David Copperfield (Penguin Classics)
David Copperfield (Penguin Classics)
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Product Description
David Copperfield is the story of a young man’s adventures on his journey from an unhappy and 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; and 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 and enduringly popular works, filled with tragedy and comedy in equal measure.
- This edition uses the text of the first book edition of 1850
- Includes updated suggestions for further reading, a revised chronology, and expanded notes
- introduction discusses the novel's autobiographical elements and its central themes of memory and identity
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David Copperfield is the story of a young man’s adventures on his journey from an unhappy and 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; and 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 and enduringly popular works, filled with tragedy and comedy in equal measure.
- This edition uses the text of the first book edition of 1850
- Includes updated suggestions for further reading, a revised chronology, and expanded notes
- introduction discusses the novel's autobiographical elements and its central themes of memory and identity
Rating
David Copperfield was the favorite novel written by the English genius Charles Dickens (1812-1870). Copperfield tells the long story of David Copperfield as he rises to become a
favorite novelist after many dangers, toils and snares!
It has been said that David is the least intersting character is this huge three decker 1,000 page tome! Perhaps that is a
wise observation. Think of the glorious cast of characters in this broad stroked portrait of preindustrial Britain.
Peggoty the nurse who cares for David
Ham and Little Emily, Mrs. Gummidge and Daniel Peggoty who live in Yarmouth on an old boat and form indissoluble ties of friendship and love with the young David
The women loved by David: Dora Spenlow and the angelic Agnes
Wickfield
The odious villain Uriah Heep who is so “‘umble”!
Steerforth the hero of David’s youth who is not a nice guy!
The greatest comedic character in English since Shakespeare’s
Falstaff-the inimitable Mr. Micawber (based on Dicken’s own
impoverished father John Dickens).
Even minor characters come alive when described by Dickens.
I have read David Copperfield several times but it is a book calling out for rereading. A book to treasure and love. Since
1850 this wonderful novel has become a loved treasure of our
English language.
Enjoy!
Rating
Somehow, I’d graduated from college – with a degree in English, no less – and had never had to read a single thing ever written by Charles Dickens. I read quite a bit on my own, but still found David Copperfield to be the height of ambition – my copy was 1001 pages long, and I hadn’t ventured into a book over a thousand pages since I’d read The Stand at age 12. I cannot imagine that I am alone in completing my education and sidestepping Dickens altogether, so I think it’s important I share my experience. In truth, the only reason I chose David Copperfield over, say, Great Expectations or Hard Times was the passing comment made by Jeff Daniels in The Squid And The Whale – dismissing a Tale of Two Cities as “minor Dickens,” saying David Copperfield was “much richer.”
It is rich. I tend towards modern fiction nowadays, fiction that, unexpectedly, takes you deep inside the heart of its characters sometimes bewildering behavior and humanity. What strikes me about the complex nature of the characters in Copperfield is the way it seems that no effort at all has been used to distinguish each of them, yet there is no doubt as to how vivid they are. Each character speaks in a tone that is a perfect elucidation of who they are – you can hear, just in the dialogue, the calm wisdom of Agnes, the parasitic obsequiousness of Uriah Heep, the punctilious rambling of Micawber, the pleasantries that barely mask the aggression of Miss Dartle, the rigid boredom of the Murdstones, the spoiled impishness when Dora speaks (so precise I heard her voice in cloying and nasal babytalk in my head). It’s a delicate balancing act to keep this level of detail so hidden in his work, and it makes the plot machinations speedy and exciting. The varied heights in this book astound – moments of drama, whimsy, intrigue, romance abound, and the book is even prone to its bit of slapstick – midgets falling over into umbrellas, or extreme umbrage taken when donkeys appear on lawns.
What I mean is that it’s easy to know you “should” read David Copperfield, but as anyone who’s ever had a reading assignment knows, that doesn’t necessarily make it something you’d want to do. I know, in a way, that David Copperfield is considered a standard – a book Tolstoy and Virginia Woolf, for example, hold as the pinnacle of English fiction – but then again, I slogged my way through supposed classics in school that, over time, have turned out to appear dull and unsurprising. David Copperfield is so underread these days that I had no idea what to expect, no notion of the amazing surprises within, the sublimely addictive cadence of Dickens’ prose, the dazzle of his language. Reading it for no particular reason, then, was a triumph all around – a book that doesn’t require a degree to “understand,” that moves breezily through its pages, and that teaches a thing or two (or twenty) about the rich heights capable in fiction. It’s as rich and winning as you’ve heard and then some.
