Great Expectations Study Guide

Study Guide

How to Use This Study Guide Book-It Repertory Theatre closely aligns its performances and learning materials with research-based reading instruction. The purpose of this study guide is to build background knowledge and facilitate self-to-text and text-to-world connections that support the comprehension of Great Expectations.

Build Background Knowledge about...

The Author – Read a biography of Charles Dickens The Book-It Style – See adaptation in action through a side-by-side comparison of the novel and Book-It’s adaptation

The Novel – Read an introductory summary The World of the Play – Meet key characters and learn about their historical context through “Character Pages”

Suggestions on how to prepare students for the production of Great Expectations: • Students work in “Character Page” groups to study individual characters, and then report what they’ve learned to the rest of the class.

• Students individually review all “Character Pages” or select one that interests them the most.

• Review the Book-It Style with the whole class. Maybe have students try their hand at adaptation with the text that is provided, then compare to the Book-It version.

Conceptualized by Jessica Baloun Content by Josh Aaseng, Jessica Baloun, Avital Schoenberg, Gail Sehlhorst, and Colin Wallace Design by Jessica Baloun and Shannon Erickson Study Guide © 2010-11 Book-It All Over. No parts of this guide may be reproduced without express permission.

Table of Contents

Introduction to Charles Dickens and Great Expectations Expectations of a Book-It Style Show Character Pages: Expectations of a...

...Child – Meet Pip

...Tradesman – Meet Joe

...Landowner – Meet Miss Havisham

...Young Woman – Meet Estella and Biddy

...Convict – Meet Magwitch

Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8

About Charles Dickens

Born on February 7, 1812 to a Naval Pay Office clerk, Dickens spent his early years in London, a period of his life he would later describe as idyllic. His childhood came to an abrupt end, however when his family found themselves in debtor’s prison in 1824. At the age of 12, Dickens was sent to work twelve-hour days at a shoe polish factory to earn extra money for his family. The harsh working conditions made a lasting impression on the young Dickens, undoubtedly shaping his convictions on social reform, status, and the corruption of innocence – prevalent themes in his writing.

In 1829, Dickens first tried his hand at writing as a free-lance reporter at Doctor’s Commons Courts, eventually finding steady work at a newspaper. Dickens’ first published collection, Sketches by Boz, was a set of periodical sketches, the success of which led to the serialization of his first novel, The Pickwick Papers.

Released in monthly, two-chapter installments, The Pickwick Papers was unprecedentedly popular, a publishing phenomenon, and it launched Dickens’ literary career.

Most of Dickens’ works, including Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Hard Times, Little Dorrit, A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectations, were published serially, explaining Dickens’ tendency towards cliff-hanger chapter endings. Sudden plot twists and suspenseful foreshadowing ensured his audience would continue to subscribe. Great Expectations, Dickens’ thirteenth novel, was published weekly in the magazine All the Year Round from 1860-1861.

At the age of 24, he married Catherine Hogarth and together they had ten children, but separated in 1858 due to, as Dickens himself described, being “temperamentally unsuited” for one another. Although charismatic and successful, Dickens is believed to have had an insecure and difficult personality.

Over the course of his life, Dickens boasted a highly prolific career, writing over 25 books, managing a theatrical company, traveling internationally, and attending scores of public readings, a demanding schedule that eventually took a toll on his physical well-being. As his health deteriorated, and against his doctor’s advice, Dickens maintained his productive fervor until he died from a stroke on June 9, 1870.

About “Great Expectations”

A terrifying graveyard encounter with an escaped convict; a summons to meet the bitter, decaying Miss Havisham and her beautiful, cold-hearted ward Estella; the sudden generosity of an unknown benefactor— this series of events changes Expectation (n) the orphaned Pip’s life forever, 1. anticipation of something happening: and he eagerly flees his humble

a confident belief or strong hope that a particular event will happen origins in favor of a new life as 2. notion of something: a gentleman in London.

