Charles Dickens
Great Expectations
Great Expectations
A true classic from Dickens which most will know the basic story as Magwitch and Miss Haversham have become near folklore not to mention Pip. Typically Dickens flips between pathos and humour indeed often within the same passage as he has a great way to meld differing emotions. However, overall the story is a very dark one with tinges of light at the edges but those are few. The tragedy of the main characters is especially dark with very little light this perhaps being Dickens' darkest novel. Others are pretty bleak (Bleak House!) but for me the personal tragedy of the main characters is darkest. My edition has the original ending which Dickens was advised was too bleak and I won't give a spoiler as to whether the revised ending is any better. Regardless of the ending(s) the tragedy is in the lost lives of the characters. Next I may try Pickwick Papers as apparently a comedy and also has descriptions of cricket, albeit apparently farcical.
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