| Author: | Charles Dickens | ISBN: | 1230000107765 |
| Publisher: | Greenhouse Classics | Publication: | February 17, 2013 |
| Imprint: | Language: | English |
| Author: | Charles Dickens |
| ISBN: | 1230000107765 |
| Publisher: | Greenhouse Classics |
| Publication: | February 17, 2013 |
| Imprint: | |
| Language: | English |
As the Old Curiosity Shop grew out of a short story which Charles Dickens had begun with the half-formed notion of Little Nell and the Grandfather in his mind, so Great Expectations arose out of similarly modest beginnings. In 1860 he wrote to Mr. Forster, " for a little piece I have been writing—or am writing; for I hope to finish it to-day—such a very fine, new, and grotesque idea has opened upon me, that I begin to doubt whether I had not better cancel the little paper, and reserve the notion for a new book. You shall judge as soon as I get it printed. But it so opens out before me, that I can see the whole of a serial revolving on it in a most singular and comic manner." Out of the idea here spoken of came Pip, and Magwitch, and Joe Gargery, and all their surroundings.
Owing to the want of public appreciation of a story of Charles Lever's— "A Day's Ride ; A Life's Romance " it was called —which was running at this time in All the Year Round ; and which was, indeed, quite unworthy of its author's reputation and powers, it was felt that, in the interests of the Journal, it was necessary that some energetic step should be taken to retrieve the ground that was being lost. Further consideration made it clear that it was most desirable that the Editor should come to the rescue with a story of his own ; and he accordingly abandoned the intention of working the " idea " above mentioned into a serial of the usual twenty-part length, and decided to use it for a shorter story to run through some thirty numbers of All the Year Round.
As the Old Curiosity Shop grew out of a short story which Charles Dickens had begun with the half-formed notion of Little Nell and the Grandfather in his mind, so Great Expectations arose out of similarly modest beginnings. In 1860 he wrote to Mr. Forster, " for a little piece I have been writing—or am writing; for I hope to finish it to-day—such a very fine, new, and grotesque idea has opened upon me, that I begin to doubt whether I had not better cancel the little paper, and reserve the notion for a new book. You shall judge as soon as I get it printed. But it so opens out before me, that I can see the whole of a serial revolving on it in a most singular and comic manner." Out of the idea here spoken of came Pip, and Magwitch, and Joe Gargery, and all their surroundings.
Owing to the want of public appreciation of a story of Charles Lever's— "A Day's Ride ; A Life's Romance " it was called —which was running at this time in All the Year Round ; and which was, indeed, quite unworthy of its author's reputation and powers, it was felt that, in the interests of the Journal, it was necessary that some energetic step should be taken to retrieve the ground that was being lost. Further consideration made it clear that it was most desirable that the Editor should come to the rescue with a story of his own ; and he accordingly abandoned the intention of working the " idea " above mentioned into a serial of the usual twenty-part length, and decided to use it for a shorter story to run through some thirty numbers of All the Year Round.