a mental image of something expected, often compared to its reality Dickens’ haunting late novel 3. property and money to be inherited: depicts Pip’s education and

a person’s likely prospects of wealth or success in the future, development through adversity

especially of inheriting money under somebody’s will as he discovers that having “expectations” is a double- Sources: http://charlesdickenspage.com/expectations.html

edged sword. http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/dickens/dickensbio1.html

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Expectations... of a Book-It Style Show Welcome to Book-It Repertory Theatre

Book-It creates world-premeire adaptations of classic and

contemporary literature for the stage, preserving the narrative text as it is spoken, not by a single “narrator” but as dialogue by the characters in the production. This technique was developed over the last 20 years and continues to be developed by Book-It artists led by Founding Co-Artistic Directors, Jane Jones and Myra Platt. Performing books instead of plays allows the Book-It theatre experience to spark the audience’s interest in reading and to challenge the audience to participate by using their imaginations.

Original text from Great Expectations, Chapter 8: “Who is it?” said the lady at the table.

“Pip, ma’am.”

“Pip?” “Mr. Pumblechook’s boy, ma’am. Come – to play.”

“Come nearer; let me look at you. Come close.”

It was when I stood before her, avoiding her eyes, that I took note of the surrounding objects in detail, and saw that a clock in the room had stopped at twenty minutes to nine.

“Look at me,” said Miss Havisham.

“You are not afraid of a woman who has never seen the sun since you were born?”

I regret to state that I was not afraid of telling the enormous lie comprehended in the answer “No.”

Connor Toms and Peter Crook in The Cider House Rules, Part I: Here in St. Clouds, 2010.

Photo by Adam Smith.

Book-It’s adaptation of the same scene: MISS HAVISHAM Who is it?

PIP Pip, ma’am. Come - to play.

MISS HAVISHAM Come nearer; let me look at you. Come close.

PIP It was when I stood before her, MISS HAVISHAM avoiding her eyes PIP that I saw a clock in the room had stopped at twenty minutes to nine.

MISS HAVISHAM Look at me. You are not afraid of a woman who has never seen the sun since you were born?

PIP (lying) No.

Consider Your Expectations How does the adaptation compare with the original?

What do you expect the experience of seeing a Book-It Style show to be like?

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Expectations...

of a Child Meet Pip

“And the whole world lay spread before me.”

Brought Up By Hand

As an orphan, Pip was not able to be nursed by his mother so his sister had to bottle-feed him – or “bring him up by hand.” The already-high infant mortality rate was much higher for children who were raised in this way, so the fact that Mrs. Joe was able to do it successfully is a testament to the excellence of her care. Pip’s success in being brought up by hand distinguishes him as a plucky young person – one could certainly conclude there is something special about the only one of six brothers to survive.

“Play, play, play!”

Children’s playfulness was still regarded by many adults of the time as wayward and sinful behavior. A proper upbringing required one to steer children from their idle and sensual desires. Corporal punishment was used often not only to punish misdoing and warn of danger, but also to aid in the development of an adult conscience. Dickens was one of the first writers to depict children as having a cherished innocence and complex thoughts interesting enough to be captured in writing.

“Joe’s ‘prentice”

Dickens gained his appreciation of the value of an innocent and playful childhood through the loss of his own. At the age of twelve, he was required to work in a shoe polish factory to pay off debt his father had accrued, which had landed him in debtor’s prison. This practice was actually fairly common – from very early on, children were expected to be bread-winners in their households by working or becoming apprentices.

As a young boy, Pip aspired to be Joe’s apprentice and learn the trade of blacksmithing. Apprenticeship bound a minor for five to nine years to the master craftsman of a guild – the organization responsible for a particular trade. After this period he would be able to set up business on his own or go into partnership with his former master.

Artist’s deptiction of young Dickens at the shoe polish warehouse

Consider Your Expectations So, we don’t spend our childhoods as apprentices or factory workers – but in what ways are kids today expected to grow up quickly?

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Expectations...

of a Tradesman Meet Joe

“Just think, Pip old chap, when you’re apprenticed to me

regularly bound, what larks!”

Working Class

A blacksmith by trade, Joe Gargery, Pip’s brother-in-law, is a member of the working class. At this time it was considered improper to be “in trade,” that is to accept money from people for services rendered, especially if such work involved manual labor. The need to work was associated with the lower class.