Rating
** This review is a synthesis of the three Charles Dickens books that I’ve read: A Tale of Two Cities (Penguin Classics), Great Expectations (Penguin Classics), and David Copperfield (Penguin Classics). The rationale for reviewing in this manner is to provide a foundational point of reference for those new to Dickens’ work.
In the last two years I have read, in this order, Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, and David Copperfield. All three of these books were exceptional reads, and if you are thinking about dipping your toes in the waters of Charles Dickens you can’t go wrong with any of them. However, notwithstanding the fact that these three books are all in the upper echelon of world literature, I have no difficulty in distinguishing between them and coming to the conclusion that they are properly ordered, from “most best” to “least best”: David Copperfield, Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations.
It seems generally to be the case that, for those who have read just one of Dickens’ books, Great Expectations is the book most people have been exposed to. And most people who read Great Expectations love it. The genre is probably best described as romance meshed with individual tragedy among numerous characters. However, perhaps the strongest part of the book is the manner in which the secondary characters present a contrast to the primary story. I liked the book very much, but I think it suffers from two flaws not present in the other works reviewed here. First, the characters are not as believable as in the other two works. Second, the plot follows an unlikely path, especially in the end. Concerning this second point, it should be noted that Dickens struggled with the ending of this work, and I think it shows.
Tale of Two Cities ranks second in this group in my mind. This book is a combination of political intrigue, romance, and personal triumph. I rank this book above Great Expectations for the sole reason that the characters in this book are so strongly developed. I don’t think I have been exposed to more memorable characters in any book I’ve ever read. The story is interesting, too, because it takes place against the backdrop of a historical event, the French Revolution. I think Dickens had an easier time writing a convincing plot in this story than in Great Expectations because he had the aid of a real historical event.
Great Expectations and Tale of Two Cities are both excellent books, but David Copperfield is simply the best piece of literature I’ve ever read. To be sure, I’m only 24 and have only read 10 pieces of classic literature since my high school years. However, David Copperfield so outdid anything I’ve read that I feel more than comfortable in recommending it as certainly one of the best books of all time. Dickens did a remarkable job of capturing a wide variety of human emotions and mindsets. He was aided in this by two things. First, the length of the book gave him space to fully develop his sentiments. Second, the book is written in a first-person autobiographical voice, which I think made capturing sentiments much easier than in attempting to narrate them in the third-person. Further, because the book chronicles David’s life from childhood through middle-age the reader is exposed to a wide variety of human thoughts. The characters, for the most part, are more believable and the plot is generally good; I took offense to only one chapter in the whole book.
Now, if you haven’t read any of Dickens’ books, I don’t recommend starting with David Copperfield. I would start with Great Expectations and work through a couple others before David Copperfield. In terms of the plots, David Copperfield is much more similar to Great Expectations than Tale of Two Cities. So if you loved Great Expectations I think you will be well satisfied with David Copperfield. The plot from Tale of Two Cities is the odd-ball of this trio. In any case, all three of these books are great pieces of literature… enjoy.
Rating
I had read the Chinese version of “David Copperfield” when I was about 14, and enjoyed it very much, though it didn’t leave much trace in my mind after I grew up. I was glad to be able to enjoy it a second time recently. This time I read the English version, that is, the original work of the great writer Charles Dickens. I was immediately subdued by Dickens’ mastery of the language. Reading the book is just like having someone very talented in telling stories talking to you. The rhythms in the language of this book are simply beautiful. Very, very beautiful. Although there’re a lot of long sentences in this book (the longest one seemed to be the one in the chapter of Copperfield’s wedding, about 2-3 pages for a single sentence. Can you imagine that!), it seems very natural to read — just like having someone very smart, very passionate and very eloquent talking to you. Although it’s about 900 pages, although it’s a novel published more than 150 years ago, it’s not boring at all to read! I was taken by the story at the first page, and continued enjoying it during these several months, and finished the last page tonight with a satisfied smile, as if I had just finished a gorgeous banquet! No wonder Dickens was deemed one of the best English writers ever! He really had a wonderful mastery of the language, and was really good at telling stories!
Rating
Classic of the caliber of Great Expectations (Oxford World’s Classics). Dickens does a great job of wrapping up all the story lines and keeping the mixture of comedy, tragedy, and mystery moving forward at a fast-enough clip for our 21st-century attention spans.
