Book Anatomy · Great Expectations
Great Expectations: Setting and world
13 lenses on setting and world for Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. Count lenses are exact for our text. AI lenses are our reading and cite only quotes that passed a word for word check.
Jump to: I1 I2 I3 I4 I5 I6 I7 I8 I9 I10 I11 I12 I13
I1. Places named and how often each appears. Count
London is the place named most, 79 times.
| Place | Mentions | Chapters |
|---|---|---|
| London | 79 | 30 |
| the forge | 41 | 23 |
| the marshes | 37 | 18 |
| the village | 20 | 12 |
| the churchyard | 18 | 11 |
| Richmond | 14 | 5 |
| Mill Pond Bank | 12 | 6 |
| Satis House | 8 | 6 |
| the Thames | 3 | 3 |
| Newgate prison | 2 | 2 |
I2. Setting by chapter, as a map. Both
The place named most in each chapter. A rough setting map. (rough estimate from word lists)
| Chapter | Place named most |
|---|---|
| 1 | the marshes |
| 2 | the churchyard |
| 3 | the marshes |
| 4 | |
| 5 | the marshes |
| 6 | the forge |
| 7 | the forge |
| 8 | |
| 9 | the forge |
| 10 | the marshes |
| 11 | the marshes |
| 12 | the forge |
| 13 | the forge |
| 14 | the forge |
Settings progress from village marshes (chapters 1 to 19) to London (chapters 20 to 56) to village again (chapters 57 to 59). Each location marks a stage: innocence, ambition, ruin, redemption. Movement between them tracks Pip's moral journey.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 7, Ch 18, Ch 20, Ch 39, Ch 57
And the mists had all solemnly risen now, and the world lay spread before me. (Ch 19, para 110)
We entered this haven through a wicket-gate, and were disgorged by an introductory passage into a melancholy little square that looked to me like a flat burying-ground. (Ch 21, para 21)
There, smoking his pipe in the old place by the kitchen firelight, as hale and as strong as ever, though a little grey, sat Joe (Ch 59, para 1)
I3. Setting shown in blocks or woven into action? AI
Setting is woven into action rather than delivered in blocks. Pip's observations of places emerge as he moves through them. Miss Havisham's house is revealed room by room as Pip explores it, not described upfront.
Chapters: Ch 8, Ch 11, Ch 20, Ch 21, Ch 25
She was dressed in rich materials,—satins, and lace, and silks,—all of white. (Ch 8, para 32)
I saw that the bride within the bridal dress had withered like the dress, and like the flowers, and had no brightness left but the brightness of her sunken eyes. (Ch 8, para 33)
We entered this haven through a wicket-gate, and were disgorged by an introductory passage into a melancholy little square that looked to me like a flat burying-ground. (Ch 21, para 21)
I4. Weather and light used for mood. Both
Weather and light words: 1.15 per 1,000 words.
Weather and light words, chapter by chapter
Weather and light carry emotional weight. Mist obscures truth at beginning and end (chapters 1, 59). Darkness accompanies fear and guilt (chapters 2 to 3, 39). Fire marks transformation and destruction (chapter 49). Fog symbolises uncertainty throughout.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 39, Ch 49, Ch 59
Then I put the fastenings as I had found them, opened the door at which I had entered when I ran home last night, shut it, and ran for the misty marshes. (Ch 2, para 64)
It was a rimy morning, and very damp. I had seen the damp lying on the outside of my little window, as if some goblin had been crying there all night, and using the window for a pocket-handkerchief. (Ch 3, para 1)
And the mists had all solemnly risen now, and the world lay spread before me. (Ch 19, para 110)
I5. The social world: class, money, rules. AI
Class anxiety drives the plot. Pip's shame about his common origins (chapters 8 to 14) and his pursuit of gentility shape his choices. Money and status determine worth in the world Dickens shows, though the book questions this equation.
Chapters: Ch 8, Ch 9, Ch 12, Ch 14, Ch 17, Ch 27
it was not for me to tell him that he looked far better in his working-dress (Ch 13, para 1)
I am afraid I was ashamed of the dear good fellow,—I know I was ashamed of him (Ch 13, para 18)
It is a most miserable thing to feel ashamed of home. (Ch 14, para 1)
I6. Rules of the world (magic, science) and when each is shown. AI
The world operates by social and legal rules, not magic or science. The convict system, apprenticeship law, and inheritance customs are real. Jaggers's power comes from knowledge of the law, not supernatural ability.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 5, Ch 13, Ch 18, Ch 20, Ch 42
I7. Lore: dripped in or dumped? AI
Lore is dripped in through dialogue and observation rather than dumped. Pip learns about Miss Havisham's past from Herbert (chapter 22), about Magwitch's history through his own account (chapter 42), about Estella's parentage through deduction (chapters 48 to 51).
