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| Plot Summary of David Copperfield |
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"David Copperfield is the quintessential coming of age story where the young David flounders around foolishly for a time before finding his legs and going straight. In the mean time, the evil and revolting Uriah Heap (Dickens really had a thing about lawyers) has manipulated David's close friend's family into disaster in an attempt to force David's young lover to marry him. The conclusion is satisfying and surprising as Dickens was a master at both the hanging ending between chapters and the happy final ending."
Kelly Whiting, Resident Scholar
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"David Copperfield's father dies 3 months before his birth. His mother, very young, pretty, and inexperienced, raises the boy with the help of her loyal maid, Clara Peggoty. Things go well, young Davy is growing up in a happy, loving home – until his mother marries again. Mr. Murdstone, Davy's stepfather, believes that “firmness” is the only way of dealing with boys. He ends up sending Davy away to a boarding school run by a cruel schoolmaster Mr. Creakle.
When Davy's mother dies, Mr. Murdstone decides that even this kind of education is too good for his stepson and promptly gets rid of him by sending him to London, to work at a blacking factory. Davy is only 10 when that happens. After many trials, he decides to run away and search for his aunt, Betsy Trotwood, who eventually adopts him.
The second part of this novel shows the grown-up David Copperfield, he has completed his education and is apprenticed as a clerk to work in a law firm. He meets his boss's daughter Dora and falls in love. His feelings are returned, but Dora's father is furious when he finds out about the engagement. Meanwhile, David's aunt goes bankrupt, the family loses most of their possessions, and David has to work even harder in order to provide for himself and his loved ones.
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Laura Southcombe, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of David Copperfield |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- depressed
Time/era of story
- 19th century
Kids growing up/acting up?
Yes
Kids:
- struggling to earn a living to survive
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Age group of kid(s) in story:
- grade school
Parents/lack of parents problem?
- boarding school! (wack wack!)
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- writer
Age:
- a kid
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Subject of Biography
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- business executive
Age:
- long lived adults
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How sensitive is this person?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other people
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- a lawyer creature
Eccentric/Smart/Dumb:
Yes
Eccentric:
- obsessed
- eccentric
- emotionally unstable
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
- an average amount
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- healthy but a geeky weakling
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 3 (some)
- 3 (some)
Europe
Yes
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
- England/UK
City?
Yes
Yes
City:
- London
- London
Century:
- 19th century
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
- no torture/death
Book makes you feel?
- encouraged
Is book humorous?
Yes
If humorous, kind of humor
- eccentric personalities
- Dry-cynical
- gentle
Commentary on society?
Yes
Commentary on
- love/sex
- decency
- selfishness
- capitalism
- wicked men
- wicked rich people
Story of entire life, or part?
- story of nearly entire life
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
How much dialogue in bio?
- mostly dialog
How much is philosophy rather than life story?
- 26-50% of book
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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