For Further Reference
Last Updated July 24, 2024.
Baker, Ernest A. The History of the English Novel. Vol. 7. London: Wetherby, 1968. This stands as the most significant history of the English novel. Alongside an exploration of sources and a summary of Great Expectations, Baker offers substantial and insightful criticism.
Dyson, A. E. The Inimitable Dickens: A Reading of the Novels. London: Macmillan, 1970. Written in a light yet scholarly manner, the chapter on Great Expectations is particularly enriching.
Gold, Joseph. Charles Dickens, Radical Moralist. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1972. Gold delves deeply into the moral values and human psychology present in Great Expectations.
Hobsbaum, Philip. A Reader's Guide to Charles Dickens. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1973. Features a discerning chapter on Great Expectations and includes a comprehensive bibliography of critical studies on the novel.
Page, Norman. A Dickens Companion. New York: Schocken Books, 1984. This excellent reference is perfect for a quick overview of the composition, reception, and modern critique of Great Expectations.
Van Ghent, Dorothea. The English Novel, Form and Function. New York: Rinehart, 1953. Particularly beneficial for students, this textbook edition highlights key issues and includes discussion questions.
Zasadinski, Eugene. "Charles Dickens." In Research Guide to Biography and Criticism, edited by Walton Beacham. Washington, DC: Beacham Publishing, 1985. This article is the premier resource for selecting and researching term paper topics. It offers an overview and evaluation of biographies and critical studies on Charles Dickens.
Media Adaptations
Last Updated August 3, 2024.
- Great Expectations was first adapted into a silent film in 1917 by Paramount Pictures. Released on January 3, 1917, by Famous Players Film Company, it was presented by David Frohman across five reels.
- A 1934 remake, directed ineffectively by Stuart Walker, featured Jane Wyatt as Estella and Phillip Holmes as Pip. The public found their performances underwhelming. Universal released this version on eleven reels.
- In 1946, a British film adaptation directed by David Lean was produced by Rank/Cmeguild. This highly praised version stars John Mills as Pip, Valerie Hobson as Estella, and Alec Guinness as Herbert Pocket, Jr. It won two Oscars in 1947. Critic Robert Murphy described it as "one of the finest of all film adaptations of Dickens."
- Two significant adaptations of the novel were filmed in 1962, focusing on (1) setting, character, and themes, and (2) critical interpretation. Produced by the Encyclopedia Britannica Corporation, each film is 35 minutes long and intended for high school or early college audiences.
- In 1973, the University of Michigan created a dramatization of Dickens' critique of the British upper class in Great Expectations. Designed for senior high to college-level viewers, this 29-minute film is part of the Dickens' World Series from the University of Michigan.
- A 1974 adaptation by Scotia-Barber/ITC was directed by Joseph Hardy and released in Great Britain.
- The BBC produced the first close-captioned version of Great Expectations in 1981, released in the US in August 1988 by CBS/Fox Video. Directed by Julian Aymes and starring Gerry Sundquist, Stratford Johns, and Joan Hudson, this 300-minute film is also available on two cassettes in Great Britain from BBC/International Historic Films, Inc., #R249.
- Great Expectations: The Untold Story presents the story from Magwitch's perspective. Directed by Tim Burstall and featuring John Stanton, Sigrid Thornton, and Robert Coleby, it was released by Facets Multimedia, Inc. in 1987.
- Great Expectations was filmed for prime-time television by Primetime/Harlech Television in both Great Britain and the US in 1989. This was a made-for-TV presentation.
- Walt Disney Home Video released a 1989 version of the novel, directed by Kevin Connor and starring Jean Simmons and Anthony Hopkins. This adaptation runs for 325 minutes.
- Two animated versions of Great Expectations were created in 1978. One, directed by Jean Tych and produced by Burbank Films for Live Home Video, is close-captioned. The other is available from Library Video Company. Both run for 72 minutes.
- Selected readings from Great Expectations are available on audio tape from Time Warner. Narrated by Michael York, the 1994 tape runs 72 minutes and comes with a study guide.
- A 1987 unabridged audio recording on eleven cassettes, totaling approximately 16 hours, includes both endings of the novel. Narrated by Frank Muller, this set is available from Recorded Books in Charlotte Hall, MD.
- An abridged version from 1981, running 180 minutes on two cassettes, is read by Anton Rodgers. This version, which includes both endings, is available from Listen for Pleasure, Downsview, Ontario.
Bibliography and Further Reading
Last Updated July 25, 2024.
Sources
Bradbury, Nicola. Charles Dickens's "Great Expectations." New York:
St. Martin's Press, 1990.
Brooks-Davies, Douglas. Charles Dickens: Great Expectations. London: Penguin, 1989.
Calder, Angus. Introduction to Great Expectations. Penguin, 1981.
Carlisle, Janice, ed. "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens. Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press, 1996.
Connor, Steven. Charles Dickens. London: Basil Blackwell, 1985.
Cotsell, Michael, ed. Critical Essays on Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations." Boston: G.K. Hall, 1990.
Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations. New York: New American Library, 1963.
Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations, edited by Margaret Cardwell. Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press, 1993.
Harvey, Sir Paul, Ed. The Oxford Companion to English Literature. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1967.
Hochman, Baruch, and Ilja Wachs. Dickens: The Orphan Condition. Madison, NJ: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1999.
Holbrook, David. Charles Dickens and the Image of Woman. New York: New York University Press, 1993.
Hornback, Bert G. "Great Expectations": A Novel of Friendship. Boston: Twayne, 1987.
House, Humphrey. The Dickens World, 2nd edition. Oxford University Press, 1942.
Houston, Gail Turley. Consuming Fictions: Gender, Class and Hunger in Dickens's Novels. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 1994.
Leavis, F. R., and Q. D. Leavis. Dickens the Novelist. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1970.
Lucas, John. Charles Dickens: The Major Novels. London: Penguin, 1992.
Meckier, Jerome. Dickens's "Great Expectations": Misnar's Pavilion Versus Cinderella. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2002.
Newlin, George. Understanding "Great Expectations": A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources and Historical Documents. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2000.
Page, Norman. A Dickens Companion. New York: Schocken Books, 1984.
Prentice Hall Literature: Gold. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc., 1989.
Sandrin, Anny. Parentage and Inheritance in the Novels of Charles Dickens. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994.
Schilling, Bernard Nicholas. The Rain of Years: Great Expectations and the World of Dickens. Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press, 2001.
Steward, Joyce Stribling, and Virginia Rutledge Taylor, eds. Adventures In Reading: Classic Edition. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1968.
Watkins, Gwen. Dickens in Search of Himself: Recurrent Themes and Characters in the Work of Charles Dickens. Houndmills, UK: Macmillan, 1987.
Worth, George J. "Great Expectations": An Annotated Bibliography. New York: Garland, 1986.
For Further Study
Barnard, Robert. Imagery and Theme in the Novels of Dickens.
Humanities Press, 1974. Offers valuable insights into the imagery and themes
that Dickens explores in his novels, including Great Expectations.
Becker, Mary Lamberton. Introducing Charles Dickens. Dodd, 1940. This biography recounts Dickens' late-life encounter with a boy who, much like Dickens in his youth, dreams of one day mastering Gad's Hill.
Buckley, Jerome Hamilton. Season of Youth: The Bildungsroman from Dickens to Golding. Harvard University Press, 1974. Provides a significant discussion of Great Expectations within the tradition of the bildungsroman, a genre that focuses on the coming-of-age journey of a central character.
Chesterton, G. K. Charles Dickens, 22nd edition. Methuen, 1949. In addition to "The Boyhood of Dickens" in Chapter 2, this work offers excellent commentary on the lowbrow nature of some highbred gentlemen (168) and "The Alleged Optimism of Dickens" in Chapter 11.
Clark, William Ross, ed. Discussions of Charles Dickens. Heath, 1961. An anthology of criticism from the late nineteenth century to the twentieth, featuring contributions from Gissing, Bush, Orwell, House, Stange, Moynahan, and Miller.
Collins, Philip, ed. Dickens: The Critical Heritage. Barnes, 1971. This collection features contemporary responses, reviews, and critical interpretations of Dickens' literary works.
Connor, Steven. Charles Dickens. Basil Blackwell, 1985. This book organizes discussions of Dickens' novels by theme, with an essay on Great Expectations categorized under "Self and System."
Coolidge, Archibald C. Charles Dickens as a Serial Novelist. University of Iowa Press, 1967. This valuable study examines how Dickens wrote his novels in installments for periodicals and the impact this had on their development.
Dickens, Mamie. My Father as I Recall Him. Dutton, n.d. This book discusses Dickens' affection for Gads Hill and his deep engagement with the characters he created.
Fielding, K. J. Charles Dickens: A Critical Introduction. David McKay Co., 1958. An influential study highlighting the multiple ways Dickens' novels can be interpreted.
Fielding, K. J., ed. The Speeches of Charles Dickens. Oxford University Press, 1960. In these speeches, Dickens advocates for improved and more accessible education for lower-class children.
Ford, George H. "Charles Dickens." In Dictionary of Literary Biography Volume 21: Victorian Novelists Before 1885, edited by Ira B. Nadel and William E. Fredeman. Gale, 1983, pp. 89-124. This entry interweaves Dickens' biography, criticism, and themes, portraying his life and work as a Bildungsroman.
Forster, John. "Great Expectations." In The Life of Charles Dickens. Scribners, 1904, pp. 355-61. This section reveals that Dickens planned Great Expectations as an autobiographical work similar to David Copperfield.
Garraty, John A., and Peter Gay, eds. "From Liberalism to Democracy." In The Columbia History of the World. Harper, 1972, pp. 871-83. Provides general background on the socio-economic influences of the era, including the rise of democracy and the fear of governance by the illiterate masses.
Gilmour, Robin. The Idea of the Gentleman in the Victorian Novel. Allen, 1981. This study explores the cultural and political significance of the "gentleman" theme in Victorian novels, including Pip's aspirations in Great Expectations in the context of other Victorian literature.
