Great Expectations is a novel by Charles Dickens, first published in installments in a weekly magazine edited by Dickens and then in book form in 1861. It follows an orphan, Pip, who grows up in the Kent marshes and comes into a mysterious fortune that lets him become a gentleman in London. He is shaped by the embittered Miss Havisham, her proud ward Estella and the convict Magwitch, whom he once helped. The novel deals with class, guilt, ambition and the difference between moral worth and social position. It is among Dickens's most acclaimed books, and has been adapted many times for film and television.
Before and after
- 16 February 1861Earthquake in Lagundi, Simuk, Tello I, Indonesia
- 26 February 1861Death of Taras Shevchenko
- 3 March 1861Tsar Alexander II emancipates the Russian serfs
- from 17 March 1861 to 18 June 1946Kingdom of Italy
- 23 March 1861Publication of Great Expectations
- 10 April 1861Founding of Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- from 12 April 1861 to 9 April 1865American Civil War
- 7 May 1861Birth of Rabindranath Tagore
- 19 June 1861Birth of José Rizal
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The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.