David Copperfield

• ISBN13: 9788124805671
• Binding: Hardcover
• Subject: English Literature
• Publisher: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors (P) Ltd
• Publisher Imprint: Peacock Books
• Publication Date: June 28, 2023
• Pages: 900
• Original Price: INR 795.0
• Language: English
• Edition: N/A
• Item Weight: 860 grams
• BISAC Subject(s): N/A

Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show.

In the heart of Blunderstone, England, David Copperfield's idyllic life with his loving mother is shattered by the arrival of his tyrannical stepfather, who sends him to a boarding school under a ruthless headmaster, Mr. Creakle. David courageously endures the wretched education at Salem House, copes with the death of his mother, labours at Murdstone and Grinby's and ultimately makes a desperate escape to his aunt's. Originally serialised from May 1849 to November 1850, David Copperfield, partly autobiographical in nature, takes the reader on a coming-of-age journey of a young man, from his tragic childhood to his successful career as a novelist, as he meets a cast of dynamic characters including the verbose Mr. Micawber, the villainous Uriah Heep and the eccentric Betsey Trotwood. Dickens revealingly draws from his own experiences, creating one of the most exuberant and enduringly popular works, filled with tragedy and comedy in equal measure.

"Of all my books, I like this the best”

—Charles Dickens

"... held the mirror up to our own humanity..."

—The Weekly Dispatch"

CHARLES DICKENS (1812-1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world’s best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed immense popularity during his lifetime. The critics and scholars recognized him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity.

Born in Portsmouth, Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors’ prison. Notwithstanding his lack of formal education, Dickens edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, numerous short stories and non-fiction articles.

Dickens’s literary success began with the 1836 serial publication of The Pickwick Papers. He became an international literary celebrity within a few years and achieved fame for his humour, satire, and keen observation of character and contemporary society. His novels, most published in monthly or weekly instalments, pioneered the serial publication of narrative fiction, which became the dominant Victorian mode for novel publication. His plots were carefully constructed, and he often wove elements from topical events into his narratives.

Dickens was regarded as the literary colossus of his age. His novels, Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are frequently adapted. A Tale of Two Cities, is his best-known work of historical fiction. His short stories are highly interesting to read. The term ‘Dickensian’ is used to describe something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings such as poor social conditions or comically repulsive characters.

Dickens’s creative genius has been praised by many fellow writers, including Leo Tolstoy, George Orwell and G.K. Chesterton for its realism, comedy, prose style, unique characterization, and social criticism.

• 1. I am Born ...................................................................................................... 1
• 2. I Observe .................................................................................................... 12
• 3. I Have a Change ........................................................................................ 27
• 4. I Fall into Disgrace .................................................................................... 43
• 5. I am Sent away from Home ..................................................................... 62
• 6. I Enlarge my Circle of Acquaintance ..................................................... 81
• 7. My ‘First Half’ at Salem House ................................................................ 89
• 8. My Holidays. Especially one Happy Afternoon ................................. 108
• 9. I Have a Memorable Birthday .............................................................. 124
• 10. I Become Neglected, and am Provided for ......................................... 136
• 11. I Begin Life on my own Account, and Don’t Like It ......................... 156
• 12. Liking Life on my own Account no Better, I form a
• Great Resolution ..................................................................................... 172
• 13. The Sequel of My Resolution ................................................................ 182
• 14. My Aunt Makes up her Mind about Me ............................................. 202
• 15. I Make another Beginning .................................................................... 218
• 16. I am a New Boy in More Senses than One ......................................... 228
• 17. Somebody Turns Up .............................................................................. 250
• 18. A Retrospect ............................................................................................ 268
• 19. I Look about Me, and Make a Discovery ............................................ 275
• 20. Steerforth’s Home .................................................................................. 292
• 21. Little Em’ly .............................................................................................. 301
• 22. Some Old Scenes, and Some New People ........................................... 321
• 23. I Corroborate Mr. Dick, and Choose a Profession ............................ 344
• 24. My First Dissipation .............................................................................. 359
• 25. Good and Bad Angels ............................................................................ 368
• 26. I Fall into Captivity ................................................................................ 388
• 27. Tommy Traddles .................................................................................... 404
• 28. Mr. Micawber’s Gauntlet ...................................................................... 414
• 29. I Visit Steerforth at His Home, Again ................................................. 434
• 30. A Loss ....................................................................................................... 442
• 31. A Greater Loss ........................................................................................ 451
• vi Contents
• 32. The Beginning of a Long Journey ........................................................ 461
• 33. Blissful ...................................................................................................... 479
• 34. My Aunt Astonishes me ........................................................................ 496
• 35. Depression ............................................................................................... 505
• 36. Enthusiasm .............................................................................................. 526
• 37. A Little Cold Water ................................................................................ 543
• 38. A Dissolution of Partnership ................................................................ 551
• 39. Wickfield and Heep ............................................................................... 568
• 40. The Wanderer ......................................................................................... 588
• 41. Dora’s Aunts ........................................................................................... 597
• 42. Mischief ................................................................................................... 614
• 43. Another Retrospect ................................................................................ 634
• 44. Our Housekeeping ................................................................................. 643
• 45. Mr. Dick Fulfils my Aunt’s Predictions .............................................. 658
• 46. Intelligence .............................................................................................. 675
• 47. Martha ..................................................................................................... 689
• 48. Domestic .................................................................................................. 701
• 49. I am Involved in Mystery ...................................................................... 712
• 50. Mr. Peggotty’s Dream Comes True ..................................................... 725
• 51. The Beginning of a Longer Journey ..................................................... 735
• 52. I Assist at an Explosion ......................................................................... 753
• 53. Another Retrospect ................................................................................ 777
• 54. Mr. Micawber’s Transactions ............................................................... 782
• 55. Tempest ................................................................................................... 798
• 56. The New Wound, and the Old ............................................................. 810
• 57. The Emigrants ........................................................................................ 817
• 58. Absence .................................................................................................... 828
• 59. Return ...................................................................................................... 835
• 60. Agnes........................................................................................................ 851
• 61. I am Shown Two Interesting Penitents ............................................... 860
• 62. A Light Shines on My Way ................................................................... 873
• 63. A Visitor .................................................................................................. 882
• 64. A Last Retrospect ................................................................................... 890