While looking for a photo to put here I discovered possibly the most disturbing piece of cover art ever put on a classic novel: this. Apparently someone thought this is a horror novel about a headless ghost. If I wake up screaming tonight, I'll know what to blame.
David Copperfield is Charles Dickens' eighth novel, first published in 1850. It's the most autobiographical of his novels. Even while it was still being serialised it was adapted into several stage plays. Since then it's inspired at least four miniseries, two cartoons, seven films, and a number of audiobooks or radio dramas.
The already-reviewed 1999 miniseries sticks fairly close to the book, with only a few exceptions. (And a lot removed. Can't adapt the entire thing into only two episodes, after all!) This lead to the curious situation of comparing the book to the adaptation instead of the other way round 😄
The main character, obviously, is David Copperfield. (It's very easy to forget that at times.) It doesn't have an immediately-identifiable plot; instead it's the story of David's life, starting with his birth and ending with him as a successful author. Along the way he meets many characters who are frankly more interesting than him, from his, ahem, eccentric Aunt Betsey Trotwood to the loathsome Uriah Heep.
For approximately the first half of the book David is definitely the main character; the story revolves around his evil stepfather, his awful school, and the turn for the better his life takes when he goes to his aunt for help. But then he becomes little more than a bystander as dozens of other characters take over the story. There were times when I thought the second half of the book should be renamed "The Micawbers, the Peggottys, and the Downfall of Uriah Heep, narrated by David Copperfield". Since this is a Dickens novel, all these other characters are so entertaining and distinctive that I don't mind them taking over the story. (Frankly they're much more interesting than David is!)
The main thing I disliked about the book is how utterly unmemorable David is. Everyone else has at least one instantly identifiable trait: Aunt Betsey hates donkeys, Mr. Micawber is obsessed with writing letters, Mrs. Gummidge is almost constantly complaining... Even Dora, imbecile though she is, has a distinct character. When I try to think about David, all that comes to mind is his terrible judge of character (as shown when he befriends Steerforth and marries Dora). David might as well be a plot device for all the impact he has on some subplots. When he proposes to Agnes I'm left wondering how such a sensible woman could ever like him enough to marry him.
Another thing I disliked was how the Murdstones get no comeuppance. They drive David's mother to her death, then Mr. Murdstone marries another woman and they start it all over again. When they're last mentioned, he's married yet another woman and is doing the exact same thing 😨 Steerforth dies, Uriah Heep goes to prison, but two of the vilest characters in the book are still at large and ruining lives. Why didn't Dickens kill them off?!
On the bright side, I love the rest of the characters (Aunt Betsey, Peggotty and Miss Mowcher especially) so much that I can overlook how dull David is 😄 This isn't my favourite Dickens book, but it's in the top five.
Is it available online?: Yes, on Gutenberg.
Rating: 7/10.
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