--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: 'Great Expectations', in short, is a more…" description: "\"'Great Expectations', in short, is a more damning account of the mess Dickens himself had made of love than any denunciation on behalf of the outraged ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/howard-jacobson-1484_dickens_great-expectations-in-short-is-a-more-da_3217858.jpg" --- # 'Great Expectations', in short, is a more damning account… ![“'Great Expectations', in short, is a more damning account of the mess Dickens himself had made of love than any denunciation on behalf of the outraged wives club could ever be.” quote by Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/howard-jacobson-1484_dickens_great-expectations-in-short-is-a-more-da_3217858.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/howard-jacobson-1484_dickens_great-expectations-in-short-is-a-more-da_3217858.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/howard-jacobson-1484_dickens_great-expectations-in-short-is-a-more-da_3217858.jpg) > “'Great Expectations', in short, is a more damning account of the mess Dickens himself had made of love than any denunciation on behalf of the outraged wives club could ever be.” [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Dickens portrays love as chaotic and destructive, suggesting that even well‑intentioned narratives can expose personal failings. **In simple terms:** Love can become messy and reveal personal flaws. Key Takeaway Recognize love’s complexity and guard against idealizing it. Themes love human frailty literature self‑reflection Mood critical analytical Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - marriage - friendship - creative writing - literary analysis Key Concepts romantic idealism personal accountability Questions to Reflect On - What does this say about the limits of authorial intent? - How can readers separate story from author’s biography? A Different Perspective May overgeneralize Dickens’s personal life to his work. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Expectations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectations/) [Great expectations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-expectations/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [The thing about Dickens is you either love him or you hate him and I fell in love with Dickens, I fell in love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-brandis/the-thing-about-dickens-is-you-either-love-him-or-you-hate-him-and-i/) [George Brandis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-brandis/) > [I love Dickens. I love the way he sets a scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/i-love-dickens-i-love-the-way-he-sets-a-scene/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [“I recently discovered that a friend who was re-reading Bleak House had done no other Dickens apart from Barnaby Ridge. That's just weird. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/i-recently-discovered-that-a-friend-who-was-re-reading-bleak-house/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [“Mrs. Pocket was at home, and was in a little difficulty, on account of the baby's having been accommodated with a needle case to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/mrs-pocket-was-at-home-and-was-in-a-little-difficulty-on-account-of/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > ['Great Expectations' has been described as 'Dickens's harshest indictment of society.' Which it is. After all, it's about money. About not having enough money;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/great-expectations-has-been-described-as-dickens-s-harshest/) [Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/) > [ Great Expectations \[book by Charles Dickens\] has been described as "Dickens's harshest indictment of society." Which it is. After all, it's about money. About… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/great-expectations-book-by-charles-dickens-has-been-described-as/) [Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/) > [ But since doing the film \["The Invisible Woman"\] I've really learned to appreciate \[Charles Dickens\], he's phenomenal. "Great Expectations" would be one of my… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/but-since-doing-the-film-the-invisible-woman-i-ve-really-learned-to/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [“I snorted. “They still make you read Dickens in school? Great Expectations?” “Yeah.” “You can stay at home and hide if you want—and wind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/i-snorted-they-still-make-you-read-dickens-in-school-great/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [“Finally, while I don’t want to disparage the traditional novel--I still prefer Dickens’s Great Expectations over Kathy Acker’s Great Expectations, though I’ll take Lauren…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-moore/finally-while-i-don-t-want-to-disparage-the-traditional-novel-i-still/) [Steven Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-moore/) > [I'm totally obsessed with Dickens, and 'Great Expectations' was one of the first book's I read when I was still in school in Porthcawl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rhys/i-m-totally-obsessed-with-dickens-and-great-expectations-was-one-of/) Paul Rhys > [As for 'Great Expectations', it is up there for me with the world's greatest novels, not least as it vindicates plot as no other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/as-for-great-expectations-it-is-up-there-for-me-with-the-world-s/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [I won't go so far as to say that novels sell in inverse proportion to their worth, for just occasionally, someone like Dickens or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/i-won-t-go-so-far-as-to-say-that-novels-sell-in-inverse-proportion-to/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [I'm an old-fashioned English lit. man. Straight down the line - it's George Eliot, it's Dickens, it's Dr. Johnson, it's Jane Austen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/i-m-an-old-fashioned-english-lit-man-straight-down-the-line-it-s/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [I'm sure I've been influenced by every fine writer I've ever read, from Dickens and Austen to Auden and Jane Hirshfield. And also, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/i-m-sure-i-ve-been-influenced-by-every-fine-writer-i-ve-ever-read/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [“You are destiny for greatness. Your future is in the hands of the Lord.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/you-are-destiny-for-greatness-your-future-is-in-the-hands-of-the-lord/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) ## More by Howard Jacobson > [Everything is allowable in literature, but what is not allowable in criticism is objection on the grounds of probability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/everything-is-allowable-in-literature-but-what-is-not-allowable-in/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [There's a simple arithmetical logic at work. Build more unaffordable and not always architecturally sympathetic apartments, watch the rents rise, the tarts leave, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/there-s-a-simple-arithmetical-logic-at-work-build-more-unaffordable/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [The novel is a thing of irony and ambiguity. That's at the heart of 'J', a world that has stopped arguing with itself. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/the-novel-is-a-thing-of-irony-and-ambiguity-that-s-at-the-heart-of-j/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [I was a 'reverence for life' man - 'see life steadily and see it whole' - in my days as a lecturer in English…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/i-was-a-reverence-for-life-man-see-life-steadily-and-see-it-whole-in/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [How Donald Trump has come so far with so few words - how he even managed to keep up conversationally with all those beauty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/how-donald-trump-has-come-so-far-with-so-few-words-how-he-even/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [It is a nonsense to me when people come along and tell me not to be pessimistic; or that culture has always been going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/it-is-a-nonsense-to-me-when-people-come-along-and-tell-me-not-to-be/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [For me a Writing Day was an occasion for self-reproach and panic, a time to lament the passing of the years, stare out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/for-me-a-writing-day-was-an-occasion-for-self-reproach-and-panic-a/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [Even the wordiest of men know there's a time to button it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/even-the-wordiest-of-men-know-there-s-a-time-to-button-it/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [That a nation's statuary will reflect beliefs and attitudes that are no longer current or congenial hardly needs arguing. In most instances, it doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/that-a-nation-s-statuary-will-reflect-beliefs-and-attitudes-that-are/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [“Was he a bad man or just a foolish one? He didn't feel bad to himself. As a husband he believed himself to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/was-he-a-bad-man-or-just-a-foolish-one-he-didn-t-feel-bad-to-himself/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [The young come in many guises: vigorous and passionate, vindictive and mean-spirited. And not every person over 65 is dozing in a retirement home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/the-young-come-in-many-guises-vigorous-and-passionate-vindictive-and/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [To a philosopher like Nietzsche, the Jew is culpable not for rejecting Christianity but for inventing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/to-a-philosopher-like-nietzsche-the-jew-is-culpable-not-for-rejecting/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [Shakespeare's always been sitting on my back, since I began reading. And, certainly, as a writer, he's who I hear all the time. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/shakespeare-s-always-been-sitting-on-my-back-since-i-began-reading/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [A novelist should make you realize nothing is stable. If you don't believe anything with robustness, you're doing something more radical than anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/a-novelist-should-make-you-realize-nothing-is-stable-if-you-don-t/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [The Stop The War Coalition is a sort of home to Jew-haters because its hate music about Israel is so catchy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/the-stop-the-war-coalition-is-a-sort-of-home-to-jew-haters-because/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) [Explore all 235 Howard Jacobson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) ## More Dickens quotes > [Something that comes to us, some gym shoe that comes to us as a result of child labor from a brutal dictatorship, where people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/something-that-comes-to-us-some-gym-shoe-that-comes-to-us-as-a-result/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [“(On Charles Dickens) It has been the peculiarity and the marvel of this man’s power, that he has invested his puppets with