First published in serial form between 1860 and 1861, ‘Great Expectations’ follows Philip Pirrip, known as Pip, an orphan raised by his harsh sister and her gentle blacksmith husband, Joe Gargery. Pip’s early life is modest, frightening and emotionally starved, but Joe offers him a form of love that is steady, humble and deeply moral. Then Pip meets Miss Havisham, the wealthy recluse frozen in bridal grief, and her adopted daughter Estella, who is raised to break men’s hearts. From that moment, Pip begins to feel that his old life is not merely poor but embarrassing.
