Five things you must know when you reading about this story
1. Tea
2. Snow
3. Cats
4. The Wire
5. Great Expectations
Don't trust anyone who says that they do not like all of the above, for they are of dubious character and are probably plotting to kill you.
A lot of Charles Dickens' stories are now to some extent like folk or fairy tales; they have become embedded in our collective consciousness and even if one has never read the source material one could outline the plots and name the principle characters.
If this is the case with Great Expectations [and it is] why should you read it? Why afford it the time and effort it requires if you already know what is going to happen, if these characters are as familiar to you as your own genitals?
The answer: because Dickens was a tremendously skillful writer. No TV adaptation could convey the wit and charm of his prose. Furthermore, he understands humanity; his characters, although larger than life, speak with great insight and wisdom.
Moreover, for all the tiresome complaints about 'plausibility and unbelievable coincidences' [since when has literature been solely about gritty realism? This isn't the best film Oscar nominations] his novel is well-structured, fast-paced, and doesn't diminish in quality at any stage. Dickens has, to paraphrase dead rapper The Notorious BIG:
"Techniques dripping out his butt-cheeks."
There isn't a doubt in mind that this is the greatest British novel ever written (stop sulking Middlemarch, you're awesome too). Spellbinding.(less)
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