a charm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-trollope/on-charles-dickens-it-has-been-the-peculiarity-and-the-marvel-of-this/) [Anthony Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-trollope/) > [Tolkien is as good as Dickens at sketching a scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/tolkien-is-as-good-as-dickens-at-sketching-a-scene/) [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) > [Old Flossie settle down on the other side of What-the-Dickens and dragged some handiwork out of a sack. She armed herself with two thorns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/old-flossie-settle-down-on-the-other-side-of-what-the-dickens-and/) [Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/) > [I was a complete and typical only child. I was bookish, and sport was out of the question anyway. I had read all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-starkey/i-was-a-complete-and-typical-only-child-i-was-bookish-and-sport-was/) [David Starkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-starkey/) > [I'm sure I've been influenced by every fine writer I've ever read, from Dickens and Austen to Auden and Jane Hirshfield. And also, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/i-m-sure-i-ve-been-influenced-by-every-fine-writer-i-ve-ever-read/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [In spite of their obvious differences, folk art and popular art have much in common; they are easy to understand, they are romantic, patriotic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-seldes/in-spite-of-their-obvious-differences-folk-art-and-popular-art-have/) [Gilbert Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-seldes/) > [“Dickens's humanity and compassion made an extraordinary impact on Victorian England through his writings, which remain immensely popular. This bicentenary should help renew our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dickens-s-humanity-and-compassion-made-an-extraordinary-impact-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The Victorian era was an age of superlatives and larger-than-life characters, and as far as that goes, Dr. Wildman Whitehouse fit right in: what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/the-victorian-era-was-an-age-of-superlatives-and-larger-than-life/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [On the day long after childhood when I suddenly heard of his death, the sky grew dark above my head. I was walking on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-elizabeth-sangster/on-the-day-long-after-childhood-when-i-suddenly-heard-of-his-death/) [Margaret Elizabeth Sangster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-elizabeth-sangster/) > [Great books are readable anyway. Dickens is readable. Jane Austen is readable. John Updike's readable. Hawthorne's readable. It's a meaningless term. You have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/great-books-are-readable-anyway-dickens-is-readable-jane-austen-is/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“As I know only too well, anticipation od happiness can sometimes be as gratifying as its consummation. Even during the first months of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaynor-arnold/as-i-know-only-too-well-anticipation-od-happiness-can-sometimes-be-as/) [Gaynor Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaynor-arnold/) > [ \[President Johnson\] had the political will to say that having one in five Americans living in the kind of abject conditions their fellow citizens… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/president-johnson-had-the-political-will-to-say-that-having-one-in/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Something went wrong with my right arm. I no longer could throw hard, and it hurt like the dickens every time I threw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dazzy-vance/something-went-wrong-with-my-right-arm-i-no-longer-could-throw-hard/) Dazzy Vance > [“‎Whoever was the person behind Stonehenge was one dickens of a motivator, I'll tell you that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/whoever-was-the-person-behind-stonehenge-was-one-dickens-of-a/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) Browse all 324 Dickens quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "'Great Expectations', in short, is a more damning account of the mess Dickens himself had made of love than any denunciation on behalf of the outraged wives club could ever be.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Howard Jacobson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/great-expectations-in-short-is-a-more-damning-account-of-the-mess/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dickens" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/great-expectations-in-short-is-a-more-damning-account-of-the-mess/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/howard-jacobson-1484_dickens_great-expectations-in-short-is-a-more-da_3217858.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/howard-jacobson-1484_dickens_great-expectations-in-short-is-a-more-da_3217858.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/howard-jacobson-1484_dickens_great-expectations-in-short-is-a-more-da_3217858.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“'Great Expectations', in short, is a more damning account of the mess Dickens himself had made of love than…” — Howard Jacobson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Howard Jacobson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "'Great Expectations', in short, is a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/great-expectations-in-short-is-a-more-damning-account-of-the-mess/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/great-expectations-in-short-is-a-more-damning-account-of-the-mess/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```