Great Expectations
A prime example of the Bildungsroman novel
ECP Senior Connections
– Monaghan
Reading Journals
Each day that we discuss reading, five students will be responsible for presenting their analysis of the assigned reading. Each student must comment on the use of voice (see description below), genre and subgenre (see below), literary devices (analyze the use of at least one), and literary criticism (see below – analyze the assigned reading from one of the perspectives listed).
It may be helpful to write your reading journal as a response to these questions:
1. How is voice used in this section? How does it affect the reader when we hear from Pip or the
Narrator? How does humor impact the story in this section?
2. What genres are present in this section? Cite examples and explain what effect you think it has the story in this section.
3. What literary devices are used and how do they affect our understanding of the story?
4. What type of literary criticism would be best to use in analyzing this section? Why?
These reading journals must be prepared by each student for each assigned section of reading. A schedule will be provided. These journals will be 20 points apiece in the Drafts & Homework category and the presentation of analysis will be 25 points in the Participation & Discussion category. If you are absent the day of your assigned analysis presentation, you must present on the next section of assigned reading.
Reading Journal
20 points = complete (voice, genre and sub-genre, literary devices, and literary criticism), accurate and insightful; well-written and neat
15 points = missing one of the above elements; small inaccuracies
10 points = missing two of the above elements; misinterpretations are serious
5 points = some effort made
Analysis Presentation
25 points = complete (voice, genre and sub-genre, literary devices, and literary criticism), accurate and insightful; eloquent
20 points = missing one of the above elements; informal but acceptable
15 points = missing two of the above elements; too informal
10 points = some effort made
Please speak with me the day before your assigned analysis presentation to be sure that you are on the right track.
Voice
In Great Expectations, the development of the protagonist (Pip) is shown through plot as well as through an inventive use of narration and voice. Pip has two roles: he is both the protagonist (the child who grows up in the novel and knows nothing of his own future) and the narrator (the adult Pip who can speak with the knowledge of the pas t as he narrates). We will differentiate them as the “Narrator” and “Pip”.
 As you read, mark places in which the Narrator tells the story with a voice that Pip couldn’t provide due to his age, educational status, current place in life, and/or lack of knowledge of the future.
Sub-genres
Great Expectations is a medley of sub-genres as well as being a prime example of the bildungsroman genre.
As you read, mark places in which you see elements of the following genres:
 Satire - humorously criticizing society

crime and detection novel (detective novel) - solving mysteries, dealing with crime and criminals
 anti-high society novel (social criticism) - commenting on the bankrupt values of people in high places

gothic horror novel - using monstrous and grotesque characters and settings as a metaphor for the irrationality of humans
 serial fiction - novels designed to be published a section at a time – they share elements of soap operas like story lines that carry over from one section to another to build suspense
 romance - tales of love lost and gained, romance novels assume that experiencing intense emotions like love is the goal of life
 parable (novel-with-a-purpose) - these novels put forth an agenda - what does Dickens want you to believe after reading this book?

Literary Devices
Great Expectations employs many literary devices, but here are some of the most significant ones that
Dickens uses to tell his tale.
 Doppelganger
– an alter ego, usually a character in a similar position who behaves differently.
Great Expectations has two major sets of doppelgangers and several minor ones. Mark places in the text where you see the use of a doppelganger.
 Setting – the physical (England), social (working, middle, and upper classes), and historical
(Victorian era) settings mandate certain character types, plot devices, word choice, and style.
Mark places in the text where it seems that the setting is exerting a lot of influence on the book.
 Symbols and metaphors – the book is filled with symbols and metaphors, some simple and some obscure. Mark places where objects, actions, or people seem to be representing an idea
Dickens wants us to see.
Schools of Criticism
Think about the following questions as you read. We will discuss them along the way and at the very end of the book. You will pick a school of criticism through which to examine the book in a presentation or paper.

Gender-based criticism (aka feminist criticism)
Gender-based literary criticism looks at the roles that the two genders play in the real world and uses these roles as a lens through which to read literature. What does Dickens think the proper roles of men and women are? What happens when men or women violate these roles? What would a feminist say about Dickens’ views? What would a traditional masculinist say about these views? What do you say about these views?
 Class-based criticism (aka Marxist criticism)
Class-based criticism looks at the interaction of social-economic classes in the real world and applies the roles that different classes play to the study of literature. It assumes that classes seek to oppress each other. What classes do you think Dickens admires and which does he dislike?
NOTE: Both class-based and gender-based schools of criticism focus on the differences in power between groups. Some literary critics examine these more general power relationships in literature. From your own experience, what gives people power? Why do others lack power? What is the moral way to use power?
Which characters in Great Expectations have power and which don’t? Why? What message does this send about society?
 Historically-based criticism (aka New Historicism)
Historically-based criticism seeks to understand literature in terms of the social, political, and economic setting it was produced in and intended for. It examines the social and economic setting of the author and the audience. Do a little research on Dickens’ personal history. What personal and national events shaped his viewpoint? Who do you think Dickens’ audience was? What ideas/prejudices/interests did they bring to the table that would influence their understanding of the book?