book review of david copperfield by charles dickens

A Review of 'David Copperfield'

The novel celebrates humanity while exposing Victorian society's ills

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" David Copperfield " is probably the most autobiographical novel by Charles Dickens . He uses many incidents of his childhood and early life to create a considerable fictional achievement.

"David Copperfield" also stands as a midpoint in Dickens' oeuvre and is at least somewhat indicative of Dickens' work. This novel contains a complicated plot structure, a concentration on the moral and social worlds, and some of Dickens' most wonderful comic creations. "David Copperfield" is a broad canvas on which the great master of Victorian fiction uses his entire palette. Unlike many of his other novels, however, "David Copperfield" is written from the point of view of its titular character, looking back on the ups and downs of his long life.

"David Copperfield" traces the life of David, the protagonist, from a happy early childhood through a miserable span of cruel surrogate parents, harsh working conditions, and crushing poverty to an ultimately wiser, contented existence as a happily married adult. Along the way, he meets a memorable cast of characters, some hateful and selfish and others kind and loving.

The main character is modeled closely after Dickens' life, especially since his hero finds later success as a writer, The story, published as a serial in 1849 and 1850 and as a book in 1850, also serves as Dickens' critique of the bleak conditions for many children in Victorian England, including its notorious boarding schools.

Copperfield's father dies before he is born and his mother later remarries the frightful Mr. Murdstone, whose sister soon moves into their house. Copperfield is sent away to boarding school after he bit Murdstone when he was undergoing a beating. At the boarding school, he becomes friends with James Steerforth and Tommy Traddles.

Copperfield doesn't complete his education because his mother dies and he's sent to work at a factory. There he boards with the Micawber family. At the factory, Copperfield experiences the hardships of the industrial-urban poor until he escapes and walks to Dover to find his aunt, who adopts him.

After finishing school, he goes to London to seek a career and reconnects with Steerforth, introducing him to his adoptive family. Around this time, he falls in love with young Dora, the daughter of a renowned solicitor. He is reunited with Traddles, who also is boarding with the Micawbers, bringing the delightful but economically useless character back into the story.

In time, Dora's father dies and she and David marry. Money is tight, however, and Copperfield takes up various jobs to make ends meet, including writing fiction.

Things aren't well with Mr. Wickfield, with whom Copperfield boarded during school. Wickfield's business has been taken over by his evil clerk, Uriah Heep, who now has Micawber working for him. However, Micawber and Traddles expose Heep's misdeeds and finally have him thrown out, returning the business to its rightful owner.

Copperfield can't savor this triumph because Dora has become ill after losing a child. She dies following a long illness and David travels abroad for many months. While he's traveling, he realizes that he's in love with his old friend Agnes, Mr. Wickfield's daughter. David returns home to marry her and becomes successful writing fiction.

Personal and Societal Themes

"David Copperfield" is a long, sprawling novel . In keeping with its autobiographical genesis, the book reflects the ungainliness and largeness of everyday life. In its early parts, the novel displays the power and resonance of Dickens' critique of a Victorian society, which provided few safeguards for the poor, particularly in the industrial heartlands.

In the later parts, we find Dickens' realistic, touching portrait of a young man growing up, coming to terms with the world, and finding his literary gift. Although it portrays Dickens' comic touch, its serious side isn't always apparent in Dickens' other books. The difficulties of becoming an adult, marrying, finding love, and becoming successful feel real, shining from every page of this delightful book.

Full of lively wit and Dickens' finely tuned prose, "David Copperfield" is an excellent example of the Victorian novel at its height and Dickens as its master. It deserves its sustained reputation into the 21st century.

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Book review: “David Copperfield” by Charles Dickens

Among the many distinctive characters in David Copperfield , I have a soft spot in my heart for Jane Murdstone.

Actually, that’s wrong.  It’s not so much a soft spot for her.  It’s for the way Charles Dickens makes it clear who this woman is.

David is still a very young boy.  His mother Clara has just remarried.  His stepfather — one might as well say “evil stepfather” — Edward Murdstone has Clara under his thumb.  Even so, he calls in his spinster sister as a reinforcement:

It was Miss Murdstone who was arrived, and a gloomy-looking lady she was; dark, like her brother, whom she greatly resembled in face and voice; and with very heavy eyebrows, nearly meeting over her large nose, as if, being disabled by the wrongs of her sex from wearing whiskers, she had carried them to that account. She brought with her two uncompromising hard black boxes , with her initials on the lids in hard brass nails . When she paid the coachman she took her money out of a hard steel purse , and she kept the purse in a very jail of a bag which hung upon her arm by a heavy chain, and shut up like a bite . I had never, at that time, seen such a metallic lady altogether as Miss Murdstone was. She was brought into the parlour with many tokens of welcome, and there formally recognized my mother as a new and near relation. Then she looked at me, and said: ‘Is that your boy, sister-in-law?’   My mother acknowledged me.   ‘Generally speaking,’ said Miss Murdstone, ‘I don’t like boys. How d’ye do, boy?’   Under these encouraging circumstances, I replied that I was very well, and that I hoped she was the same; with such an indifferent grace, that Miss Murdstone disposed of me in two words:   ‘Wants manner!’ Having uttered which, with great distinctness, she begged the favour of being shown to her room, which became to me from that time forth a place of awe and dread, wherein the two black boxes were never seen open or known to be left unlocked, and where (for I peeped in once or twice when she was out) numerous little steel fetters and rivets , with which Miss Murdstone embellished herself when she was dressed, generally hung upon the looking-glass in formidable array.

“Disabled by the wrongs of her sex”

OK, where to start?

Well, first, of course, Dickens makes it clear that Jane Murdstone is the antithesis of what a woman of his era is expected to be — bright, warm and pretty.  Instead, she’s “gloomy-looking” and “dark” and resembles her brother in appearance.  Sounds like him, too.

Add to this the name of the brother and sister, Murdstone, which brings to mind “murder,” and she’s really getting ugly.  This echo is intentional on the part of Dickens as he makes clear some 150 pages later when David’s aunt is railing against the siblings, complaining that Clara “goes and marries a Murderer—or a man with a name like it.”

The Murdstones by Phiz

Then, there are Jane’s eyebrows which not only are “very heavy” but also nearly meet above her “large nose.”

It’s at this point that Dickens, in continuing the description, goes completely over the top in an hilarious way that perhaps no other writer could pull off.

The eyebrows look “as if, being disabled by the wrongs of her sex from wearing whiskers, she had carried them to that account.”  She’s a bearded lady, so to speak, and she not only looks and sounds like a man but also wants to be a man. Or at least act as hard and sharp as a man.

“A metallic lady”

The key to this passage, however, are all the metal metaphors.

Miss Murdstone is “a metallic lady” with “uncompromising hard black boxes” that are marked with her name in “hard brass nails.”  She carries “a hard steel purse,” which is “a very jail of a bag” and is shut up “like a bite.” And what David later sees in her room are the “numerous little steel fetters and rivets” that Miss Murdstone uses as adornments.

Dickens has Miss Murdstone’s number.  Like the little boy David, Dickens does not like her at all, and he wants the reader to know, right from the get-go, that she, like her brother, is an odious person.

As it happened, I read David Copperfield immediately after reading Anthony Trollope’s Barchester Towers .  The two books were published very close to each other — David Copperfield in 1850 and Barchester Towers in 1857.

Reading Trollope, I was struck again at how human and humane he is.  He likes his characters very much, even the ones who are mean-spirited and self-centered, such as Mr. Slope, the oily, conniving, lying chaplain to the bishop and the cause of so much havoc in the Barchester Towers story.

Trollope makes it clear that Mr. Slope is pretty repugnant.

At a moment when the clergyman is paying court to an exotic beauty, Trollope notes that Mr. Slope, “big, awkward, cumbrous and…ill at ease,” bends over and kisses her hand. It was, he writes, “a sight to see”:

The lady was fair, as we have said, and delicate; every thing about her was fine and refined; her hand in his looked like a rose lying among carrots, and when he kissed it he looked as a cow might do on finding such a flower among her food.

