SOURCE: Ross, Robert. “Expectations Lost and Found.” World and I 13, no. 7 (July 1998): 250-58.

In the following essay, Ross offers a laudatory review of Jack Maggs and analyzes the novel along with Carey's other works in terms of the political, social, and cultural issues Australia faces as a postcolonial nation.

Although Peter Carey's Jack Maggs owes its origins to Great Expectations, familiarity with Charles Dickens' tale about the convict Magwitch befriended by Pip need not be a prerequisite for appreciating this striking novel. In fact, ignorance of the classic—unlikely for most readers—could even be beneficial. There would be no reason then to draw comparisons, figure out parallels, or recall blurry details from a high school English assignment. Even while Great Expectations lends resonance to Jack Maggs, Carey's novel stands firmly on its own.

Most of the recent attempts, whether in fiction or drama, to rewrite a classic...