Great Expectations
Charles Dickens · 1861 · Paper 1 Section B
Context
Published as a serial in 1860–61, the novel reflects Dickens's critique of mid-Victorian class snobbery, the criminal justice system, and the false equation of wealth with worth. Drawing on his own experiences of poverty and social aspiration, Dickens examines how the desire to rise in class can corrupt moral values and sever genuine human connections.