Trollope is no fan of Mr. Slope.  Even so, he can’t deny the humanity that he shares with the clergyman.  He sees Mr. Slope, as he sees the other characters in his novel, as a fully rounded person.  Which means not all good or, in this case, all bad.  He writes:

And here the author must beg it to be remembered that Mr. Slope was not in all things a bad man.  His motives, like those of most men, were mixed; and though his conduct was generally very different from that which we would wish to praise, it was actuated perhaps as often as that of the majority of the world by a desire to do his duty.  He believed in the religion which he taught, harsh, unpalatable, uncharitable, as that religion was.  He believed those whom he wished to get under his foot…to be the enemies of that religion  He believed himself to be a pillar of strength, destined to do great things; and with that subtle, selfish, ambiguous sophistry to which the minds of all men are so subject, he had taught himself to think that in doing much for the promotion of his own interests he was doing much also for the promotion of religion.

Dickens is not so gentle-hearted, as his description of Jane Murdstone shows.

Or the way he describes Uriah Heep and his mother.  Let’s look at one of many examples.

David, now a young man making a career as a writer, comes to visit Agnes Wickfield and her father.  Upon arrival, he finds Uriah Heep ensconced in a new office as the full partner of the ever-more-debilitated Mr. Wickfield.

Going in search of Agnes, the dear “sister” of his childhood, he find her in a room but not alone.  Mrs. Heep, Uriah’s mother, had intruded into the room, and David tells the reader:

Though I could almost have consigned her to the mercies of the wind on the topmost pinnacle of the Cathedral, without remorse, I made a virtue of necessity, and gave her a friendly salutation. ‘I’m umbly thankful to you, sir,’ said Mrs. Heep, in acknowledgement of my inquiries concerning her health, ‘but I’m only pretty well. I haven’t much to boast of. If I could see my Uriah well settled in life, I couldn’t expect much more I think. How do you think my Ury looking, sir?’   I thought him looking as villainous as ever, and I replied that I saw no change in him.   ‘Oh, don’t you think he’s changed?’ said Mrs. Heep. ‘There I must umbly beg leave to differ from you. Don’t you see a thinness in him?’   ‘Not more than usual,’ I replied.   ‘Don’t you though!’ said Mrs. Heep. ‘But you don’t take notice of him with a mother’s eye!’   His mother’s eye was an evil eye to the rest of the world, I thought as it met mine, howsoever affectionate to him; and I believe she and her son were devoted to one another. It passed me, and went on to Agnes.   ‘Don’t YOU see a wasting and a wearing in him, Miss Wickfield?’ inquired Mrs. Heep.   ‘No,’ said Agnes, quietly pursuing the work on which she was engaged. ‘You are too solicitous about him. He is very well.’   Mrs. Heep, with a prodigious sniff, resumed her knitting….   At dinner she maintained her watch, with the same unwinking eyes. After dinner, her son took his turn; and when Mr. Wickfield, himself, and I were left alone together, leered at me, and writhed until I could hardly bear it….   This lasted until bedtime. To have seen the mother and son, like two great bats hanging over the whole house, and darkening it with their ugly forms, made me so uncomfortable, that I would rather have remained downstairs, knitting and all, than gone to bed.

“Two great bats”

The punchline here — and the phrase that sums of the feeling that Dickens had about these two characters — is “two great bats hanging over the whole house.”

Leave it to Trollope to see his characters fully rounded, leave it to him to see their humanity, to understand what deep, if flawed, emotions move them.

That’s not for Dickens.  For him, the world has bad people in it, and Uriah Heep and his mother are prime examples.

In the novel, David goes through life and the world with an openness, an earnestness, a sweetness that makes him able to accept and like and even love people like Daniel Peggotty and Wilkins Micawber.

But not Uriah Heep.

Here, David describes him as “villainous as ever,” and leering and writhing in his usual awkward, nervous, twisted way.

David, the boy and man who wants to like everyone, walks into the room where Agnes is and immediately wants, without remorse, to consign Mrs. Heep “to the mercies of the wind on the topmost pinnacle of the Cathedral.”

David doesn’t like these two people.  And neither does Dickens.

“TO RUB HIS OFF”

David’s distaste for Uriah Heep dates from their first meeting.

David was a young boy, and Heep was a “cadaverous” 15-year-old

whose hair was cropped as close as the closest stubble; who had hardly any eyebrows, and no eyelashes, and eyes of a red-brown, so unsheltered and unshaded, that I remember wondering how he went to sleep. He was high-shouldered and bony…and had a long, lank, skeleton hand, which particularly attracted my attention, as he stood at the pony’s head, rubbing his chin with it, and looking up at us in the chaise.

Later, during the visit, David saw Heep shutting his office.

[F]eeling friendly towards everybody, [David] went in and spoke to him, and at parting, gave him my hand. But oh, what a clammy hand his was! as ghostly to the touch as to the sight! I rubbed mine afterwards, to warm it, AND TO RUB HIS OFF.

“Rough and ready”

For comparison, look at how Dickens describes David’s first meeting with Daniel Peggotty.

Peggotty, David’s beloved nurse, has taken the boy to Yarmouth to visit her brother and the many people under his care.  The family lives in a high and dry boat that has been turned into a house.  David finds it all delightful.

By and by, when we had dined in a sumptuous manner off boiled dabs, melted butter, and potatoes, with a chop for me, a hairy man with a very good-natured face came home. As he called Peggotty ‘Lass’, and gave her a hearty smack on the cheek, I had no doubt, from the general propriety of her conduct, that he was her brother; and so he turned out—being presently introduced to me as Mr. Peggotty, the master of the house.   ‘Glad to see you, sir,’ said Mr. Peggotty. ‘You’ll find us rough, sir, but you’ll find us ready.’   I thanked him, and replied that I was sure I should be happy in such a delightful place…   Having done the honours of his house in this hospitable manner, Mr. Peggotty went out to wash himself in a kettleful of hot water, remarking that ‘cold would never get his muck off’. He soon returned, greatly improved in appearance; but so rubicund, that I couldn’t help thinking his face had this in common with the lobsters, crabs, and crawfish,—that it went into the hot water very black, and came out very red.

Mr. Peggotty is the salt of the earth, a man who, although “hairy,” has “a very good-natured face.”

Mr. Peggotty and his family meet David. By Phiz

In English society, David is a member of a much higher class, but it is a measure of his child’s curiosity and his general openness to the wonder of life that he is ready to embrace Mr. Peggotty and his clan.

His willingness to embrace these unquestionably odd people (at least, for someone from his background) stands him well as his life and the novel progress.

Rough and ready

The art of Trollope’s novels is in his ability to see the full person, the mix of good and bad, in each of his characters.  This has been described as realistic writing and, as such, can be compared with a photograph.

But, if Trollope takes a photograph of his characters, Dickens paints an impressionistic masterpiece of his.

Trollope limns the subtle gradations of his characters.  Dickens splashes in thick, strong, emphatic brushstrokes the essential nature of his.

Trollope is refined.  Dickens is messy and raw and crude.  He’s rough and ready.

Trollope is chamber music.  Dickens is a wild Beethoven symphony.

I am a great fan of Trollope.  But Dickens is breathtaking in his sprawling chaotic novels of Uriah Heeps, Daniel Peggottys and David Copperfields.

Patrick T. Reardon

Written by : Patrick T. Reardon

For more than three decades Patrick T. Reardon was an urban affairs writer, a feature writer, a columnist, and an editor for the Chicago Tribune. In 2000 he was one of a team of 50 staff members who won a Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting. Now a freelance writer and poet, he has contributed chapters to several books and is the author of Faith Stripped to Its Essence. His website is https://patricktreardon.com/.

