More than 100 years after being written, "Great Expectations" is still one of the most widely studied works of fiction. This casebook of historical documents, collateral readings and essays brings to life both Charles Dickens' masterpiece and the social issues surrounding his work. The interdisciplinary approach in the casebook offers students insight into the historically significant issues, such as child welfare, that ignited Dickens' creative and moral sensibilities. The casebook provides primary documents of historical significance, such as demographic data, firsthand accounts of transportation of convicts, and descriptions of physical settings that figure prominently in "Great Expectations." It is divided into the following sections: Introduction; Literary Analysis of "Great Expectations"; What Was a "Gentleman" in the Early Nineteenth Century?; Estella and Biddy: The Dilemma of Victorian Women; Apprenticeship and the Blacksmith; Crime and Punishment in "Great Expectations"; The Hulks and Penal Transportation; Australia: Making a Fortune in the Outback; The Bow Street Police; English Private Theatres in the Early Nineteenth Century; and The Marsh Country and the River. (NKA)