Even though Joe is a highly skilled artisan, his trade and his coarse hands forever mark him as a man of low station in society.

Nevertheless, even in a small village a talented blacksmith could expect to earn a decent living of about £52 to £63 a year (over £40,000 in modern day).

Apprenticeship

Occupations that existed before 1593, such as blacksmiths, shoemakers, and lawyers, required a seven-year apprenticeship to ensure that artisans learned their crafts comprehensively before they could legally start their own businesses. The average apprenticeship began when a boy was fourteen.

Not every boy could afford to be apprenticed – the parents of the youth were required to pay the master a premium as compensation for agreeing to train him. If a boy was very poor and did not have a guardian willing to train him for free, he risked ending up in a cruel trade such as chimney sweeping.

Because Joe is Pip’s guardian as well as his future master, there is no expectation of a premium from Pip. The fact that Pip is able to become an apprentice without being able to supply a premium makes his situation exceptional.

Dickens and the Industrial Revolution

As the 19th century wore on, the Industrial Revolution shifted the production of goods from individual artisans to factories. As trades such as blacksmithing became increasingly irrelevant, the apprenticeship system grew obsolete.

By the time Dickens started writing Great Expectations, the industrial revolution was in full swing.

In 1820, 28 percent of the workforce was in manufacturing; by 1860, the year in which Great Expectations was published, 41 percent of the workforce was in manufacturing. The choice to make Joe a blacksmith shows a nostalgia for a world of craftsmanship that was then becoming defunct. Dickens closely links Joe’s honesty and integrity to him performing a trade that requires him to work with his hands, “there at the old anvil, in the old burnt apron, sticking to the old work” (Chapter 27).

Consider Your Expectations Dickens watched professions such as blacksmithing become obsolete.

What professions do you think might become obsolete during your lifetime?

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Expectations... of a Landowner Meet Miss Havisham

“The next morning we came to the great iron gate before Miss

Havisham’s house, which was of old brick, and dismal and had a great many iron bars to it.”

Landed Gentry

English society was divided into very rigid classes. The higher classes, often referred to as the landed gentry, had two things going for them – land and lineage. The right to vote, as well as the potential of attaining a title and joining the peerage, all depended on what one owned and from whom it had been passed down. Titles passed down from generation to generation, but one could not have a title until one owned land. It is Miss Havisham’s ownership of land (exceedingly exceptional for a woman) that enables her to exist on her own as a person of wealth in a man’s world.

Satis House

Miss Havisham’s estate is known as Satis House – Latin for “enough.” It is a former manor house, a remnant of feudal times when manors were a division of land under the jurisdiction of a lord. Manor houses, many of which remain, were the lords’ residences. Typically, land was passed from generation to generation, to the nearest male heir. Satis House, on the other hand, is owned not only by a woman, but a brewer’s daughter.

Once grand, Satis House has fallen into disrepair, along with Miss Havisham herself. She shuts herself up in her rooms and doesn’t look upon the light of day. The former prestige of her estate allows readers to perceive this behavior as mysterious rather than mad.

Map of English Society in 1814

Highest Orders

royal family, lords, great officers of state, peers above the degree of baronet

Second Class Third Class

baronets, knights, country gentlemen clergy, doctors, merchants and manufacturers on a large scale, bankers Fourth Class lesser clergy, doctors, lawyers, teachers, ship owners, merchants and manufacturers of the second class, shopkeepers, artists, builders, mechanics Fifth Class lesser freeholders, shopkeepers, innkeepers, publicans Sixth Class working mechanics, artists, craftsmen, agricultural laborers Seventh Class paupers, vagrants, gypsies, idle persons supported by criminal activity Army and Navy officers, soldiers, seamen, marines, pensioners

A Mysterious Benefactor

Once Pip discovers that he has a benefactor, he develops great financial “expectations.” He will come into an annuity once he comes of age and also inherit property that gives him status as a landed gentleman. Receiving expectations from a benefactor was the only way someone like Pip could be accepted into high society, as relying on liquid assets – “new money” – was frowned upon. If Pip has any hope of becoming a gentleman worthy of Estella’s love, he must expect that Miss Havisham’s money and property will be conferred upon him.

