قصة الكتاب :
Great Expectations is a 19th century work of fiction written by Charles Dickens. It first appeared serially in the periodical All The Year Round in 1860 and was subsequently published into a three-part novel in 1861 by Chapman and Hall. The story’s protagonist is Philip Pirrip, called ‘Pip’, an orphan who spends his younger years with his abusive sister and kind husband. The book is Dickens’ penultimate novel and has received both high praise and criticism. It remains one of his most celebrated works and is prominently noted for the Dickensian humor present in it at its best. The story unfolds in Kent and London. \r\n
\r\nThe book is considered a bildungsroman – a coming-of-age story, rich in imagery and popular for many of its unforgettable scenes, such as the graveyard encounter that young Pip has with Abel Magwitch, an escaped convict. This scene appears in the first part of the book, where Pip is being raised in the marshlands of Kent. Although Pip is afraid, he takes the risk of getting Magwitch some food and a file. Magwitch gets caught eventually along with another convict but doesn’t forget Pip. Pip is later sent to Ms. Havisham, a woman who is part-insane after being jilted at the altar by the man she loved. She raises Estella as a foster child, and plays a big part is moulding Estella’s emotional responses to men. Pip falls head over heels in love with Estella, who remains cold. This leads Pip to feel ashamed of his humble background and fuels his desire to make himself worthy of Estella’s admiration and affection. How Pip achieves this and what he encounters along the way is what the rest of the story is about. The plot throws surprises at every bend and intrigues the intelligence and imagination of the reader. Pip does make his way up the social ladder with the aide of a mysterious beneficiary, whose identity Pip thinks he knows throughout but is eventually shaken at discovering. \r\n
\r\nThe romance in the book is remembered for being one of the most interesting and layered ones the author has invented. Most of the book’s characters have been sketched so well and have entered popular culture, be it the eccentric Ms. Havisham, the cold Estella or the kind blacksmith Joe Gargery. The central themes of the revolve around wealth and poverty, love and rejection and the ultimate triumph of good over evil. Great Expectations has been translated into several languages and adapted numerous times into various media, including a Bollywood film.\r\n\r\n