Great Expectations depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip (as a coming-of-age story). The novel is set in Kent and London in the early to mid-19th century and contains some of Dickens's most celebrated scenes, starting in a graveyard, where the young Pip is accosted by the escaped convict Abel Magwitch. Great Expectations is full of extreme imagery-poverty, prison ships and chains, and fights to the death-and has a colourful cast of characters who have entered popular culture. Upon its release, the novel received near universal acclaim. In the 21st century, the novel retains good ratings among literary critics and in 2003 it was ranked 17th on the BBC's "The Big Read" poll.