Great Expectations – Gender and Control

Great Expectations – Gender and Control

A comprehensive and professionally structured resource exploring how gender, class and emotional control operate in Great Expectations.

This resource examines Miss Havisham’s manipulation of Estella, Estella’s apparent power over Pip and the limitations placed upon women by Victorian expectations of marriage, beauty and reputation. It also considers Pip’s masculine self-fashioning and contrasts the controlling world of Satis House with the moral strength represented by Joe and Biddy.

Key features:

• Clear analysis of Miss Havisham as both a victim of betrayal and a controller who reproduces emotional harm
• Focus on Estella as a complex figure who possesses influence over Pip while remaining constrained by her upbringing and social expectations
• Exploration of Victorian gender roles, marriage, reputation, class aspiration, masculinity and social performance
• Varied activities covering retrieval, close language analysis, character perspectives, context, setting, structure, critical viewpoints, creative writing and extended essay preparation
• Detailed answer key and supporting presentation slides included for straightforward teaching, marking, feedback and review