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DAVID COPPERFIELD

by Charles Dickens & illustrated by Alan Marks ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1995

A more or less self-contained excerpt from the novel, in a creative abridgement done by Dickens for one of his public readings (Anthea Bell's afterword provides notes about these performances and the texts Dickens prepared for them). The fragile pen-and-ink drawings have been flooded with watercolor and given a smudged, atmospheric look. Marks (The Fisherman and His Wife, 1991, etc.) zeroes in on the basic dramatic premise of each scene—wet and dark exteriors, warm and dry interiors, characters engaged in lively conversation or sending each other meaningful looks. Marks's storytelling skills are further demonstrated by the different sizes of the pictures, their distribution, and layout—on the whole, they evocatively conjure this hearty tale, and will send readers off to the original. (Picture book. 8-12)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1995

ISBN: 1-55858-453-6

Page Count: 59

Publisher: NorthSouth

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1995

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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A magnificently creepy fantasy pits a bright, bored little girl against a soul-eating horror that inhabits the reality right next door.

Coraline’s parents are loving, but really too busy to play with her, so she amuses herself by exploring her family’s new flat. A drawing-room door that opens onto a brick wall becomes a natural magnet for the curious little girl, and she is only half-surprised when, one day, the door opens onto a hallway and Coraline finds herself in a skewed mirror of her own flat, complete with skewed, button-eyed versions of her own parents. This is Gaiman’s ( American Gods , 2001, etc.) first novel for children, and the author of the Sandman graphic novels here shows a sure sense of a child’s fears—and the child’s ability to overcome those fears. “ I will be brave ,” thinks Coraline. “ No, I am brave .” When Coraline realizes that her other mother has not only stolen her real parents but has also stolen the souls of other children before her, she resolves to free her parents and to find the lost souls by matching her wits against the not-mother. The narrative hews closely to a child’s-eye perspective: Coraline never really tries to understand what has happened or to fathom the nature of the other mother; she simply focuses on getting her parents back and thwarting the other mother for good. Her ability to accept and cope with the surreality of the other flat springs from the child’s ability to accept, without question, the eccentricity and arbitrariness of her own—and every child’s own—reality. As Coraline’s quest picks up its pace, the parallel world she finds herself trapped in grows ever more monstrous, generating some deliciously eerie descriptive writing.

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Page Count: 176

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Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2002

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Nicholas is a bright boy who likes to make trouble at school, creatively. 

When he decides to torment his fifth-grade English teacher, Mrs. Granger (who is just as smart as he is), by getting everyone in the class to replace the word "pen'' with "frindle,'' he unleashes a series of events that rapidly spins out of control. If there's any justice in the world, Clements ( Temple Cat , 1995, etc.) may have something of a classic on his hands. By turns amusing and adroit, this first novel is also utterly satisfying. The chess-like sparring between the gifted Nicholas and his crafty teacher is enthralling, while Mrs. Granger is that rarest of the breed: a teacher the children fear and complain about for the school year, and love and respect forever after. 

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David copperfield.

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Common Sense Media Review

Dickens' coming-of-age epic is a timeless treasure.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Charles Dickens' classic novel David Copperfield is loosely based on the life of the author. It tells the story of the hardships, changes, and good fortune that David encounters on his life journey. The book was serialized (1849-50) before it was first published in book form in 1850…

Why Age 12+?

Young David gets ale from a barmaid when he's only about 11. At a housewarming d

David is beaten badly once as a child, and he bites the perpetrator. He witnesse

David falls in love a few times in the novel and shares a couple of kisses. A co

Any Positive Content?

A loving and resilient child, David grows to be a man of integrity and understan

Children should be raised with loving kindness and treated with gentleness.

Dickens shows readers details of 19th-century English life, including diet, educ

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Young David gets ale from a barmaid when he's only about 11. At a housewarming dinner in his own home, David drinks so much wine that he fades in and out of consciousness; he describes the room spinning when he goes to bed. An older man is preyed upon by an employee, who gets his boss drunk repeatedly to dupe him into signing documents and agreeing to things he doesn't remember afterward. Men smoke cigars and pipes.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Violence & Scariness

David is beaten badly once as a child, and he bites the perpetrator. He witnesses a tinker beating a woman; she's described as bloodied, lying in the road. David later fights twice with a butcher, who leaves wounds on David's face the first time, but David wins the second fight. Boys are caned at school, and David learns that as a boy, a school friend hit a woman with a hammer. Drowning deaths are described.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

David falls in love a few times in the novel and shares a couple of kisses. A couple of young women are "ruined" and "disgraced," but their mistakes are understood rather than described.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Role Models

A loving and resilient child, David grows to be a man of integrity and understanding. He pities rather than judges those who make mistakes, and he forgives his friends' worst transgressions. He never turns up his nose at the less fortunate or less educated. He becomes a true and forgiving friend, a devoted nephew, and a faithful husband.

Positive Messages

Educational value.

Dickens shows readers details of 19th-century English life, including diet, education and careers, and the fate of borrowers who can't pay their debts. He also shows the hard lives of seamen, and the limits of gender roles at the time the novel takes place.

Parents need to know that Charles Dickens ' classic novel David Copperfield is loosely based on the life of the author. It tells the story of the hardships, changes, and good fortune that David encounters on his life journey. The book was serialized (1849-50) before it was first published in book form in 1850. Dickens is beloved for his complex rags-to-riches stories; realistic, sympathetic views of class disparities and poverty; and unforgettable characters like David. Dickens is also remembered as a writer who was paid by the word for his serialized novels, so this story is long but enthralling. It includes some violence against children, drownings at sea, cigar and pipe smoking, and some troubling alcohol abuse. This book has been adapted for the screen multiple times. The 1935 version featuring W.C. Fields is especially delightful, as is a 1999 BBC special starring Bob Hoskins and a very young Daniel Radcliffe. A 2020 film with Dev Patel as the main character includes a diverse cast, and is told in a series of flashbacks. David Copperfield is available in an excellent audiobook version read by Richard Armitage.

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What's the Story?

Charles' Dickens semi-autobiographical novel DAVID COPPERFIELD begins on the night of the title character's birth, when David's paternal aunt, Betsey Trottwood, pays a visit to his widowed mother. Young David is doted on by his sweet, young mother and his devoted nurse, Peggotty, who takes David to Yarmouth, where he develops strong friendships with her brother and his family. Meanwhile, Mrs. Copperfield -- who is susceptible to flattery -- has been taken in by the hard-hearted Mr. Murdstone, who soon becomes David's cruel, demanding stepfather. David's life goes from bad to worse when he is sent away to a school where students are mistreated and the richest pupils lord it over the less privileged. David's saving grace is his friendship with the Micawber family, who are always broke and looking for a break. When the Micawbers leave town, seeking greener pastures, David feels alone, and he decides to strike out on his own, to try his luck with a relative he's never met. The story follows David's path as he comes into adulthood, portraying his friendships, loves, education and career, and the ways he tries to protect his loved ones.

Is It Any Good?

This classic coming-of-age tale is a delightfully entertaining, important work that's well worth its thousand-plus pages. Tenderhearted David Copperfield was one of Charles Dickens' own favorite characters, and no wonder. He represents Dickens himself to some extent, and he's full of innocence and goodness -- qualities that make him lovable, and easy prey to some degree. This lengthy novel is full of wonderfully realized characters, from eccentric Betsey Trottwood and Mr. Dick to the steadfast Peggottys to the mean-spirited Murdstones and more. It has some surprisingly modern qualities, as well, despite its vintage (1850). Betsey Trottwood lives an unusual, independent life for a woman of her time. Dickens also reveals the failings of "firmness" in child rearing and education, and he emphasizes the joys of marriage when the couple are true partners in their life and work. HIs relevant point of view speaks to the timelessness of David Copperfield.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about what aspects of David Copperfield seem timeless and what seems dated. Does this story resonate with you as a modern reader?

How does society treat women in this novel, and what does the author seem to value in terms of women's qualities and conduct?

Have you watched any of the film versions of this novel? What are some of the decisions filmmakers made to fit such a long story into a movie-length work?

Book Details

• Author : Charles Dickens
• Genre : Coming of Age
• Topics : Friendship , Great Boy Role Models
• Book type : Fiction
• Publisher : Penguin Classics
• Publication date : August 10, 2020
• Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 18
• Number of pages : 1024
• Available on : Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
• Last updated : August 10, 2020

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David Copperfield

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• Table Of Contents

David Copperfield , novel by English writer Charles Dickens , published serially in 1849–50 and in book form in 1850. David Copperfield has always been among Dickens’s most popular novels and was his own “favourite child.” The work is semiautobiographical, and, although the title character differs from his creator in many ways, Dickens related early personal experiences that had meant much to him—his work in a factory, his schooling and reading, and (more cursorily) his emergence from parliamentary reporting into successful novel writing.

