a German word used for novels that portray the psychological development of the central character. But Great Expectations, like most of Charles Dickens’s novels, does not conform to any one genre. It is a tale of love and passion; a mystery story with several twists; a narrative that functions as serious social commentary.

The novel is rooted in the social realities of Dickens’s times. Great Expectations depicts the differences between the classes, and how money can corrupt. The novel makes clear that money cannot buy love, nor does it guarantee happiness. One of the happiest—and most morally correct—people in the novel is Joe, Pip's sister's husband. And, Miss Havisham is one of the richest (as well as the most unhappy and loneliest).

Great Expectations features some of Dickens's greatest characters and one of his trademark convoluted plots. The novel is a fantastic read and a wonderful morality tale. Full of romance, courageousness, and hope—Great Expectations is a brilliant evocation of a time and place.

By Brishti Mukherjee.