Introduction to Dickens, annotating Great Expectations, and breaking apart Dickensian sentence structure.
HW: Read chapter one of GE.

Those of you who did NOT turn in your papers, along with your annotated bibliographies, should do that today. Dis/lecture: What do we learn about Pip in chapter one? Where does the older Pip—our narrator—bleed through the plot, and what are his observations? Closing with Harper’s essay, “Why Dickens Matters.”
HW: Read chapter two. While reading, pay careful attention to Dickens’s observations: What does he say about his life’s path? What does he say about justice? What does he say about human nature when observing, as he does, about his sister, Mrs. Joe?

In which passages does Dickens express his view of life, justice, and human nature? After exploring your annotations, we will listen to chapter three together.
HW: Read chapter four. Pay attention to the guests at Christmas dinner. What impressions do you have, as a reader, of these individuals? How does Pip barely escape being caught for thieving household goods, as Dickens calls “wittles”?

After discussing annotations, we will listen to chapter five together. What do you make of the two convicts, and what importance should we impart to the one convict’s confession?
HW: Reading chapters six and seven.