The story is told in the first person by a middle-aged David Copperfield , who is looking back on his life. David is born in Blunderstone, Suffolk , six months after the death of his father, and he is raised by his mother and her devoted housekeeper, Clara Peggotty . As a young child, he spends a few days with Peggotty at the home of her brother, Mr. Peggotty, in Yarmouth , which Mr. Peggotty shares with Ham and Emily , his orphaned nephew and niece, respectively. When the visit ends, David learns that his mother has married the cruel and controlling Mr. Edward Murdstone . That evening Murdstone’s sister also moves in and assumes the management of the household.

One day Mr. Murdstone takes David to his bedroom to beat him, and David bites his hand. After that, the eight-year-old David is sent to a boarding school run by the sadistic Mr. Creakle. There David becomes friends with the kind and steadfast Tommy Traddles and with the charismatic and entitled James Steerforth . Partway through David’s second semester at the school, his mother dies shortly after giving birth to a son, who also perishes. After that, Peggotty is dismissed, and she marries Barkis , who drives a wagon. David is not returned to school, and at the age of 10 he is sent to work at Murdstone’s wine-bottling factory in London . He lodges at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Micawber , a generous couple who are constantly facing financial disaster. Eventually, Mr. Micawber is sent to debtors’ prison, after which David runs away to Dover to find his great-aunt, the self-sufficient Miss Betsey Trotwood , and, on the advice of her simpleminded and good-hearted boarder, Mr. Dick , she takes him in.

Miss Betsey arranges for David to go to a school run by Doctor Strong and to stay with her business manager, Mr. Wickfield, and his daughter, Agnes . Working for Mr. Wickfield is an off-putting teenaged clerk named Uriah Heep . After David completes his schooling, he goes to visit Peggotty. On the way to Yarmouth, David encounters Steerforth, and together they visit Peggotty and Mr. Peggotty. Emily’s engagement to Ham is announced, but she appears interested in Steerforth.

After agreeing to Miss Betsey’s idea that he should become a proctor (a type of attorney), David begins an apprenticeship at the London office of Spenlow and Jorkins. He maintains his friendship with Steerforth, though Agnes Wickfield disapproves. He is reacquainted with Uriah Heep, who is about to become Wickfield’s partner and who intends to marry Agnes. One day Spenlow invites David to his home, and David becomes infatuated with Spenlow’s childlike daughter, Dora .

David finds that Traddles is now a boarder with Mr. and Mrs. Micawber. Upon learning that Barkis is on the point of death, he returns to Yarmouth. After Barkis’s funeral, Emily runs away with Steerforth, and Mr. Peggotty vows to find her. David returns to London and becomes engaged to Dora. Miss Betsey unexpectedly arrives with the news that she has been financially ruined as a result of Uriah Heep’s partnership with Wickfield. To add to his income, David begins working for Doctor Strong as a secretary, and at Traddles’s suggestion he starts reporting on parliamentary debates for newspapers; later he also writes fiction.

Uriah Heep hires Mr. Micawber as a clerk. Eventually, David marries Dora. After she suffers a miscarriage, she never regains her strength and she dies. During this time Emily returns to London after being abandoned in Naples by Steerforth. One day Mr. Micawber, in concert with David and Traddles (who is now a lawyer), confronts Uriah Heep with detailed evidence that he has been cheating Wickfield and was responsible for Miss Betsey’s losses; Heep is required to return the money. Plans are then made for Mr. and Mrs. Micawber to join Mr. Peggotty and Emily when they immigrate to Australia to make a fresh start. Ahead of the departure, David goes to Yarmouth to deliver a letter from Emily to Ham, but a dangerous storm arises. Several ships are lost, and one shipwreck occurs close enough to shore that Ham tries to swim out and save the last two survivors. Ham drowns, and, when the body of one of the sailors is washed ashore, it proves to be Steerforth. David spends the next three years in continental Europe, and, when he returns, he marries Agnes.

A complex exploration of psychological development , David Copperfield —a favourite of Sigmund Freud —succeeds in combining elements of fairy tale with the open-ended form of the bildungsroman . The fatherless child’s idyllic infancy is abruptly shattered by the patriarchal “firmness” of his stepfather, Mr. Murdstone. David’s suffering is traced through his early years, his marriage to his “child-wife,” Dora, and his assumption of a mature middle-class identity as he finally learns to tame his “undisciplined heart.” The narrative evokes the act of recollection while investigating the nature of memory itself. David’s development is set beside other fatherless sons, while the punitive Mr. Murdstone is counterposed to the carnivalesque Mr. Micawber.

Dickens also probed the anxieties that surround the relationships between class and gender. This is particularly evident in the seduction of working-class Emily by Steerforth and in the designs on the saintly Agnes by Uriah Heep as well as in David’s move from the infantilized sexuality of Dora to the domesticated rationality of Agnes in his own quest for a family.

Notable adaptations of David Copperfield included a 1935 film starring Freddie Bartholomew , Basil Rathbone , Lionel Barrymore , and W.C. Fields ; a 1970 British television movie featuring performances by Ron Moody, Ralph Richardson , Michael Redgrave , and Laurence Olivier ; and a well-regarded 1999 BBC miniseries starring Daniel Radcliffe .

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Book Reviews on...

David copperfield, by charles dickens.

David Copperfield was Charles Dickens’s own favourite amongst his novels, based in part on events in his life. Sigmund Freud thought it was so good that he gave the book to his fiancée.

Dickens had a background in theatre, and while his books are long, they work well read out loud. The audiobook of David Copperfield is brilliantly narrated by actor Richard Armitage.

Recommendations from our site

“That famous Victorian imperative: “Make ’em laugh; make ’em cry; make ’em wait.” It does all that in that spades.” Read more...

The Best Charles Dickens Books

Jenny Hartley , Biographer

Other books by Charles Dickens

The mystery of edwin drood by charles dickens, the pickwick papers by charles dickens, what christmas is as we grow older by charles dickens, a christmas carol: and other stories by charles dickens, a christmas carol by charles dickens, nicholas nickleby by charles dickens, our most recommended books, on liberty by john stuart mill, war and peace by leo tolstoy, middlemarch by george eliot, nineteen eighty-four by george orwell, the confessions by augustine (translated by maria boulding), republic by plato.

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David Copperfield by Charles Dickens | Summary, Analysis, Adaptations, & Facts

“David Copperfield” is a classic novel written by the renowned English author Charles Dickens. It was first published as a serial between 1849 and 1850 and later compiled into a single volume. The novel follows the life of its titular character, David Copperfield, as he navigates through various trials and tribulations, reflecting the social and economic landscape of Victorian England.

Table of Contents

Background of Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens, born in 1812, was one of the most prominent literary figures of the 19th century. His works often depicted the struggles of the lower and middle classes in Victorian society, shedding light on social injustices and advocating for reform. Dickens’s writing style combined wit, humor, and sharp social commentary, earning him widespread acclaim during his lifetime and beyond.

Summary of David Copperfield

• Early Life of David Copperfield: The novel begins with David’s birth and early childhood, marked by tragedy and hardship. After the death of his father, David is sent to live with his cruel stepfather, Mr. Murdstone, and his stern sister, Jane Murdstone.
• David’s Struggles and Adventures: Throughout his youth, David encounters a series of challenges, including abuse, poverty, and loss. Despite these hardships, he perseveres and eventually escapes his oppressive home environment.
• Romantic Entanglements: David experiences various romantic relationships, including his infatuation with the beautiful but frivolous Dora Spenlow and his eventual marriage to the strong and independent Agnes Wickfield.
• Career Pursuits: David embarks on a journey of self-discovery, trying his hand at various professions, including law and journalism. Along the way, he encounters a colorful cast of characters who shape his worldview and aspirations.
• Final Resolution: The novel culminates in David’s realization of his true calling as a writer and his reunion with loved ones, marking a triumph of personal growth and redemption.

