Great Expectations

[Michelle in AL]

I'm planning on having my co-op class read Great Expectations. While searching for lesson plans, I keep hearing how students hate this novel, find it too long and boring and are unable to understand the language.

 

I'm really enjoying it. I really appreciate the humor and don't find it terribly difficult.

 

The kids in the class have read Beowulf, Sir Gawain, A Midsummer's Night Dream and Macbeth this yr. They probably struggled a bit with these, but I think they enjoyed them.

 

Have your kids found Great Expectations horrible, just boring or difficult to read?

[Love2Smile]

I'm planning on having my co-op class read Great Expectations. While searching for lesson plans, I keep hearing how students hate this novel, find it too long and boring and are unable to understand the language.

 

I'm really enjoying it. I really appreciate the humor and don't find it terribly difficult.

 

The kids in the class have read Beowulf, Sir Gawain, A Midsummer's Night Dream and Macbeth this yr. They probably struggled a bit with these, but I think they enjoyed them.

 

Have your kids found Great Expectations horrible, just boring or difficult to read?

I had my 9th grade dd read it this year. I remember reading it in highschool also. Some parts were difficult. I got the spark notes to go with it. She actually liked it and wanted to watch the movie afterwards.

I must say, as much as she complained, only sometimes, this book has made a lasting impression with her just like it did with me over 20 years ago!

I say go for it! There are a lot worse books that you could choose. We love Pip!

[Laura in CA]

We listened to the audio book and read along. The reader (Frank Muller?) was excellent, with so many different accents & personalities for the different characters. I would say that really helped us enjoy the book.

 

~Laura

[Gratia271]

We listened to the audio book and read along. The reader (Frank Muller?) was excellent, with so many different accents & personalities for the different characters. I would say that really helped us enjoy the book.

 

~Laura

 

We loved the book, and we always enjoy audio to go along with books!

[Mama Lynx]

My 8th grader read it this year. He enjoyed it, and did not find it particularly difficult.

 

I love it, personally :)

[MyThreeSons]

He is taking General Lit at our co-op. He actually liked Jane Eyre, which surprised me, but really struggled thru Great Expectations. He has done fine with all of the other books.

 

I must say that I didn't like it much either. I have a full set of Dickens' works, published in the very early 1900's, that are just sitting on my shelf looking good. I just can't get into them.

[emubird]

Great Expectations is great in the beginning and great at the end. The middle is slow and boring. If you can just slog through that, it turns out to be a good book. There would be a lot to discuss about life choices and social class and what it means to be a good person. Along with other things, I'm sure.

 

We didn't find it that hard to read, though. It's just getting through that middle section...

[Matryoshka]

I read it in 10th grade, did not find it difficult, and quite enjoyed it. I do remember, though, that I was one of two people in my Advanced English class that actually read it - the rest just read the Cliff Notes. :glare:

[AngieW in Texas]

Great Expectations - horrible, boring, and difficult to read

We only made it about halfway through. I was reading it out loud so I could explain as we went along. It was awful.

 

A Tale of Two Cities is fantastic though. It is a little difficult to read (not as difficult as Great Expectations), but the story is much better and it isn't boring at all.

[vmsurbat]

My 14dd and 16ds just finished reading this and enjoyed it. Neither found it difficult to read. I thought the beginning was a bit slow but picked up as it went along. And we liked it MUCH better than Oliver Twist which almost killed our desire to read anything else by Dickens....

 

Also, if YOU enjoy it, you'll be able to pass your enthusiasm on.... Just a thought...

 

HTH,

[Michelle in AL]

:iagree:

 

I've read some of Oliver Twist and I really dreaded anymore Dickens after that. It must be that some people like one side of his writing more than others.

 

One teacher suggested doing installments of 2 chapters each week spread out throughout the year. This is how it was originally published, in installments. I think a lot might "get lost in translation" this way, but she reported it was successful for their class.

[Laura Corin]

Calvin enjoyed it. It wasn't his favourite Dickens though: he loved David Copperfield, which is much longer.

 

Laura

[Stacy in NJ]

I loved both Oliver Twist and Tale of Two Cities. Oliver Twist is just really funny and the characters are so memorable. I'd go with OT instead. YMMV.