Great Expectations

The topic of this second term is Great Expectations, a novel written by Charles Dickens published in 1861. The story, set early to mid-1800s, of a young ‘common’ boy becoming a gentleman is a story I’ve been familiar with for several years.

I was first introduced to Great Expectations at GCSE level when a piece of coursework involved analysing the first chapter of the book, Magwich and Pip’s encounter. At this stage, I was given an in depth overview of the book and watched the 1974 film adaptation.

When it was revealed the Great Expectations would be the focus of this work brief, I refreshed my memory by re-reading the descriptive passages on the lead characters as well as watching the 2011 BBC 1 three-part series and the 2012 film adaptation starring Helena Bonham Carter. As an additional refresher, I read spark notes, suggested by my course leader, which I found to be a very useful reminder of the story.

Great Expectations is a classic and I love the diversity of the characters and the plot twists. I also find it so insightful to read 150 years later and learn about the class system in the nineteenth century.

The characters I am focusing on for this brief are Miss Havisham and Estella. These are undoubtedly my top two favourite characters.  I like to think of them as the bitter duo of the story, their relationship within the story is quite riveting.

Following this post I plan on writing blog posts on these characters individually, detailing their traits, backgrounds and appearances. From this I intend to research extensively and use my findings to create period design plans, looks for both Miss Havisham and Estella.

This will lead me into the eventual creation of the look on a model which must then be recreated two weeks later to test my ability to adhere to continuity.