And no annoying “story-within-a-story” interludes to slow things down.
Rating
If you are used to reading contemporary fiction (as I am), this will be slower and harder to get into that you may be used to. I gave it the chance and it has become one of my favorite reads ever. Great characters, a compelling story and beautifully told. Easy to see why this is a literary classic.
Rating
The historic Penguin with explanatory notes and crisp delineation of the illustrations. The notes are well organized and straightforward, and you will need them.A writer it is said, only gets to spin his own tale once, my feeling is that Dickens does that here with the unforgettably grittiest descriptive narrative scenes in all of Victorian literature.
Rating
I have read three other Dickens books so far – Great Expectations, Tale of Two Cities, and Oliver Twist. I can firmly say that this is this book that has had the largest impact on me as a reader and as a person so far.
As I read this book, I noticed that it contains many elements of those other novels that Dickens wrote. It has the social commentary of Oliver Twist, the thematic complexity of Great Expectations, and the gripping and emotional story of Tale of Two Cities. I will also throw in the fact that I think Copperfield has the best humor out of all these books.
In David Copperfield, Dickens tells the quintessential tale of Growing Up. I am sure that you all have read a book that involves some sort of “coming of age” theme where the main character matures and develops throughout the novel. But this story tops them all. With this book, Dickens brings us the most colorful cast of characters that he’s ever conceived. They each have their own personalities, motives, interests, and even senses of humor. The beauty of it all is that many of the characters that David meets, you have met in your own life, too. While they are in no means simple archetypes, they can surely be related to real life. A few of my favorite characters are the deceptive James Steerforth and Uriah Heep – two large influences on some of the choices David makes. And we should not forget the virtuous Agnes – his “Good Angel.”
Through this cast of characters, Dickens shows us that a large part of growing up and experiencing life is defined by the people that you meet and the friends that you surround yourself with. Dickens shows masterfully that you must be careful whom you trust and whom you let influence your life. He also shows the importance of relying on family and your closest allies during your darkest times.
Through fateful interactions with these characters, David grows up. He learns about the world, love, and human nature. He witnesses the miracles of life, and the tragedies of death. In turn, the reader matures and learns about such things as well. We see the world clearly through David’s eyes.
Even though the story is being narrated in retrospect by an older, wiser David, we still experience events how David experienced them the first time. The chapters where we observe David’s childhood very accurately allow us to see the environment through a child’s trusting eyes.
Unlike other main characters of Dickens books such as Oliver Twist and Charles Darnay, David is susceptible to making mistakes in life and being naive. David is a good and honorable person with a moral conscience, but he is just as susceptible to the vices of this world as everybody else. But this is part of growing up, too, isn’t it?
As you journey with David through his life, there will be times when you laugh, feel happy, and feel very angry. And then there will be times when you will have to put down the book for a short time and reflect on the events that occured. This is a rich book, with several plots and characters to keep track of. There are certain chapters that are more exciting than others. But, if you voyage till the end with David, you will in turn be richly rewarded.
Rating
There is not much to add, as David Copperfield has been reviewed over and over again. Yet I will add my little morsel nevertheless.
The basic story is very simple – a young boy undergoes all sorts of misadventure (evil stepfather, false friends, too early marriage etc.), but, through moral rectitude, honesty, naivity and being good – natured, overcomes as if by magic all obstacles. The bad ones are mostly punished and the good ones rewarded. The characters are mostly from central casting – the cynical, heartless aristocrat, the evil advocate (or at least his helper), the honest and simple fisherman, the gruff aunt with the heart of gold…..
The magic of this book is not in the storyline with its simple moral, no, it lies in the descriptive power of the author. Rarely have descriptive passages been rendered so well – there are few other authors which can enthrall the reader with simple descriptions of a storm, the appearance of a person or similar over many pages.
This is, on my not so very sublime level, an excellent read, there is not a moment of dullness, it is an emotional read and even though the outcome is preordained, the book remains gripping to the end.
Rating
Enough has been said about the merits of this book that listing them again is unnecessary. Suffice it to say, David Copperfield is a masterpiece in every sense of the word. Charles Dickens produced literature of the absolute highest quality, and in my opinion, David Copperfield is Dickens at his best. This book is an absolute joy to read and will stick around forever in the reader’s mind. The characters, dialogue, and storyline are superb and unforgettable. The only reason I can think of for not reading this book is that it will force you to realize how inferior nearly everything else is in comparison.