Grebanier, Bernard D., Samuel Middlebrook, Stith Thompson, and William Watts, eds. English Literature and Its Backgrounds, Volume Two: From the Forerunners of Romanticism to the Present, 2nd edition. Holt, 1949. A comprehensive timeline of British literature from 1550-1940, featuring an illustrated chapter on "The Victorian Age" (pp. 417-48).
Hobsbaum, Philip. A Reader's Guide to Charles Dickens. Thames & Hudson, 1972. This guide offers extensive background information on Dickens' life, the England he lived in, and his novels.
Inglis, Rewey Belle, Alice Cecilia Cooper, Marion A. Sturdevant, and William Rose Benet, eds. Adventures in English Literature. Harcourt, 1938. Includes a timeline of British Victorian authors (p. 671) and a reprint of the chapter on Dickens' childhood from G. K. Chesterton's Charles Dickens (1906), pp. 1090-99.
Kaplan, Fred. Dickens: A Biography. Morrow, 1988. An extensive biography offering deep insights into Dickens' life and the creation of his novels.
Kent, Charles. Charles Dickens as a Reader. Lippincott, 1872. A personal perspective on Dickens from someone who knew him, highlighting his enduring passion for theater and audiences.
Leavis, F. R., and Q. D. Leavis. Dickens the Novelist. Pantheon, 1970. Features Q. D. Leavis' insightful essay "How We Must Read 'Great Expectations,'" serving as a valuable guide for interpreting the novel.
Miller, J. Hillis. Charles Dickens: The World of His Novels. Indiana University Press, 1969. Contains a significant essay where the author examines the central themes of Great Expectations.
Nelson, Harland S. Charles Dickens. Twayne, 1981. Provides detailed information on the context, audience, and serialization of Dickens' works, along with summaries of his novels.
Page, Norman. A Dickens Companion. Schocken Books, 1984. An essential resource covering topics such as the composition, serialization, publication, and reception of Dickens' works.
Priestley, J. B. Charles Dickens and His World. Viking Press, 1969. A thorough examination of the England of Dickens' era, useful for better understanding the settings of his novels.
Sandrin, Anny. Great Expectations. Unwin Hyman, 1988. A compilation of criticism and biography of Dickens, including a story about meeting a young boy who reminded him of his own childhood aspirations to become the master of Gads Hill.
Slater, Michael. Dickens on America and the Americans. University of Texas Press, 1978. Dickens highlights the notable differences between American and English factory workers.
Slater, Michael, ed. Dickens 1970: Centenary Essays. Stein, 1970. Addresses various topics including comedy, social change, and children's issues.
Storey, Graham, and Kathleen Tillotson, eds. The Letters of Charles Dickens Vol. Eight. Clarendon Press, 1995. Noteworthy for Dickens' 1858 admission of his failed marriage and his protection of the woman rumored to be his mistress, followed by his will mentioning only his family.
Ward, Adolphus William. Dickens. Harper, 1882. A generally favorable review with attention to Dickens' revised ending, which is considered less satisfying.
Wilson, Edmund. The Wound and the Bow: Seven Studies in Literature. Oxford University Press, 1947. In the essay "Dickens: The Two Scrooges," Wilson was among the first critics to emphasize Dickens as an artist and to link the darker themes in his novels to his personality and background.
Wilson, Angus. The World of Charles Dickens. Viking, 1970. Includes many illustrations and accessible text, featuring a description and illustration of the "Ragged Schools" (228-29).
Worth, George J. Great Expectations: An Annotated Bibliography. Garland, 1986. An essential resource directing students to various published materials on Great Expectations for studying the novel.
Bibliography
Hornback, Bert G. “Great Expectations”: A Novel of Friendship. Boston: Twayne, 1987. Helpful introduction to the novel’s historical context, guilt theme, point of view, and symbols and images. Includes chapters on Pip and Magwitch that focus on Pip’s moral education. Argues that the novel’s significance lies in its thesis that evil in society can be fought only by confronting it in the self. Includes an annotated bibliography.
Johnson, Edgar. Charles Dickens: His Tragedy and Triumph. 2 vols. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1952. A standard biography that includes a chapter on Great Expectations, which provides a succinct discussion of characters and of Dickens’ opinion that money and materialism are corrupting forces. Pip’s fortunes are related to key events in Dickens’ own life.
Miller, J. Hillis. Charles Dickens: The World of His Novels. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1958. Includes an essay that explores the themes of identity and self-discovery in Great Expectations and traces Pip’s development from childhood isolation and alienation to moral descent and eventual transformation through love.
Sadrin, Anny. “Great Expectations.” Boston: Unwin Hyman, 1988. A comprehensive handbook with good chapters on the composition, historical background, setting, and biographical elements in the story. Presents a psychological interpretation of characters that mainly conforms to standard views while drawing on some critical perspectives and language. Includes an extensive bibliography.
Van Ghent, Dorothy. “On Great Expectations.” In The English Novel: Form and Function. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1953. A groundbreaking essay that studies the themes of guilt and atonement in the context of a dehumanizing society.
Get Ahead with eNotes
Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.
Already a member? Log in here.