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DAVID COPPERFIELD

"Of all my books," says Charles Dickens in his preface to this immortal novel, "I like this the best. Like many fond parents, I have in my heart of hearts a favorite child. And his name is David Copperfield."

Pathos, humor, and skill in delineation, give vitality to this remarkable work; and nowhere has Dickens filled his canvas with more vivid and diversified characters. Forster says that the author's favorites were the Peggotty family, composed of David's nurse Peggotty, who was married to Barkis, the carrier; Dan'el Peggotty, her brother, a Yarmouth fisherman; Ham Peggotty, his nephew; the doleful Mrs. Gummidge; and Little Em'ly, ruined by David's schoolmate, Steerforth. « It has been their fate,» says Forster, «as with all the leading figures of his invention, to pass their names into the language and become types; and he has nowhere given happier embodiment to that purity of homely goodness, which, by the kindly and all-reconciling influences of humor, may exalt into comeliness and even grandeur the clumsiest forms of humanity.» Miss Betsy Trotwood, David's aunt;the half-mad but mild Mr. Dick; Mrs.Copperfield, David's mother; Murdstone, his brutal stepfather; Miss Murdstone, that stepfather's sister; Mr. Spenlow and his daughter Dora,-David's «childwife»; - Steerforth, Rosa Dartle, Mrs. Steerforth, Mr. Wickfield, his daughter Agnes (David's second wife), and the Micawber family, are the persons around whom the interest revolves. A host of minor characters, such as the comical little dwarf hair-dresser, Miss Mowcher, Mr. Mell, Mr. Creakle, Tommy Traddles, Uriah Heep, Dr. Strong, Mrs. Markleham, and others, are portrayed with the same vivid strokes.

The novel is told through the eyes of its title character David Copperfield. Its main theme throughout is the growth of the hero's emotional and moral life as he learns to go against "the first mistaken impulse of the undisciplined heart". This struggle against the "undisciplined heart" is a theme which is repeated throughout all the relationships and characters in the novel.

You can download the entire text file of the novel here or read it online by turning the pages below.

CONTENTS

1. I Am Born
2. I Observe
3. I Have a Change
4. I Fall into Disgrace
5. I Am Sent Away
6. I Enlarge My Circle of Acquaintance
7. My 'First Half' at Salem House
8. My Holidays. Especially One Happy Afternoon
9. I Have a Memorable Birthday
10. I Become Neglected, and Am Provided For
11. I Begin Life on My Own Account, and Don't Like It
12. Liking Life on My Own Account No Better, I Form a Great Resolution
13. The Sequel of My Resolution
14. My Aunt Makes up Her Mind About Me
15. I Make Another Beginning
16. I Am a New Boy in More Senses Than One
17. Somebody Turns Up
18. A Retrospect
19. I Look About Me and Make a Discovery
20. Steerforth's Home
21. Little Em'ly
22. Some Old Scenes, and Some New People
23. I Corroborate Mr. Dick, and Choose a Profession
24. My First Dissipation
25. Good and Bad Angels
26. I Fall into Captivity
27. Tommy Traddles
28. Mr. Micawber's Gauntlet
29. I Visit Steerforth at His Home, Again
30. A Loss
31. A Greater Loss
32. The Beginning of a Long Journey
33. Blissful
34. My Aunt Astonishes Me
35. Depression
36. Enthusiasm
37. XXXVII. A Little Cold Water
38. XXXVIII. A Dissolution of Partnership
39. Wickfield and Heep
40. The Wanderer
41. Dora's Aunts
42. Mischief
43. Another Retrospect
44. Our Housekeeping
45. Mr. Dick Fulfils My Aunt's Predictions
46. Intelligence
47. Martha
48. Domestic
49. Am Involved in Mystery

50. Mr. Peggotty's Dream Comes True
51. The Beginning of a Longer Journey
52. I Assist at an Explosion
53. Another Retrospect
54. Mr. Micawber's Transactions
55. Tempest
56. The New Wound, and the Old
57. The Emigrants
58. Absence
59. Return
60. Agnes
61. I Am Shown Two Interesting Penitents
62. A Light Shines on My Way
63. A Visitor
64. A Last Retrospect

PREFACE TO 1850 EDITION

I do not find it easy to get sufficiently far away from this Book, in the first sensations of having finished it, to refer to it with the composure which this formal heading would seem to require. My interest in it, is so recent and strong; and my mind is so divided between pleasure and regret - pleasure in the achievement of a long design, regret in the separation from many companions - that I am in danger of wearying the reader whom I love, with personal confidences, and private emotions.