Analysis of Themes

• Bildungsroman Elements: “David Copperfield” is often regarded as a Bildungsroman, or a coming-of-age novel, as it chronicles the protagonist’s growth and maturation over time.
• Social Critique: Dickens uses the novel to critique the societal norms and injustices of Victorian England, particularly regarding class disparities and the plight of the poor.
• Personal Growth and Identity: David’s journey is marked by his quest for self-discovery and identity formation, as he learns to navigate the complexities of adulthood and societal expectations.
• Symbolism: The novel employs various symbols and motifs, such as the sea and the kite, to convey deeper themes and emotions.

Literary Style and Techniques

• Narrative Structure: “David Copperfield” is narrated in the first person, allowing readers to delve into the protagonist’s thoughts and emotions.
• Characterization: Dickens excels at creating vivid and memorable characters, each with their own quirks, flaws, and motivations.
• Use of Language: The author’s rich and evocative language brings the settings and characters to life, immersing readers in the world of 19th-century England.
• Symbolism and Imagery: Dickens employs symbolism and imagery to imbue the narrative with deeper meaning and resonance.

Adaptations of David Copperfield

• Film Adaptations: The novel has been adapted into several film adaptations, including a 1935 MGM production starring Freddie Bartholomew as David Copperfield and a 1999 version directed by Peter Medak.
• Television Adaptations: Various television adaptations have been produced, including a 1966 BBC series and a 1986 adaptation featuring Daniel Radcliffe in his acting debut.
• Stage Adaptations: “David Copperfield” has also been adapted for the stage, with notable productions including a musical adaptation by Lionel Bart in 1966.

Impact and Legacy

• Cultural Significance: “David Copperfield” remains one of Dickens’s most beloved and enduring works, praised for its timeless themes and vivid characters.
• Influence on Literature and Media: The novel has inspired countless adaptations, spin-offs, and references in literature, film, and popular culture, cementing its status as a literary classic.

Interesting Facts about David Copperfield

• Charles Dickens drew inspiration from his own life experiences and upbringing while writing “David Copperfield,” infusing the narrative with autobiographical elements.
• The character of David Copperfield is often considered a literary alter ego for Dickens himself, reflecting the author’s own struggles and triumphs.

In conclusion, “David Copperfield” by Charles Dickens stands as a timeless masterpiece of English literature, offering a compelling portrait of Victorian society and the human experience. Through its rich characters, engaging plot, and profound themes, the novel continues to captivate readers and inspire generations of writers and artists.

READ MORE : 

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Is “David Copperfield” based on a true story?

While “David Copperfield” draws inspiration from Charles Dickens’s own life, it is a work of fiction.

What is the significance of the novel’s title?

The title “David Copperfield” reflects the protagonist’s journey of self-discovery and identity formation, akin to the process of “making one’s own way” in life.

How does “David Copperfield” reflect the social issues of Victorian England?

The novel critiques various social injustices, including poverty, child labor, and class disparities, shedding light on the harsh realities of Victorian society.

What makes “David Copperfield” a Bildungsroman?

“David Copperfield” follows the protagonist’s growth and maturation from childhood to adulthood, chronicling his experiences, trials, and eventual triumphs.

What adaptations of “David Copperfield” are worth watching?

While there are many adaptations of the novel, the 1999 film directed by Peter Medak and the 1986 television series featuring Daniel Radcliffe are among the most acclaimed.

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David Copperfield by Charles Dickens – Book Review

The classics, Dear Reader! They possess a foundational cultural force, are the prism through which we can understand much about a society at a certain point in time, and are often inextricably linked with imperial values (you can find more about this last point in Frank Kermode’s book, The Classic , as David Damrosch points out in the introduction to his seminal work, What is World Literature ). Such is the case with the novel I am reviewing today, the fictional David Copperfield that is nevertheless linked to its author’s life by a number of incidents. I’ve written about Charles Dickens on this blog before, often in relation to Bleak House , which I consider one of the seminal works of Victorian literature; now, I can claim the same for this one.

David Copperfield is as different from Bleak House as any two books by a talented writer can be – that is to say, it is the same in the poignant wit and high quality at the level of the sentence, in the wryness and the author’s ability to draw tears from a stone, while quite different in the novel’s preoccupations. Bleak House was more what we’d refer to as an encyclopedic novel whose ambition was to encapsulate all of Victorian London in Dickens’ historical moment. This ambition, the author succeeds in – and with the greatest relish. With Copperfield , the ambition is a different one.

This novel is among the finest examples of a bildungsroman you’ll ever find – that is to say, a novel of development, following its principal character from childhood all the way into adulthood. The trials and tribulations of mas’r David Copperfield across the extent of his life were to me what a deadly roller coaster is to an adrenaline junkie – fun! That is not to say I didn’t shed bitter tears on numerous occasions, for I did, indeed; David endures cruelty and negligence, bitterness and disappointment on a scale of nauseating intensity. From the fate of his poor mother to his treatment by a cruel and villainous stepfather; through his schooling and growth under the steady gaze of a patient benefactor, his friendship with both worthy and unworthy companions; his choices in love; those elements and more make up the life of David Copperfield.

Dickens weaves an impressive tapestry of characters around Copperfield, every last one of them memorable. If you judge every character by flatness and three-dimensionality, you would certainly find a good few of even the major supporting characters to be one-note. Agnes, for example, infinitely good and kind and wise, is just such a one – yet it is difficult not to feel for this idealized version of the Victorian middle-class woman, considering all she has to endure. Other characters, such as David’s childhood friend Steerforth, are considerably more nuanced, their nature more visible to the reader than it is to the novel’s protagonist.

This is one of the quintessential first-person narratives, crafted with a mastery that time has not robbed of its potency in the least. There are many reasons Charles Dickens continues to be regarded as one of the pillars of his time, as one of the most important novelists in history and each of these can be found in the pages of David Copperfield .

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Book Review | David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

Posted June 27, 2024 by Haze in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

‘Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show’ Dickens’s epic, exuberant novel is one of the greatest coming-of-age stories in literature. It chronicles David Copperfield’s extraordinary journey through life, as he encounters villains, saviours, eccentrics and grotesques, including the wicked Mr Murdstone, stout-hearted Peggotty, formidable Betsey Trotwood, impecunious Micawber and odious Uriah Heep. Dickens’s great  Bildungsroman  (based, in part, on his own boyhood, and which he described as a ‘favourite child’) is a work filled with life, both comic and tragic.

For the Reading Challenge(s): 2024 52 Book Club Reading Challenge  (Prompt #23: The other book with a similar plot) 2024 Audiobook Challenge The Classics Club

I’ve been wanting to read more Dickens, and I guess all the raving reviews about Demon Copperhead and the similarities between these two books encouraged me to pick them both up sooner rather than later! It also helped that they fit the 52 Book Club Challenge , and I was also doing The Classics Club challenge!

“I never could have done what I have done, without the habits of punctuality, order, and diligence, without the determination to concentrate myself on one object at a time.” “There can be no disparity in marriage like unsuitability of mind and purpose.” “It’s in vain to recall the past, unless it works some influence upon the present.” “It has always been in my observation of human nature, that a man who has any good reason to believe in himself never flourishes himself before the faces of other people in order that they may believe in him. For this reason, I retained my modesty in very self” “My advice is, never do tomorrow what you can do today. Procrastination is the thief of time.”

The Narrator(s)

Richard Armitage. Oh, I have such mixed feelings! Intellectually, I feel like the narrator did such an amazing job and is incredibly talented. Emotionally, I hate his voices for some of the characters because they are just so vile and annoying and disgusting! Which are entirely suitable to those characters and brought them to life for me, both a good and bad thing because oh, I hated them!

My Thoughts

It’s weird because my thoughts about this book I think will be forever linked to my thoughts about Demon Copperhead . This book has existed for way longer than Demon Copperhead and has been on my radar before Demon Copperhead was ever written, but since I heard so much hype about Demon Copperhead and ended up reading it first, I almost feel like it’s a duology, each taking place centuries apart.

