Great Expectations

　　因為苦難，我看到了人性的渺小與偉大，
　　從愛與金錢的枷鎖中，得到救贖。

　 　1860年，當時已具盛名的狄更斯，開始在報紙連載這部《遠大前程》（另名《孤星血淚》）。主角孤兒皮普與亡命逃犯馬格韋契，因為一塊餡餅、一把銼刀， 結下了長達十幾年的不解之緣。平凡又受虐的皮普，因緣際會之下，幸運進入了一座大宅第，成為小女孩艾絲黛拉的玩伴。艾絲黛拉外貌出眾，但心卻猶如冰塊般寒 冷，她譏笑皮普低賤、庸俗，然而為她癡迷的皮普決心為了他深愛的這個女孩，努力躋身上流社會，這也開啟了他的遠大前程。

　　相較於《雙城 記》書寫大時代的社會動盪，狄更斯的《遠大前程》透過一名小男孩的雙眼觀察世界，刻畫生命中的成長與失落，更加引人共鳴。整篇故事充滿了懸疑的氛圍，直至 最後，讀者才能從中拼湊出幕後的真相。此書不只描寫皮普的遠大前程，更反映出當時資本主義工業社會下，小人物如何安身立命與環境對抗的互動關係，被譽為狄 更斯最成熟的一部傑作

　　本書中譯本<<遠大前程>>由野人出版

　　Enjoy the classic tale of adolescence, growth, and loyalty, all set in Victorian London.

　　What this cautionary tale of a young man raised high above his station by a mysterious benefactor lacks in length, it more than makes up for in its remarkable characters and compelling story. Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations" begins with young orphaned Philip Pirrip--Pip--running afoul of an escaped convict in a cemetery. This terrifying personage bullies Pip into stealing food and a file for him, threatening that if he tells a soul "your heart and your liver shall be tore out, roasted and ate." The boy does as he's asked, but the convict is captured anyway, and transported to the penal colonies in Australia. Having started his novel in a cemetery, Dickens then ups the stakes and introduces his hero into the decaying household of Miss Havisham, a wealthy, half-mad woman who was jilted on her wedding day many years before and has never recovered. Pip is brought there to play with Miss Havisham's ward, Estella, a little girl who delights in tormenting Pip about his rough hands and future as a blacksmith's apprentice.

　　Complete and unabridged, this elegantly designed clothbound edition features an elastic closure and a new introduction by Grace Moore.

查爾斯．狄更斯（Charles Dickens, 1812~1870）

　　英國維多利亞時期最偉大作家，以反映現實生活見長。狄更斯的作品在其有生之年就已享有盛名，在二十世紀時亦受到評論家和學者廣泛認可。

　 　狄更斯以高超的寫作手法，描繪了包羅萬象的社會群像，作品一貫保有揭露和批判的筆鋒，貫徹懲惡揚善的人道主義精神，塑造出眾多令人難忘的人物角色。他三 十多 年的創作生涯，寫了十五部長篇小說，許多中短篇小說，以及隨筆、遊記、時事評論、戲劇、詩歌等。一百多年來，他的作品始終深受世界各地廣大讀者喜愛。

　　狄更斯主要作品列表：
　　博茲札記（Sketches by Boz, 1836）　　
　　匹克威克外傳（The Pickwick Papers, 1836）
　　孤雛淚（Oliver Twist, 1837~1839）
　　少爺返鄉（Nicholas Nickleby, 1838~1839）
　　老古玩店（The Old Curiosity Shop, 1840~1841）
　　巴納比．拉奇（Barnaby Rudge, 1841）
　　美國記行（American Notes, 1842）
　　小氣財神（A Christmas Carol, 1843）
　　馬丁．朱述爾維特（Martin Chuzzlewit, 1843~1844）
　　董貝父子（Dombey and Son, 1846~1848）
　　塊肉餘生記（David Copperfield, 1849~1850）
　　寫給孩子看的英國歷史（A Child's History of England, 1851~1853）
　　荒涼山莊（Bleak House, 1852~1853）
　　艱難時世（Hard Times, 1854）
　　小杜麗（Little Dorrit, 1855~1857）
　　雙城記（A Tale of Two Cities, 1859）
　　遠大前程（Great Expectations, 1860~1861）
　　我們共同的朋友（Our Mutual Friend, 1864~1865）

　 　Considered by many to be the greatest novelist of the English language, Charles John Huffam Dickens was born February 7, 1812, in Portsmouth, England. Some of his most popular works include Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Nicholas Nickleby, A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations.