Contemporary criticism of Dickens's famous novel is the focus of this collection, which examines how feminism, psychoanalysis and the new historicism can be applied to Great Expectations. Essays from the turn of the century are included to give a perspective on later criticism. Extracts from Dickens's memoirs and a piece by John Forster cover the novel's genesis. The introduction considers the themes that have recurred in criticism of the novel: the relation of the individual to society; the influence of history on the individual; and the complex psychology of the hero.