Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

 Hmm...

I just don't know about this one. I think I may have to turn my English degree back in because I just didn't click with Great Expectations. I'm not sure what went wrong here.  I count Charles Dickens among my favorite authors, I love reading classics, and I especially love the literature of the Victorian time period.  Many people claim that Great Expectations is Dickens' best novel. Why wasn't I wowed by the adventures of Pip?

Rather than follow my usual Dickens MO of falling in love with the cast of quirky characters in this book, I found myself bored while reading.  My mind wandered. I struggled to focus and I took forever to finish the book.  I disappointed myself with my own lack of enthusiasm.  All in all, this was a slog of a read, and I feel embarrassed to say that.

Maybe it was the plot that failed to woo me.  Great Expectations tells the life story of Pip, a young orphan being raised "by hand" by his tyrannical sister and her kindhearted husband, Joe. His young life is rather modest and dreary, but it is occasionally punctuated by adventures, like when he unwittingly gets drawn into assisting in the escape of a convict, and when he is called upon to keep Miss Havisham, an eccentric jilted bride, company. Pip, although born with nothing to his name, longs to be a real gentleman, and his wish is eventually granted by a mysterious benefactor that finances his education and pays his living expenses under the condition that Pip doesn't try to find out who he is.

Of course, Pip eventually realizes that wealth and class are not all that they appear to be.  He becomes ashamed of his new extravagant lifestyle and the way he forgets his old family and friends. When his mysterious benefactor is finally revealed, everything turns on its head and Pip must find a way to sort out his problems and become a person he can be proud of again.  Pip tells his own story in his own words, and speaks directly to the reader at times.

I found the beginning and the end of this narrative easier to make my way through than the middle, which I felt dragged. The story was meant to read like a soap opera, with surprise coincidences and little twists along the way, but I was never able to truly get invested in the plot.  I felt disconnected and kept forgetting character names and little events from the past, not a good thing in a story where everyone/everything, however seemingly unimportant, returns to the story at one point or another. 

Despite my negative tone here, I didn't hate this novel. It was mildly enjoyable.  It's just that I was expecting to LOVE it.  It was definitely full of Dickens' trademark wit and charm, and there were moments where I laughed at the smart sarcasm in Pip's narration, but these moments didn't come along as often as I'd like.  I also found myself frequently confused at many of the allusions in the text.  I don't know a lot about the restaurants, plays and hotels of Victorian England, so I felt like I was missing out on a lot of rich detail throughout my reading.  

Many of the characters were difficult to like as well.  Pip, by his own admission, behaves quite thoughtlessly throughout most of the novel and his growth, when it does arrive, feels a bit hollow. His feelings regarding some of the other characters, especially Estella and Magwitch, were extremely difficult for me to understand.  I struggled to relate, which made the interactions between these characters feel less than genuine. 

The main romantic interest in the story, Estella, wasn't fun to read.  She existed only to torment Pip throughout most of the novel, and her flatness bugged me. I know that well-developed female characters aren't exactly a hallmark of Dickens' writing, but Estella embodied all of the worst stereotypes assigned to females and her presence (and Pip's never-ending fascination with her) grew tiring. It's a shame too, because her background had such potential.  She was a tool hand-crafted by Miss Havisham to wreak revenge on men.  There could have been a lot of fun there, but instead she was arrogant and annoying in all her scenes.  It felt like a waste.

That being said, Miss Havisham was an amazing character.  The jilted bride, moldering away in her old wedding dress and raising up an adopted daughter to be a blight on men was so odd and creative that I couldn't help but like the character.  Miss Havisham is one of the most famous characters in all of literature - even those who haven't read Great Expectations have heard of her.  She was definitely a bright spot in what was, unfortunately, a bit of a dull read for me. I am glad I read this novel, if only to get to meet her.

Ultimately, I'm uneasy with my feelings about Great Expectations. I don't understand why I didn't fall under its spell, the way so many other readers have. I know that not every person can like every book, but this is the sort of novel I should have loved. Huh.

At least I can say now that I've given it a shot and expanded my knowledge of Dickens' cannon. There are a lot more works by Charles Dickens that I haven't read yet, so I'm far from finished with this man.  Hopefully I'll find more favorites from him in the future.