Revisiting David Copperfield

The first time I read Charles Dickens' David Copperfield (1850) I was in high school. We had just read Great Expectations as part of the English curriculum and, having enjoyed that, I sought out other Dickens titles. Over the past thirty years or so I have read a number of his books, including Bleak House (while at law school), Oliver Twist and others. 

In 2023 I started a re-read of David Copperfield as preparation for Barbara Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead (2022). Accompanied by the audiobook, superbly performed by Richard Armitage, I read about two-thirds before getting distracted and putting this on hold. But this novel has been looming unfinished on my to-be-read pile for some time, so I decided to complete it.

David Copperfield is a bildungsroman which follows the life of young Davy as he grows to adulthood. His father died before he was born, so his mother raises him in a house called the Rookery with a beloved housekeeper Peggotty. When he is seven, Davy's mother remarries the dreadful Mr Murdstone. His stepfather is cruel and sends him to Salem House, a terrible boarding school. While he is away at school, his mother dies and Murdstone inherits the Rookery, leaving David with nothing.

Murdstone sends David to work for a wine merchant in London. While in London he befriends Wilkins Micawber, a loveable landlord who is sent to a debtor's prison. Each time David seems to make friends, his life is upturned. With the Micawbers away, David travels to Dover to find his great-aunt Betsey Trotwood. Betsey renames him Trotwood Copperfield ('Trot') and send him to school where he resides with the kindly Mr Wickfield, his daughter Agnes and the devious clerk Uriah Heep. 

After finishing his education, David apprentices as a lawyer, struggling to get by. He becomes reacquinted with old school friends James Steerforth and Tommy Traddles, and like Charles Dickens' himself, David becomes an author. Eventually David finds love and marries. 

At the outset David asks 'Will I be the hero of my own life?" and the next 600+ pages he answers this question. Written in the first person, the novel is told from David's point of view so we see his naiveté and struggles to understand the adults around him in his childhood.  

Revisiting David Copperfield again, I loved becoming reacquainted with the many delightful characters - devoted Clara Peggotty, donkey-obsessed Betsey Trotwood, evil Mr Murdstone, friendly Micawber, odious Uriah Heep, and charming Steerforth - which make it an enjoyable read. My affection for some of these characters, and the wonderful depiction of them by Richard Armitage, made for a lovely re-read.  However, the novel is very long, as it was initially published as monthly instalments, and there were parts which I found a quite dull and wished to skip over. 

After finishing the novel, I took great pleasure in listening to Sam Mendes' audio production of David Copperfield. This condensed dramatisation is voiced by Ncuti Gatwa (David), Helena Bonham Carter (Betsey Trotwood), Theo James (Steerforth), Indira Varma (Jane Murdstone), Richard Armitage (Murdstone), Toby Jones (Micawber), Jessie Buckley (Peggotty) and Jack Lowden (Uriah Heep). This is a wonderful alternative for people who want to experience the story of David Copperfield without all the superfluous dull bits! Kind of wish I had done this first - as I likely would not have re-read the whole book again!