I had no idea what either book was about, and I had no idea to what extent Demon Copperhead was similar to David Copperfield , so everything was still a surprise to me as I read it. I also thought both books were brilliant, but to be quite honest, my respect and admiration for Barbara Kingsolver has gone up after reading David Copperfield and seeing how she incorporated all the elements of the story into Demon Copperhead . They are both incredible books, and I’m very likely to reread both sometime down the line soon.

This is a gorgeous book, and in some ways, I regret not reading it before Demon Copperhead because I would’ve liked to have seen it from a fresh perspective, especially since it came first. But either way, I’m glad I read both. I feel like this book has its ups and downs, but it feels more hopeful, and I love that.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

Tags: 2024 52 book club , 2024 audiobook challenge , 5 stars , charles dickens , classics , david copperfield , demon copperhead , the classics club

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Book Review | David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

Some one thousand plus pages later (depending on which edition you read), it’s a pretty accurate description. Beginning just before his birth, with David telling the story as it was related to him, the first-person account ends sometime in Copperfield’s mid-life. From his orphaned childhood to step-parents with less than scrupulous morality, David’s childhood has all the hallmarks of 19th century England, at least in so far as it is portrayed by Dickens, the Bronte sisters, or George Elliot (or even Victor Hugo, who finished Les Miserables in Britain’s Guernsey). Orphans, step-parents, premature death (as in, death by some means other than of old age), the conflict between marriages for love and for money, and the constant worries about annual income, debt, and debtor’s prison all make their appearance in David Copperfield.

When I first began reading David Copperfield , I bemoaned the length. I was reminded by another friend (who knew I had so many friends…and friends that read Dickens?) that unlike more recently written novels, 19th century writers like Copperfield (and Thackery) would publish their stories in serial format. Essentially, I was binge reading the 19th century equivalent of Netflix. Indeed.

Regardless, it is a long read, and there are times when it feels like it, as well. On the other hand, if you understand that it was read in weekly (or bi-weekly?) installments, by people whose light was limited to what was afforded by coal, oil, candle, or daylight, and this was the cutting edge of entertainment–the boob tube was still a century away–then the length takes on a different perspective. We are growing with Copperfield, sharing his travails as his mother is forced to send him away to boarding school, his adventures as he sets off on the road, alone and nearly penniless, to find a long-lost aunt who spurned him at birth upon discovering that he was, much to her dismay, a boy instead of a girl, and the warm flush of young love, as well as the loss of love’s labors lost…it’s a regular, serialized drama, fit for the age.

That said, it doesn’t lose much it’s shine, though the style took some time for me to warm to. By the end, though, if just be the sheer number of pages during which I’ve been in his head, Copperfield is a friend, and I was a bit sad to put down the book. Dickens’ world is small, even while it reflects a much larger world “out there,” and the universe of characters is finite and all of them will play a role in his protagonist’s life (a character who, in himself, often seems to echo Dickens’ own self-conception). Dickens gives each their own story that is both connected to and separate from the others. Their voices are distinct, proving Dickens’ ear for dialect, class, and education, not to mention character. I loved to hear the eccentricities of Betsey Trotwood’s aversion to donkeys in her yard, Wilkins Micawber’s elaborate way of speaking, the sniveling of the villainous Uriah Heep, and the contrasts between innocent Dora Spenlow and the “girl next door” Agnes Wickfield. Through both tragedy and triumph, all get their just deserts in way that is satisfying, if more trite than we might expect in a modern novel. But this is not a modern novel–it is a reflection of an age when life was short and brutal, when England ruled the waves, and literature was still a rare occupation. As such, it’s a rare treasure, a classic, and appreciable for the window it opens on an age now past.

David Copperfield is the story of a young man’s adventures on his journey from an unhappy & impoverished childhood to the discovery of his vocation as a successful novelist. Among the gloriously vivid cast of characters he encounters are his tyrannical stepfather, Mr Murdstone; his formidable aunt, Betsey Trotwood; the eternally humble yet treacherous Uriah Heep; frivolous, enchanting Dora; & the magnificently impecunious Micawber, one of literature’s great comic creations. In David Copperfield —the novel he described as his “favorite child”—Dickens drew revealingly on his own experiences to create one of his most exuberant & enduringly popular works, filled with tragedy & comedy in equal measure.  Originally published as a monthly serial, from 4/1849 to 11/1850.

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Dan Burton lives in Millcreek, Utah, where he practices law by day and everything else by night. He reads about history, politics, science, medicine, and current events, as well as more serious genres such as science fiction and fantasy.

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David Copperfield

Introduction.

Charles Dickens, an important English novelist of the nineteenth century, was born on February 7th, 1812 at Portsmouth, Hampshire, in London and died on 9 June 1870. He is renowned as one of the greatest novelist of the Victorian period. His most important works include Great Expectations, Bleak House, A Christmas Carol, Our Mutual Friend, and David Copperfield. Dickens relished extensive fame throughout his lifespan than any previous author ever had.

David Copperfield Summary

With the sudden death of his mother and her newborn baby, David’s school life ends. After returning home, he finds out that his servant has been dismissed by his step-father and she is gone away with the insufficient but serious courtship of Barkis, a stage driver and marries him. In his former house, David finds himself friendless. Murdstone, for his interest, soon put him to work in a trade warehouse in London.

Miss Betsey advice David to take some time before deciding for a profession after he finishes school at the age of seventeen. David meets Steerforth, his former schoolmate, on way to his visit to Peggoty, and goes to his home. At Steerforth’s home, he meets his mother and Steerforth’s beloved, Rosa Dartle, who still carries the scar of Steerforth’s struck.

David Copperfield Characters Analysis

Clara copperfield, edward murdstone, jane murdstone.

She is Mr. Murdstone’s sister, who is more like her brother. She is a highly suspicious lady, having a harsh and unbending nature.

Clara Peggotty

Daniel peggotty, ham peggotty, little em’ly.

She is adopted daughter and niece of Mr. Peggotty. She is a beautiful and charming girl and David’s first love. She is engaged to may Ham, however, run away with Steerforth. She was soon discarded by him and shifted to Australia with her uncle Peggotty.

Mrs. Gummidge

Miss betsey trotwood, richard bailey, dora spenlow, agnes wickfield.

She is the daughter of Miss Betsey’s lawyer and David’s good friend. David is a great admirer of Agnes’ father, however, his admiration soon transfers to her. She is a lovable and generous lady who nurses Dora Copperfield during her fatal condition. She sympathizes and consoles David on Dora’s death. After David’s return from Europe, she marries him.

Wilkins Micawber

Mrs. emma micawber, master wilkins and miss emma, james steerforth, mrs. steerforth, rosa dartle, miss mowcher, markham and grainger, francis spenlow, miss clarissa spenlow and miss lavinia spenlow, mr. jorkins, mary anne paragon, mr. wickfield, mr. creakle, mrs. creakle, miss creakle, charles mell, george demple, thomas traddles, miss sophy crewler, the reverend horace crewler.

He is a poor clergyman. He fathers a larger family of a daughter only.

Mrs. Crewler

Caroline crewler, sarah crewler, louisa crewler, lucy crewler, and margaret crewler, mrs. strong, mrs. markleham.

She is the mother of Mrs. Strong. Mrs. She is titled “Old Soldier” by the boys at Canterbury school.

Mr. Quinion

Mealy potatoes and mick walker, miss larkins, miss shepherd, martha endell, jack maldon, themes in david copperfield, the trouble of the feeble, impartiality in marriage.

On the other hand, Dickens condemns characters who endeavor to entreat a sense of dominance over their partners. In order to improve David’s mother character, Mr. Murdstone crushes her spirit. He forces her into submission for the sake of improvement that results in her quietness and disenfranchised character. In comparison, though Doctor Strong does the effort to develop Annie’s personality, he does so with love and respect, not to evoke a sense of superiority.

Wealth and Class

David copperfield literary analysis.

David  Copperfield  is a complex investigation of psychological development that makes it Freud’s favorite. The novel flourishes in the merging elements of a fairy tale with open-ended maturation process of the protagonist. The novels display the idea of a fatherless child whose tranquil childhood is disturbed by the masculine control of his stepfather.

