Welcome to the latest edition of Looks from Books, which aims to prove that you can look smart, while still being book-smart, too. Fashion inspiration can be found between the pages of your favorite stories, on well-designed book covers, and in your favorite characters… if you read closely enough.

We’re deep into the school year now, and just as the leaves have completely fled the trees, my dollar bills have similarly vacated my wallet (thanks, irresistible holiday Starbucks menu). Instead of buying new material, I’ve been taking a closer look at some of the more neglected volumes on my bookshelf; hence, the resurfacing of a Dickensian classic, Great Expectations!

Great Expectations cover via Amazon

Table of Contents

Inside Cover

Great Expectations, a classic British novel by recognized masterpiece author Charles Dickens, was published in 1861.

The novel follows the life of Pip: an orphan raised by his domineering sister to be an apprentice to his blacksmith uncle. However, an unexpected benefactor gifts Pip a large sum of money, and sends him to London to be educated as a gentleman, therefore leading him to have “great expectations” about what is to become of his life.

The story’s intrigue is offered by the mysterious figure of Pip’s childhood trauma, a convict named Magwitch, as well as the housebound, tragic figure of Ms. Havisham, and her beautiful ward, Estella.

This was Dickens’ thirteenth novel, and although it received mixed reviews upon its release, it was lauded by its famous author as having been his best work.

A Fashionable Literacy

The most recent adaptation of Great Expectations was released in 2012, and totes several big-name stars, like Jeremy Irvine as Pip, Holliday Grainger as Estella, Ralph Fiennes as Magwitch, and Robbie Coltrane as Mr. Jaggers. The real standout of the set was Helena Bonham-Carter, who, at forty-five years old, was the youngest women on record to tackle the emotionally demanding role of Ms. Havisham.