WGBH CPB
Adapting Dickens: From Page to Screen

Lesson Goals

Illustration of Pip by Phiz (Hablot Knight Browne).

In this lesson, you will analyze the process of adapting a classic novel for the screen by examining the following questions:

  • What can film do that print cannot? What can print do that film cannot?
  • How do the choices made by the writer or the filmmakers help tell the story?
  • How faithful should a film be to the original work?

You will be using a variety of reading, writing, and media literacy strategies to identify important information as well as to make inferences, comparisons, and connections. At the end of the lesson, you will have two assignment options: an essay analyzing the two mediums, or a pitch for your own version of Great Expectations. 

By comparing and contrasting the 2012 MASTERPIECE film version of Great Expectations with the original text, you will gain a deeper knowledge of Dickens and his craft as a writer as well as the art of film adaptation. By understanding the choices and techniques of the filmmakers—the producer, director, screenwriter, and actors—you will be able to view media more critically.