Great Expectations: Context

Historical Context

Great Expectations, published in 1861, is set in early Victorian England. This was a time of great social change.
The industrial revolution led to rapid urban growth and a rising middle class, challenging the traditional class system.
The legal system was harsh with those who broke the law, often leading to deportation to the penal colonies in Australia, where Abel Magwitch was sent.

Influence on Dickens

Much like Pip, Dickens was sent out to work at a factory as a child after his father was imprisoned for debt, reflecting the harsh realities of Victorian society.
Dickens grew up in a time where there was no compulsory education, and children could be made to work from a very young age, as depicted in the treatment of Joe Gargery.
The themes of social mobility, wealth and status likely stem from Dickens’s own life experiences. He knew what it felt like to be poor and the challenges that come with making your way up in society.

The Bildungsroman Genre

Great Expectations is an example of a Bildungsroman, a narrative that tracks the moral and psychological growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood.
The theme of self-improvement is prominent in Dickens’s work, reflecting the increasing possibility of social mobility in Victorian society.
Although Pip’s attempts at becoming a gentleman are often misguided and self-serving, his eventual realisation of love and kindness as true values reflects the evolution expected in Bildungsroman literature.

Narrative Style

Great Expectations is a first-person narrative, told from Pip’s point of view. It employs a retrospective narrative style in which adult Pip reflects on his past.
This narrative choice allows for personal progression and self-reflection, providing a mature perspective on earlier actions and events.
The use of Pip’s voice adds authenticity to his character development and allows readers to see his flaws, growth, and eventual self-realisation in a more personal and understandable manner.

Victorian Society

Dickens’s fiction often explores social class and mobility, a main concern during the Victorian era.
Pip’s desire to rise above his lowly station in life serves as a critique of a society where wealth and status were prioritised over kindness and compassion.
Miss Havisham and Estella, though wealthy, are depicted as emotionally barren and unable to experience true joy, providing a critique of upper-class society.