First Impressions - Great Expectations

My first impressions of Great Expectations was that the novel is very complex and hard to read. However, I thought the linking of the plots and characters was quite clever and made you think about the story. The whole plot was at first hard to understand and follow because the novel, I thought, was so much longer then it needed to be. Dickens took away from the plot creating other plots which made the whole thing confusing. Even though I have studied the novel before I still found it hard to read, although I managed to finish the whole novel. Now that I have finished the novel, I am going to look through Spark Notes to help me fully understand the themes and symbolism within. These notes will help me to get a clear understanding of the Victorian era and of the Gothic/Terror theme that runs throughout. 

Whilst I was at school we studied the novel, in order to understand the novel more we watched the original film version. Obviously, adaptations are sometimes very different from the novel as it needs to be condensed down into a version that can be easily watched. This happened in the original version and many other versions. As the novel gets older and more people try and attempt to recreate it, I think they lose the originality of the book because they are trying to make it contemporary for today's audience. Obviously, effects, make up, film and television sets have progressed and also look more modern, therefore it makes it very hard to make the film more like the novel. The adaptation that sees Gillian Anderson play Miss Havisham is one that surprised me. The portrayal of Miss Havisham looked too polished. Her hair was pretty much perfect when she was supposed to be a total mess? Her clothes were still white, when the book states that the colour had faded to a yellow? And her make-up was far too perfect when this character was supposed to be this total haggard mess. I was very much surprised when I saw how Miss Havisham had been interpreted because it was very much different from the image that I had in my mind. Maybe they tried to make Miss Havisham more modern and thought that a white face would portray the effect that no sunlight would create on the skin. I think that they could have portrayed the character better by creating a different make up look; one that isn't so obviously product! 

My favourite character within the film is Estella. It was interesting to see how she had been raised to have this cold heart, very much created for revenge on the male gender by Miss Havisham. Furthermore, the character of Estella gave an insight into the Victorian society hierarchy; showing that someone of her standing could not marry below her; i.e Pip. It was interesting to see how all of the characters linked together and to see that Estella was adopted from two convicts and raised by Miss Havisham; ultimately meaning that Estella was the same as Pip; orphaned, but then was raised with money. Much like Pip comes to be.

 Overall, I have enjoyed the novel, even though it is hard to read and to understand; but with the help of Spark Notes I think that I shall be able to understand more the meanings of themes and symbolism. I am definitely looking forward to creating looks from this era based on Gothic and Terror!