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David Copperfield

David copperfield by charles dickens.

Last Updated on September 23, 2021

David Copperfield was Dickens’s eighth novel.  Like many of his other novels, it was first published as a serial. The first installment was published in May of 1849. The last installment was issued in November of 1850.

The novel held a special place in Dickens’s heart. In the preface to the 1867 edition, Dickens wrote, “like many fond parents, I have in my heart of hearts a favourite child. And his name is David Copperfield.”

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Dickens’s Life at the Time

Death in the family – fanny dickens, autobiographical elements of david copperfield, themes of david copperfield, quotations from david copperfield, david copperfield characters, david copperfield matching quiz.

Frontispiece of the first edition of The Haunted Man from 1848

In July of 1848 Dickens’s sister, Fanny, was terminally ill.  She died in September of that year.  

The Haunted Man , his last Christmas book was published in December of 1848.

In January of 1849 Dickens began to write David Copperfield.  His son Henry Fielding Dickens was born that month too.

In August of 1850 daughter, Dora Annie Dickens was born.  She was named after Dora in David Copperfield .

Fanny Dickens around 1842

In 1848 Dickens’s beloved sister, Fanny was terminally ill.  She had been his childhood companion, the model for Fan in A Christmas Carol and now she was dying of consumption.

Her death was painful and lingering.  She finally passed away in September of 1848. 

After her death, Dickens and some of his friends went on a walking tour of some of Dickens’s childhood haunts.  His thoughts naturally turned to Fanny and to their childhood.

It seems natural that in early 1849 he began to write what he later called his favorite child, the novel David Copperfield .

1839 Portrait of Charles Dickens by Daniel Maclise

David Copperfield contains many autobiographical elements.  At a surface level, it is easy to notice that even the name of the main character, David Copperfield, has the inverted initials of its author, Charles Dickens.

David’s employment at Murdstone and Grinby’s is drawn from Dickens’s own painful experiences at Warren’s Blacking Factory. 

Even their careers, reporter and then novelist , are similar. 

Maria Beadnell

David’s love for Dora Spenlow is modeled after Dickens’s youthful fascination for Maria Beadnell .

Various versions of Dickens’s parents surface in the novel. 

John Dickens, the father of Charles Dickens

Both his father and Mr. Micawber were imprisoned for debt.  Mr. Dick, good-hearted but unable to deal with the world, may represent another incarnation of Dickens’s father.

Elizabeth Dickens, the mother of Charles Dickens

The character of David’s pretty, young mother was inspired by Dickens’s mother.  Elizabeth Dickens attended a ball on the very night she gave birth to her son Charles.  

Perhaps the death of David’s mother represented the change Dickens felt toward his mother when she was eager for him to work at Warren’s Blacking Factory .

David Copperfield and Dora Spenlow

The novel is an example of a bildungsroman.  That’s a type of novel that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the principal character during their formative years.    To Kill A Mockingbird , Little Women , Jane Eyre and the Harry Potter novels are other examples of bildungsromans. 

Dickens, through the voice of David Copperfield, shares with us some of the values that he believed lead to his success in life:

My meaning simply is, that whatever I have tried to do in life, I have tried with all my heart to do well; that whatever I have devoted myself to, I have devoted myself to completely; that in great aims and in small, I have always been thoroughly in earnest.

I have been very fortunate in worldly matters; many men have worked much harder, and not succeeded half so well; but I never could have done what I have done, without the habits of punctuality, order, and diligence, without the determination to concentrate myself on one object at a time, no matter how quickly its successor should come upon its heels, which I then formed.

Some happy talent, and some fortunate opportunity, may form the two sides of the ladder on which some men mount, but the rounds of that ladder must be made of stuff to stand wear and tear; and there is no substitute for thorough-going, ardent, and sincere earnestness.

More About David Copperfield

Book Review: David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

Now I come to review it I barely know where to start.  It such an epic tome with so much packed into those 1000 pages, that I’m actually a little lost for words.  I didn’t come to David Copperfield as a Dickens newbie.  I’m not an extensive reader of Dickens but I’ve read Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol (often) and Great Expectations, which I love.  I did come to it though as some one who is used to whizzing through books quite quickly, and David Copperfield is not a book to whizz through.  Much earlier in the year, January to be exact, realising that I didn’t read too many classics I set myself the task of reading 5 classics of literature before the end of 2016. David Copperfield was one of those 5.  I chose it  because it was Dickens own personal favourite of all his novels.  This seemed like a good recommendation.

As the title might suggest this is the story of David Copperfield.  It spans his journey through life from orphan to doting husband, and successful author, chronicling his adventures and  the myriad of characters he meets along the way. All told in his own words.

“I have elsewhere said, this narrative is my written memory.  I have desired to keep the most secret current of my mind apart and to the last I enter it now”

As with all Dickens the characters are key and there are some truly awful characters  here.  The wicked stepfather Mr Murdstone, the abhorrent Uriah Heep and dare I say it I struggled to feel any affection for the simpering child bride Dora and felt none at all for her dreadful yappy dog Jip.  However as an antidote, there are also characters such as Mr and Mrs Micawber of whom I could not get enough of.  His particular eccentricities which were particularly endearing.

“He had provided himself among other things with a complete suit of oil-skin, and a straw-hat with a very low crown pitched or caulked on the outside.  In this rough clothing, with a common mariners telescope under his arm, and a shrewd trick of casting up his eye at the sky s looking out for dirty weather, he was far more nautical, after his manner than Mr Peggotty.  His whole family, if I may so express it were cleared for action”

There are so many events and characters in this novel that I sometimes found it hard to keep track of what had gone before but that is more my issue with attention span and amnesia than it is Dickens ability to write in an engaging way.  David Copperfield was engaging and I got to the end of it feeling very pleased to have read it and been immersed in Dickensian England with its poverty, excesses and complicated goings on.  I’m not sure what my next Dickens read will be but I may go for something a little shorter.

I’m so glad you stuck it out to the end! I’ve recently finished David Copperfield, and I absolutely loved it. It was my first Dickens, and it was one heck of an introduction to the master 😉 He’s absolutely masterful (if perhaps maybe a smidge wordy). I’d be interested to hear what you read from him next – I’m hoping to cross Our Mutual Friend and Bleak House off my list before long, both come highly recommended. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, always great to hear what others think of your favourites! 🙂

Hi Sheree, thanks for stopping by. I agree Dickens is masterful, his writing is always worth sticking with. Great Expectations is probably my favourite of the few I have read. Bleak House is definitely on my TBR list. Great to discover you blog, i’m very impressed by your List, some great books feature on it.

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David Copperfield

Charles dickens.

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David Copperfield states his intention to tell the story of his life, beginning from the very moment of his birth. This takes place six months after the death of his father (also named David Copperfield). David's earliest memories are of a happy, makeshift family consisting of himself, his mother Clara , and the motherly housekeeper, Peggotty . When David is seven or eight years old, however, Clara begins to spend a great deal of time with a man named Mr. Murdstone , whom David instinctively dislikes and fears. Eventually, Peggotty takes David on a trip to see her brother, Mr. Peggotty , who is a fisherman in Yarmouth. David enjoys the visit—particularly Mr. Peggotty's niece, little Em'ly , whom David becomes infatuated with. When he and Peggotty return home, however, David learns that his mother and Mr. Murdstone have married, and that Mr. Murdstone's sister, Miss Murdstone , has come to live with them. Both Mr. and Miss Murdstone are bullies determined to have their way, and they use David as a pawn in their efforts to train Clara to behave "firmly."

The Murdstones spitefully send David away to a boarding school run by an abusive headmaster named Mr. Creakle . David's time at the school is not entirely unhappy, as he befriends Tommy Traddles , a kindhearted boy, and James Steerforth , an older, wealthy, and charismatic student who takes David under his wing. David's schooling ends abruptly, however, when he hears that both his mother and her new baby have died.

