I have been meaning to read David Copperfield since high school back in the 1960s. But I always found it to be rather daunting at over 800 pages in somewhat small print. But I decided to finally tackle it after over 50 years. I read a leather-bound Franklin edition that I have had on my shelves for many years along with most of Dickens' other works (most of which still need to be read).
David Copperfield is regarded as Dickens' most autobiographical work. It tells of David's childhood where he is tormented by his stepfather, Murdstone, by sending him to a very harsh school and then working in Murdstone's warehouse under very rough conditions. David goes on to work as a proctor and eventually finds happiness but his journey is long and filled with disappointments along the way.
The novel contains some of Dickens' most memorable characters, both good and evil. These include Mr. Murdstone who marries David's widowed mother and is the bane of David's existence as a boy; David's Aunt Betsey Trotwood who was present at David's birth and was expecting a girl so left when she was told the baby was a boy (she later came to David's rescue and helped him through school); Clara Peggoty, servant of the Copperfield family and a lifelong companion to David; Steerforth, a friend to David when he attended the early harsh school but who later was not the friend David thought he was; Mr. Macawber, who is always in debt but thinks something will always turn up for the better; Mr. Wickfield, lawyer to David's aunt; Agnes Wickfield, daughter of Mr. Wickfield and later marries David; Uriah Heep, clerk for the Wickfield's who commits fraud to get what he wants. And many, many more...
Okay, this was a very long novel and at some points, I almost gave up on it. As with many other novels of the time, it is filled with coincidences where certain characters come into the story when they had seemed to go elsewhere. It is basically, a story of good and evil and of course good triumphs in the end. The well-meaning characters are rewarded, while the evil characters are punished or killed. Overall, I was glad I stuck with this but I doubt if I'll be reading another Dickens novel anytime soon!
David Copperfield is regarded as Dickens' most autobiographical work. It tells of David's childhood where he is tormented by his stepfather, Murdstone, by sending him to a very harsh school and then working in Murdstone's warehouse under very rough conditions. David goes on to work as a proctor and eventually finds happiness but his journey is long and filled with disappointments along the way.
The novel contains some of Dickens' most memorable characters, both good and evil. These include Mr. Murdstone who marries David's widowed mother and is the bane of David's existence as a boy; David's Aunt Betsey Trotwood who was present at David's birth and was expecting a girl so left when she was told the baby was a boy (she later came to David's rescue and helped him through school); Clara Peggoty, servant of the Copperfield family and a lifelong companion to David; Steerforth, a friend to David when he attended the early harsh school but who later was not the friend David thought he was; Mr. Macawber, who is always in debt but thinks something will always turn up for the better; Mr. Wickfield, lawyer to David's aunt; Agnes Wickfield, daughter of Mr. Wickfield and later marries David; Uriah Heep, clerk for the Wickfield's who commits fraud to get what he wants. And many, many more...
Okay, this was a very long novel and at some points, I almost gave up on it. As with many other novels of the time, it is filled with coincidences where certain characters come into the story when they had seemed to go elsewhere. It is basically, a story of good and evil and of course good triumphs in the end. The well-meaning characters are rewarded, while the evil characters are punished or killed. Overall, I was glad I stuck with this but I doubt if I'll be reading another Dickens novel anytime soon!