Chapters: Ch 22, Ch 42, Ch 48, Ch 49, Ch 50, Ch 51
There appeared upon the scene—say at the races, or the public balls, or anywhere else you like—a certain man, who made love to Miss Havisham. (Ch 22, para 52)
Young Havisham’s name was Arthur. Compeyson is the man who professed to be Miss Havisham’s lover. (Ch 42, para 45)
And I felt absolutely certain that this woman was Estella’s mother. (Ch 48, para 35)
I8. Real history used, and how. AI
Real history is minimal. The convict system and transportation to Australia are factual, but Dickens does not anchor the story in specific historical events. The novel is timeless rather than historically situated.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 5, Ch 39, Ch 40, Ch 42
I9. Journeys: distance and time taken. Both
Journeys are frequent but brief. Pip travels from village to London (chapter 19), returns home multiple times (chapters 27, 35, 43, 57 to 59), and rows down the Thames (chapter 54). Time passes in summary between major events.
Chapters: Ch 19, Ch 27, Ch 35, Ch 43, Ch 54, Ch 57
And the mists had all solemnly risen now, and the world lay spread before me. (Ch 19, para 110)
We are both good watermen, Handel, and could take him down the river ourselves when the right time comes. (Ch 46, para 34)
we can no more see to the bottom of the next few hours than we can see to the bottom of this river (Ch 54, para 25)
I10. Objects that matter, where they appear. Both
the file is the object named most.
| Object | Mentions | Chapters |
|---|---|---|
| the file | 13 | 6 |
| the leg-iron | 1 | 1 |
| the stopped clock | 1 | 1 |
Objects carry symbolic weight. The file (chapters 2 to 3, 10) links Pip to crime. The leg-iron (chapters 1, 5, 15 to 16) represents bondage. The bride-cake (chapters 11, 49) symbolises Miss Havisham's frozen life. Hands reveal identity (chapters 26, 48, 51).
Chapters: Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 10, Ch 15, Ch 16, Ch 26
He stirred his rum and water pointedly at me, and he tasted his rum and water pointedly at me. And he stirred it and he tasted it; not with a spoon that was brought to him, but with a file. (Ch 10, para 45)
I knew it to be Joe’s file, and I knew that he knew my convict, the moment I saw the instrument. (Ch 10, para 46)
Like the clock in Miss Havisham’s room, and like Miss Havisham’s watch, it had stopped at twenty minutes to nine. (Ch 11, para 2)
I11. Density of period detail. AI
Period detail is moderate. Dickens includes specific objects (leg-irons, indentures, coaches) and social customs (apprenticeship, visiting cards) but does not overwhelm with historical minutiae. Detail serves character and mood rather than verisimilitude.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 13, Ch 18, Ch 20, Ch 25
I12. Setting as an enemy. AI
Setting becomes an enemy through isolation and entrapment. The marshes trap Pip with the convict (chapter 1). London's vastness isolates him from Joe (chapters 20 to 27). The sluice-house becomes a death trap (chapter 53).
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 3, Ch 20, Ch 27, Ch 39, Ch 53
Hold your noise!” cried a terrible voice, as a man started up from among the graves at the side of the church porch. (Ch 1, para 4)
You bring me, to-morrow morning early, that file and them wittles. You bring the lot to me, at that old Battery over yonder. (Ch 1, para 36)
We entered this haven through a wicket-gate, and were disgorged by an introductory passage into a melancholy little square that looked to me like a flat burying-ground. (Ch 21, para 21)
I13. Indoors against outdoors. Both
Indoor words outnumber outdoor words 1056 to 280. (rough estimate from word lists)
Indoor share %, chapter by chapter
Indoors and outdoors carry moral weight. Outdoors (marshes, river) represents danger and truth. Indoors (forge, Miss Havisham's house, London rooms) represents safety or corruption. Movement between them marks Pip's moral shifts.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 8, Ch 20, Ch 39, Ch 46, Ch 54
Then I put the fastenings as I had found them, opened the door at which I had entered when I ran home last night, shut it, and ran for the misty marshes. (Ch 2, para 64)
And the mists had all solemnly risen now, and the world lay spread before me. (Ch 19, para 110)
And then I thought of Estella, and of our parting, and went home very sadly. (Ch 46, para 41)
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