Chasing the Impossible Dream

Pip chases this dream of being a gentleman and winning over a girl above his station. I see the romance but ultimately he doesn't find either love or happiness.

So is the lesson that chasing the impossible dream is foolish?
Or is it a noble goal even when it fails miserably?

And I guess in the end he's not miserable, he's still hopeful. It's unclear whether he or Estella will actually drift off into the sunset together, as he hopes, or that he will go back to confirmed bachelorhood possibly spending his middle age driving a flashy car, wearing gold chains, and having many but ultimately unsatisfying sexual encounters before dying alone in a big mansion speaking the nickname William Randolph Hearst gave his true love's naughty bits.

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Havisham, have two!

Oh man, where are the romantics anymore?

The story of Pip is not one of depression, but one of romance, of big dreams and broken hearts, but its not depressing, its beautiful.

I love Pip's journey and the beautiful Estella. I love the mind twist of who Estella is and where she came from.

I love the imagery of Miss Havisham in her faded wedding dress, alas, I can relate.

So many times in my life have I been derailed by my own Great Expectations, to watch Pip move in and out of his is cathartic.

I can't remember the exact line, but Pip tells Magwitch that he knows Estella, and that she is beautiful, the most beautiful.

I think that to me, Great Expecations is not about sadness, it is about hope and love and who we believe we are and who we really are. It is a story for romantics, for the good at heart. I mean, Pip definitely became better off than he was living at home with that horrible sister (no laughs there? None for you all?). He was elevated, his life did change, its just that his expecations weren't what he thought they were.

I love his good heart and his innocent beliefs.

I love Pip.

there's more ... myay!

now smuss it.

Mrs Joe versus Stewie

I think my low attention span did me in on this one.

I did the audiobook thing (unabridged so I can still say I read it) which had it's advantages with regard to pronunciations but did nothing to beef up the action. Plus you can't "skim."


I wish I could say this book made me wish to read all those classics I avoided in my misspent education but... not so much. By the end of the book I'd have liked to bring Pip either up or down "by hand."

However, there was one "hold on, rewind, what was that?" point in the book for me:

Chapter 4
I fully expected to find a Constable in the kitchen, waiting to take me up. But not only was there no Constable there, but no discovery had yet been made of the robbery. Mrs. Joe was prodigiously busy in getting the house ready for the festivities of the day, and Joe had been put upon the kitchen door-step to keep him out of the dust-pan - an article into which his destiny always led him sooner or later, when my sister was vigorously reaping the floors of her establishment.

"And where the deuce ha' you been?" was Mrs. Joe's Christmas salutation, when I and my conscience showed ourselves.

The catch phrase of my third favorite character in Family Guy (behind Brian and Lois, of course) is Dickensian? Perhaps even pre-Dickensian?



Stewie, I hardly knew ye.

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depresso

man. this book was fucking depressing, hixx. all i could keep thinking was, this is one of the more depressing books i've read. i think maybe only jude the obscure beats it. what is with these english cats? i meet them and they woo me with their english accents, but when they write, they've got me in a beat down. not to mention that i think one of the only other places i could live would be london, but i read this shit, and all my mind sees is gray, grey, gra/ey.

so, first thing. i want to know why this is your favorite or one of your favorite books, hixx. what gives?

okay. then who is your favorite character/s?

what do you think the lesson is that we're supposed to learn (if any)?

any favorite moment or scenes?

anything else you want to discuss, post it!

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you all have authorship privileges

i went and checked. you guys all are authors. which means you can post posts and we all can comment on them. we don't have to have convos in the comments ... that is, i don't have to be the only one to post and have convos in the comments. we can all post and have convos in the comments ... so. let's pip it up, shall we? who all read this?

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update

okay. i wanted to have great expectations read by 7/1/08. but i got completely swamped with all the work i had to do with my bid committee stuff. so, can we extend it until 7/15? that would be swell. thoughts?

also, margaret -- do you have any particular questions brewing to think about? i guess we can wait until people have finished.

more in a bit ... stay tuned.

there's more ... myay!

now smuss it.