Book Report: David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens
This is part of an informal project to read all the "required reading" books I never read in high school. I had a two-novel-a-week habit back then, mainly science fiction and mysteries, and I couldn't bear reading the books they assigned us. Thus, I only made it less than a quarter of the way through David Copperfield. Judicious skimming before the test allowed me to maintain my grades. It worked out.
Anyway, I wanted to see what the book was like. Even now, I took the easy way out, in two ways. First: books on tape. I have a lot more time driving to and from work than I do to sit down with a book at home. Second: the nine hour abridged version, rather than the thirty hour unabridged version. Thirty hours! Yikes. The version I chose was more like a radio play, concentrating on the scenes between people, the dialog, and so forth.
I enjoyed this book, and I can almost see why they chose it for us to read in high school. There sure is a lot going on. There must be fifty named characters who pass through the hero's life. Dickens does an amazing job keeping them all distinct. They all have particular ways they speak, personal gestures, and so forth. It was easy to tell who was speaking, even without the attributions (which my format of the book didn't have).
The outline for this book must have been as big as a house. People come into and out of the hero's life, often returning years later. I know that Dickens published this in serial form, that is, in installments in periodicals. I suspect that some reappearances of characters happen because people found them popular. For example, Mr. Micawber is pretty minor, but the way he speaks is so funny – never using a simple word if a six-syllable one is available – I can imagine that people liked reading about him. He crops up half a dozen times, often for nothing more than to pass some time with DC.
I also suspect that this is fairly autobiographical material. A main character named DC (from an author named CD) who becomes a writer. Call it a hunch.
Dickens makes it crystal clear who the villains are in the story. Murdstone, David's stepfather, mistreats him terribly. Uriah Heep (one of the all-time great names), the supposedly 'umble clerk, bends everyone to his will in the disguise of service. The surprise villain is Steerforth, the handsome and charming childhood friend, who ruins two families with his self-centered ways. These characters don't see others as people, but objects to manipulate for their own purposes.
In contrast, the good guys in the story are concerned about each other and try to stay connected with each other and encourage each other. They form a warm web of caring and support.
One interesting thing is that David is known by so many different names to different people: David, Davy, Dody, Daisy, Trotwood, Trot, Copperfield, Master Copperfield. I guess this reflects all the different ways that characters relate to him.
I still think that the book version of this is way too long for high school students to slog through. Otherwise, it's a fine book, with some beautiful and moving prose.
Next: Return of the Native? Oh, my.
This is part of an informal project to read all the "required reading" books I never read in high school. I had a two-novel-a-week habit back then, mainly science fiction and mysteries, and I couldn't bear reading the books they assigned us. Thus, I only made it less than a quarter of the way through David Copperfield. Judicious skimming before the test allowed me to maintain my grades. It worked out.
Anyway, I wanted to see what the book was like. Even now, I took the easy way out, in two ways. First: books on tape. I have a lot more time driving to and from work than I do to sit down with a book at home. Second: the nine hour abridged version, rather than the thirty hour unabridged version. Thirty hours! Yikes. The version I chose was more like a radio play, concentrating on the scenes between people, the dialog, and so forth.
I enjoyed this book, and I can almost see why they chose it for us to read in high school. There sure is a lot going on. There must be fifty named characters who pass through the hero's life. Dickens does an amazing job keeping them all distinct. They all have particular ways they speak, personal gestures, and so forth. It was easy to tell who was speaking, even without the attributions (which my format of the book didn't have).
The outline for this book must have been as big as a house. People come into and out of the hero's life, often returning years later. I know that Dickens published this in serial form, that is, in installments in periodicals. I suspect that some reappearances of characters happen because people found them popular. For example, Mr. Micawber is pretty minor, but the way he speaks is so funny – never using a simple word if a six-syllable one is available – I can imagine that people liked reading about him. He crops up half a dozen times, often for nothing more than to pass some time with DC.
I also suspect that this is fairly autobiographical material. A main character named DC (from an author named CD) who becomes a writer. Call it a hunch.
Dickens makes it crystal clear who the villains are in the story. Murdstone, David's stepfather, mistreats him terribly. Uriah Heep (one of the all-time great names), the supposedly 'umble clerk, bends everyone to his will in the disguise of service. The surprise villain is Steerforth, the handsome and charming childhood friend, who ruins two families with his self-centered ways. These characters don't see others as people, but objects to manipulate for their own purposes.
In contrast, the good guys in the story are concerned about each other and try to stay connected with each other and encourage each other. They form a warm web of caring and support.
One interesting thing is that David is known by so many different names to different people: David, Davy, Dody, Daisy, Trotwood, Trot, Copperfield, Master Copperfield. I guess this reflects all the different ways that characters relate to him.
I still think that the book version of this is way too long for high school students to slog through. Otherwise, it's a fine book, with some beautiful and moving prose.
Next: Return of the Native? Oh, my.
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