Consider Your Expectations In the world of the story, land ownership clearly distinguishes gentlemen and ladies from the rest of society. What are some indicators of status in our culture?

Where might you or your family fit on the chart above, and why?

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Expectations... of a Young Woman Meet Estella

“You must know that I have no heart.”

Elegance and Refinement… and Marriage

As a young lady, Estella would be trained in painting, drawing, fancy needlework, dancing, and music. She would also have lessons in deportment – how to carry herself and how to be behave in polite society. A young lady’s education would be geared primarily towards the purpose of cultivating her for a good match. Elegance and refinement were the primary goals of all education, and very little focus was placed on education of the mind.

Because women in general were unable to hold property, it was essential to her financial security that a woman marry.

Women of the upper class were either educated at home by a governess or sent away to boarding school or young ladies’ seminary – as Estella was – from around age ten until they were ready to debut in society at around eighteen. Once a woman came out into society it was hoped that she would soon marry a man of property. To be a spinster ensured humiliation and, in most cases, financial ruin.

Meet Biddy

“Don’t you think you’re happier as you are? ” Domestic Service… and Marriage

Despite the universal understanding that a woman’s place was to be in the home, many women worked for a living whether they like it or not. Domestic service was a very common form of employment – serving in upper class households, doing laundry, or mending clothes. It was desirable at the time, however, for most servants to be young, and even if a girl was able to secure gainful employment in a wealthy household, her salary would decrease as she aged. Marriage was absolutely necessary in order to have any social standing or security. Women worked hard alongside their husbands, often aiding in their work in addition to being responsible for all housekeeping, shopping, cooking and child-rearing.

Consider Your Expectations Young ladies like Estella were formally educated until the age of eighteen – just like typical American high school students. How does Estella’s education compare to yours? How do her expectations after the age of eighteen compare to yours?

For women in Victorian England, marriage was essentially the only means for social and finanical stability. In what ways has marriage changed? Stayed the same?

Brainstorm reasons a couple today might choose to marry – or not to.

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Expectations...

of a Convict Meet Magwitch

“You get me a file. And you get me vittles. You bring ‘em both to me here, or I’ll have your heart and liver out!”

The Hulks

When the jails on land were too crowded, excess prisoners were placed in old ships moored along the River Thames. Though this was originally intended as a temporary measure, use of the Hulks lasted until mid-19th century.

Life in the Hulks was not pleasant. The prisoners carried out nine hours of hard labor a day in the dockyard, building and painting ships and dredging the river. They were only allowed to earn wages for their work after two years of good behavior. Because the men lived in close quarters, diseases spread quickly, and most ships had a 30 percent mortality rate.

Sent to Australia

19th century prison ship. www.victorianlondon.org

In 1788, England found a more permanent solution by transporting convicts to the Australian colony of New South Wales. The first batch that year carried one thousand prisoners. Over the next eighty years, 163,021 persons were transported to Australia, including many women and children.

Once they arrived, convicts were split into three work groups: servants, laborers, and mechanics (skilled labor). Unskilled laborers, like Abel Magwitch, were mostly assigned to agricultural work, such as sheep herding. Though life for convicts could be harsh, an agricultural laborer was often treated better in Australia than he would have been as a free man doing the same job in his native England.

Ticket-of-Leave

With good behavior, even a convict sent for life could obtain a probationary “ticket-of-leave” after eight years. Freed convicts who wished to settle down in Australia permanently were allotted small plots of land. Many former convicts continued to raise sheep upon their release, and found success thanks to their years of experience in the field. In Australia, the entrenched class divisions of England were less severe, and lower-class men could become respectable in their adopted communities. Nevertheless, no matter how successful a freed convict became in Australia, return to England was punishable by death until the 1830s.

Consider Your Expectations How does the practice of exiling convicts compare with the penal system in the United States today?

What is the purpose of imprisonment – Punishment? Separation from society? Rehabilitation?

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