Besides which, all that I could say of the Story, to any purpose, I have endeavoured to say in it.

It would concern the reader little, perhaps, to know, how sorrowfully the pen is laid down at the close of a two-years' imaginative task; or how an Author feels as if he were dismissing some portion of himself into the shadowy world, when a crowd of the creatures of his brain are going from him for ever. Yet, I have nothing else to tell; unless, indeed, I were to confess (which might be of less moment still) that no one can ever believe this Narrative, in the reading, more than I have believed it in the writing.

Instead of looking back, therefore, I will look forward. I cannot close this Volume more agreeably to myself, than with a hopeful glance towards the time when I shall again put forth my two green leaves once a month, and with a faithful remembrance of the genial sun and showers that have fallen on these leaves of David Copperfield, and made me happy.

London, October, 1850.

PREFACE TO

THE CHARLES DICKENS EDITION

I REMARKED in the original Preface to this Book, that I did not find it easy to get sufficiently far away from it, in the first sensations of having finished it, to refer to it with the composure which this formal heading would seem to require. My interest in it was so recent and strong, and my mind was so divided between pleasure and regret - pleasure in the achievement of a long design, regret in the separation from many companions - that I was in danger of wearying the reader with personal confidences and private emotions.

Besides which, all that I could have said of the Story to any purpose, I had endeavoured to say in it.

It would concern the reader little, perhaps, to know how sorrowfully the pen is laid down at the close of a two-years' imaginative task; or how an Author feels as if he were dismissing some portion of himself into the shadowy world, when a crowd of the creatures of his brain are going from him for ever. Yet, I had nothing else to tell; unless, indeed, I were to confess (which might be of less moment still), that no one can ever believe this Narrative, in the reading, more than I believed it in the writing.

So true are these avowals at the present day, that I can now only take the reader into one confidence more. Of all my books, I like this the best. It will be easily believed that I am a fond parent to every child of my fancy, and that no one can ever love that family as dearly as I love them. But, like many fond parents, I have in my heart of hearts a favourite child. And his name is

DAVID COPPERFIELD.

1869

THE PERSONAL HISTORY AND

EXPERIENCE OF

DAVID COPPERFIELD THE YOUNGER

Table of Contents

XXXVII. A
XXXVIII. A
XLIX. I
LII. I
PREFACE TO 1850
THE CHARLES DICKENS
I REMARKED
DAVID COPPERFIELD
THE PERSONAL HISTORY
EXPERIENCE
DAVID COPPERFIELD THE

  'YOU MAY,'

  I FALL INTO

  I AM SENT AWAY FROM

  I ENLARGE MY CIRCLE OF

  MY 'FIRST HALF' AT SALEM

  MY HOLIDAYS. ESPECIALLY ONE HAPPY

  I HAVE A MEMORABLE
  TAILOR, HABERDASHER, FUNERAL FURNISHER,

  I BECOME NEGLECTED, AND AM PROVIDED

  I BEGIN LIFE ON MY OWN ACCOUNT, AND DON'T LIKE

  LIKING LIFE ON MY OWN ACCOUNT NO
  I FORM A GREAT

  THE SEQUEL OF MY

  MY AUNT MAKES UP HER MIND ABOUT

  I MAKE ANOTHER

  I AM A NEW BOY IN MORE SENSES THAN

  SOMEBODY TURNS

  I LOOK ABOUT ME, AND MAKE A

  STEERFORTH'S

  HABERDASHER, FUNERAL FURNISHER,

  SOME OLD SCENES, AND SOME NEW

  I CORROBORATE

  GOOD AND BAD

  I FALL INTO

  I VISIT STEERFORTH AT HIS HOME,

  THE BEGINNING OF A LONG

  MY AUNT ASTONISHES

  A LITTLE COLD

  A DISSOLUTION OF

  WICKFIELD AND

  MR. DICK FULFILS MY AUNT'S

  I AM INVOLVED IN

  THE BEGINNING OF A LONGER

  I ASSIST AT AN

  THE NEW WOUND, AND THE

  I AM SHOWN TWO INTERESTING

  A LIGHT SHINES ON MY

  'THE EMINENT AUTHOR

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