David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

David Copperfield is thought to be Charles Dickens’ personal favorite of his works as it draws from so many of his own experiences.  The story tells about the life of an impoverished child, David Copperfield, who grows up in and around London in the 19^th century and against much adversity develops into a successful novelist. 

David is born fatherless and his mother remarries when he is a young boy.  His stepfather, Mr. Murdstone is abusive and sends him off to boarding school.  Here he meets two of his life-long friends, Tommy Traddles and James Steerforth.  While away at school, David’s mother dies and Murdstone pulls David out of school and puts him to work in his factory.  He rents a room from the Micawber family who also become life-long allies.  Copperfield escapes the life of child labor and seeks out his only living relative, Aunt Betsy Trottwood.  She recues him from his stepfather and enrolls him in school in Canterbury.  Here he is housed by Aunt Betsy’s trusted man of business, Mr. Wickfield and his daughter, Agnes and meets Wickfield’s deceitful employee, Uriah Heep.  He loves Agnes as a sister and she proves to be a valuable confidant.  After completing his schooling, David begins legal training under Mr. Spenlow and falls in love with Spenlow’s daughter, Dora. David is bored with legal work and turns to his passion, writing.  His writing skill soon allows him to earn a living as an author.

Spenlow disapproves of David dating his daughter but after the lawyer’s untimely death, David and Dora marry.  Dora turns out to be childish and petty, not well suited to David’s intellect.  But he loves her anyway and they try to start a family.  Weakened by a miscarriage, Dora dies.

Meanwhile, Uriah Heep weasels his way into a partnership with Mr. Wickfield and hires Mr. Micawber as a clerk.  Heep intends to marry Agnes but she sees through him and is repulsed.  Micawber is distraught by Heep’s fraudulent dealings and conspires with David and Traddles to expose Heep.  While traveling through Europe working at his writing and mourning his loss of Dora, David discovers his true love.

I don’t know what to say about a classic that has not already been said.  The writing style is eloquent and is as much a part of the experience as the story itself.  A great diversion from my usual genre.