After Clara's funeral, Mr. Murdstone puts David to work in a London counting-house that he owns. David is miserable and longs to continue with his education. The one bright spot in his life is the Micawbers: an impoverished but good-natured family David lodges with. However, Mr. Micawber eventually moves his family to the country in the hopes of securing a job and digging himself out of debt. Now entirely alone, David decides to run away and throw himself on his great-aunt's mercy. After a difficult journey entirely on foot, David makes it to Dover and finds Miss Betsey 's cottage. She is initially unsure of what to do with him, but when the Murdstones pay Miss Betsey a visit, she lectures them for abusing David and driving Clara to her death. Showing the Murdstones to the door, she then announces that she and Mr. Dick —a mentally disabled man who lives with her—will be David's guardians going forward.

Miss Betsey places David in a school run by a kindly, absent-minded man named Doctor Strong . Because the school is in Canterbury, David lodges with Miss Betsey's lawyer, Mr. Wickfield . David becomes good friends with Wickfield's daughter Agnes —a kind and patient girl who is devoted to her widower father. However, David is somewhat unnerved by the presence of Mr. Wickfield's clerk and apprentice, Uriah Heep , who has a cloying and self-deprecating demeanor.

One day, while passing through London, David runs into Steerforth. David visits Steerforth's home, where he meets both Steerforth's mother, Mrs. Steerforth , and a young, sarcastic woman named Rosa Dartle —Steerforth’s cousin, who has a scar on her face from a time when Steerforth threw a hammer at her. Steerforth then accompanies David to visit the Peggottys. While at Mr. Peggotty's, David learns that Emily is now engaged to her cousin Ham . Unfortunately, David does not notice that Emily doesn't seem especially happy about the engagement, or that both she and Steerforth seem taken with one another—even when Steerforth buys a boat and names it the Little Em'ly .

David takes up Miss Betsey's suggestion that he become apprenticed to a proctor. She takes him to meet a proctor named Francis Spenlow and then helps him find a room to rent in London. He eventually visits Agnes and learns that her home life is in disarray: Mr. Wickfield is now drinking more than ever thanks to the encouragement of Uriah, who has positioned himself to become Wickfield's partner.

David encounters Uriah himself shortly after this conversation and learns that he intends on marrying Agnes—something that makes David almost murderously angry. He is soon distracted, however, by falling deliriously in love with Mr. Spenlow's daughter, Dora —a sweet but pampered girl. He also reconnects with Traddles (now studying to be a lawyer and saving to marry his fiancée, Sophy Crewler ) and Mr. Micawber, who is as plagued by financial difficulties as ever and has somehow roped Traddles into them.

David receives word that Peggotty’s husband, Barkis , is dying, so David travels to Yarmouth. After Barkis dies, his family discovers that he had managed to save up quite a bit of money, so Peggotty travels to London to sort out the will, with plans to meet David and her family at Mr. Peggotty's that night. Ham shows up late and distraught, with a letter from Emily explaining that she has run away with Steerforth in order to become a "lady." Mr. Peggoty and David travel to London to speak with Steerforth's mother, who is unsympathetic. She offers Mr. Peggotty money for the loss of his niece and complains bitterly of the rift Steerforth's actions have caused within her own family.

David returns to London to see Dora, and the two eventually become secretly engaged. Not long afterwards, David returns to his lodgings one evening to find Mr. Dick and Miss Betsey, who confesses that she is "ruined." Miss Betsey explains that she lost her money in a string of bad investments. Mr. Wickfield and Uriah Heep stop by later, and David is dismayed to see that Wickfield looks sicker and more beaten down than ever.

Although David is working harder than ever, his relationship with Dora suffers two setbacks. First, he tries to impress upon her that his financial circumstances have changed, and that it would therefore be helpful if she learned a bit about doing housework and keeping accounts—a suggestion that only upsets Dora. Worse yet, Mr. Spenlow angrily rejects his daughter's engagement. Shortly after this, Mr. Spenlow dies of a sudden "fit," and is revealed to have been deeply in debt at the time of his death.

On his aunt's request, David goes to Dover to see what is going on at her cottage, which is being let out. This gives David an opportunity to visit the Micawbers (Mr. Micawber now works for Uriah) and observe Uriah's influence on the Wickfield household firsthand: Mr. Wickfield is visibly enraged when Uriah brings up the possibility of marrying Agnes but also says he is powerless to do anything about his "torturer" Uriah and speaks bitterly of his own failings and weaknesses. Agnes, meanwhile, is increasingly sad and anxious but helpfully offers David advice on how to court Dora.

David and Traddles visit Dora's aunts, who agree to allow David to pay visits to Dora but not become engaged to her (at least not yet). Meanwhile, David learns of more "mischief" on Uriah's part: he has insinuated to Doctor Strong that his young wife, Annie , is having an affair with her cousin Jack Maldon —a misunderstanding only resolved years later, when Mr. Dick takes it upon himself to clear the air between Doctor and Mrs. Strong. What's more, David receives a letter from Mrs. Micawber saying that her husband has become cold and distant since he began working for Uriah.

Time passes, and David and Dora are finally able to marry. While the couple is generally happy together, it gradually becomes clear that David expects more of Dora than she can give him. David attempts to instruct her several times on how to run a household, but this distresses her, and he always gives up. Dora eventually becomes pregnant, but either miscarries or gives birth to a child that dies almost immediately. The experience weakens her physically, and David slowly comes to terms with the realization that his marriage will never meet his expectations.

Meanwhile, through Rosa Dartle and Steerforth's servant, Littimer , David learns that Steerforth eventually grew tired of Emily and attempted to marry her off to Littimer, but Emily escaped. David and Mr. Peggotty track down Martha Endell —a "fallen" woman Emily was once kind to—and ask her to be on the lookout for Emily. Martha eventually succeeds and leads Mr. Peggotty and David to Emily. Mr. Peggotty later informs David that he intends to take her with him to Australia to start a new life.

Shortly after this, David, Miss Betsey, and Traddles travel to Dover for a meeting that Mr. Micawber has requested. Agnes, Uriah, and Mrs. Heep are also present at this meeting. Mr. Micawber reveals everything he knows about Uriah Heep's underhanded dealings: that Uriah forced Micawber to work for him by loaning him money, and that Uriah encouraged Mr. Wickfield's alcoholism in order to blackmail him over a series of illegal business dealings Wickfield had ostensibly entered into (but which Uriah himself was in fact guilty of, having forged Mr. Wickfield's signature). Mr. Micawber explains that he has documents proving his claims, and Uriah is ultimately forced to relinquish total control of the partnership to Mr. Wickfield.

Soon, Dora dies, but David is too preoccupied dealing with the fallout from Mr. Micawber's revelations to properly mourn her death. The Micawbers are as impoverished as ever and have decided to seek their fortunes in Australia along with Mr. Peggotty, little Em'ly, Martha, and Mrs. Gummidge. Before David sees them off, he travels to Yarmouth to deliver a message from Emily to Ham. As David arrives in Yarmouth, a storm is blowing in from the sea, and he eventually learns of a shipwreck along the coast. When David travels down to the beach, he sees Ham hard at work trying to rescue those on board only to drown in the attempt. Not long afterwards, the body of one of the ship's passengers washes ashore, and David realizes it is Steerforth.

David spends roughly a year traveling around Europe in an attempt to recover and gradually comes to the realization that he is in love with Agnes. When David returns to England, Agnes and David resume their friendship and eventually declare their love for one another. They marry, and the narrative skips ahead ten years to a visit from Mr. Peggotty, who has achieved modest financial success as a farmer. He says that Emily did eventually learn about Ham’s death, but that she is generally doing well.

David closes his account by reflecting fondly on those closest to him—including Miss Betsey, Mr. Dick, Peggotty, and Traddles—and the role they continue to play in his life. He contrasts this with images of the superficial high society people like Jack Maldon inhabit, and with the mutual animosity and loss that binds Mrs. Steerforth and Rosa Dartle together. Above all, though, David is thankful for Agnes, and he prays that he will see her even as he dies, guiding him "upward."

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David Copperfield

Charles dickens , alberto pez  ( illustrator ).

45 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2000

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Charles Dickens

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