Look carefully at the opening chapters of "great expectations" and explore some of the ways in which Dickens captures and keeps the interest and attention of the reader. Explore also how social conditions of the time inform his writing.

Dickens narrative technique is also very powerful. Unlike most novels the action starts  almost straight away. By page two we are shocked by the very sudden arrival of Magwitch with the shocking and almost frightening line “Hold your noise”! We are suddenly completely sucked in to the story when we find very quickly that Pip, the young boy we have become fond of is in danger  and that                                                            Magwitch has only just escaped from a prison ship and is in desperate need of food, drink and possibly a file, if he will be able to make a full escape. This makes the first chapter become very exciting. Also it seems quite realistic because Magwitch’s language is very powerful because it is so graphic, blunt and colloquial. Also Magwitch not only speaks in the way you would expect a convict to speak but he dresses how you would expect as well. Dickens uses many subordinate clauses and he also uses the word ‘and’ a lot yet he uses it with style and it makes his writing seem much more rhythmic, for example in the third paragraph in the first chapter when Pip is telling us of his first memory, he says “My first most vivid and broad impression of the identity of things…and that the small bundle of shivers growing afraid of it all and beginning to cry, was Pip”

Dickens mainly keeps our attention by using drama such as when Magwitch enters on page two.

 Another way in which Dickens sustains the readers’ attention is his use of language in the way he writes. For example the type of words he uses to describe the new characters intrigues the readers so that they want to know more such as when Mr Joe Gargery is being introduced, In the middle of page six, Pip describes him as being “…a sort of Hercules in strength, and also in weakness.” This seems to be very confusing and makes the reader want to continue in the story in order to figure out it’s meaning.

Finally the most effective way which Dickens uses to with-hold the readers attention is through the creation of atmosphere. By using words such as “raw”, “bleak”, “marsh” and phrases like “overgrown with nettles”, “dark flat wilderness” etc. the writer makes the scene seem gloomy, drag and sad, and with the opening setting not only being in a churchyard, but a graveyard, we are subconsciously being prepared for Magwitch’s arrival. Pip describes the river as a “low leaden line”

This is a perfect example of Dickens art of alliteration. The word low is also representing the low spirit of Pip, The word Leaden makes us think of something that is heavy, grey and dull, and the word line sounds very bland and boring. Also the way in which Dickens uses personification for example in calling the wind a “savage beast”, these words make us think of Pip a small helpless child who is out alone in what seems like an extremely solitude and scary place. We then fear for this young child and want to learn what happens to him so once again the reader finds that they wish to continue in the book, and for the rest of the novel the drama and language that Charles Dickens uses makes us keep wanting to read on continues

Therefore it is through using the techniques previously mentioned, of character presentation, creation of atmosphere and narrative, description and speech that Dickens gains and sustains his readers attention.