Reading David Copperfield: Chapters 11-20 (or In Which I Am Amused by Uriah Heep’s Grossness & Disgusted by Steerforth’s)

Well, I have returned with part 2 of my reading David Copperfield: chapters 11-20. It has not ceased to engross, you will be happy to know. And these ten chapters were on average a lot cheerier than the first ten, so hurray.

(My other Reading David Copperfield installments can be found here: Chapters 1-10, Chapters 21-30, Chapters 31-40, Chapters 41-50, Chapters 51-60, and Chapters 61-64.)

(Now, I once again tried to put the chapter name in bold if there are spoilers in my thoughts on that chapter, but it’s getting increasingly difficult to tell what counts as a spoiler the further I get into the book…if it’s important to you to avoid all spoilers, I’d advise just skipping this post. But I did at least try.)

Chapter 11

I’m not sure yet if I think David’s repugnance to his new state of affairs is reasonable or snobbish. Of course it’s perfectly understandable to prefer being well-looked after and educated to drudging away at mindless busy-work all day long, but drawing back from or looking down on people just because they’re less educated than you isn’t very nice.

Also, I hope the Micawbers don’t turn out to be bad, because I admit I have a certain fondness for them.

Chapter 12

Oh, Betsey Trotwood! I hope he manages to get there. I’d like to see her again. Ugh, why must poor David run up against every crooked, nasty, little thief in London? (But I must say, I think it’s proof of a well-written story that I start getting anxious every time it looks like David’s going to get swindled again…if the story didn’t feel real, I probably would just think “really? again?” and not really care.)

Chapter 13

I haven’t shared any quotes yet, have I? I was just smiling over this one:

“I can’t be buyer and seller too,” said Mr. Dolloby. “Put a price on this here little weskit.”
“Would eighteenpence be?” I hinted, after some hesitation.
Mr. Dolloby rolled it up again, and gave it me back. “I should rob my family,” he said, “if I was to offer ninepence for it.”
This was a disagreeable way of putting the business, because it imposed upon me, a perfect stranger, the unpleasantness of asking Mr. Dolloby to rob his family on my account.

In any case. Miss Betsey and Mr. Dick and Miss Betsey’s little house near the sea almost make up for the extreme grossness of the first half of the chapter. I hope David can actually stay put here for a while…but I somehow have the feeling that he probably won’t.

Chapter 14

Now that was a satisfying chapter. I shouldn’t have doubted Miss Betsey… it just seemed that everything that could possibly go wrong had so far, so I had to assume it would continue in that vein. Also, Mr. Dick is sort of adorable. He and Miss Betsey are officially two of my favorite characters now.

Speaking of which, shall I share a couple Miss Betsey-isms that I liked enough to write down?

“If he likes to fly a kite sometimes, what of that? Franklin used to fly a kite. He was a Quaker, or something of that sort, if I am not mistaken. And a Quaker flying a kite is a much more ridiculous object than anybody else.”

~

“I so far agree with what Miss Trotwood has remarked,” observed Miss Murdstone, bridling, “that I consider the lamented Clara to have been, in all essential respects, a mere child.”
“It is a comfort to you and me, ma’am,” said my aunt, “who are getting on in life, and are not likely to be made unhappy by our personal attractions, that nobody can say the same of us.”
“No doubt!” returned Miss Murdstone, though, I thought, not with a very ready or gracious assent.

Chapter 15

Heh. Dickens does like his foreshadowing, doesn’t he? In the very first minute that we meet him, he’s already made Uriah Heep sound like a total creep. (No, I did not intentionally make that rhyme.)

Also, is it weird that I’m a little freaked out by the description of the Wickfield’s house as sort of top-heavy and seeming to sort of bulge out over the road? It makes me nervous that someone’s going to sit in an upstairs window seat and make the whole front of the house collapse or something. (I don’t actually think on the intellectual level that Dickens is going to do that. It just makes me nervous in the same way I’d be nervous in real life if I saw someone sitting right on the edge of a ledge or something.)

Chapter 16

Whew…I thought for sure that Annie was going to run away with Jack Maldon when he left after the party (what a total jerk he is, huh?). I’m glad that she is obviously sorry, though.

Bit of a rabbit-hole here, but I am noticing just how many characters Dickens throws at us. Apparently, from what David-as-narrator said, Dr. and Mrs. Strong are going to have some bearing on the story at a later date; one wonders what, and if all the random characters who have been introduced are going to be important at later points in the story. It’s certainly likely. It is a large-ish book – Dickens’s longest, I believe.

Chapter 17

Those Heeps, though! They are rather amusing in their way, but also…ew. (When Mr. Dick told David about the creepy fellow hanging around their house, my first thought was “Uriah Heep!” Maybe it’s not really him. But I won’t be the slightest bit surprised if it is.) Mr. Micawber’s being chummy with them makes me very uneasy…whether or not Mr. Micawber means well (I hope he does) the less the Heeps know of David’s past life, the better. They’re obviously up to mischief of some sort. What, I don’t know.

(Also, Dr. Strong and Mr. Dick’s relationship is one of the most perfect wholesome things in the history of perfect wholesome things.)

Chapter 18

I actually like how realistic David’s adolescence is…although the trope of the hero/heroine never falling in love before they see the One and all that is great fun and all, let’s be honest: getting numerous crushes on random people like David does is a lot more true to life.

Also, I’m afraid that David is a little less cute now than when he was a little boy. Ah well. I suppose it was only to be expected. He reminds me a bit of Pip in Great Expectations, but he is much more likable than Pip, thank goodness.

Chapter 19

Oh dear. It looks like everything is not over after all between Annie and Jack Maldon. If she could just have the spine to say “keep away, you jerk,” that would be nice, wouldn’t it. I don’t see that happening, though.

Also, I don’t think that Steerforth showing up is going to end up being a good thing at all.

Chapter 20

Mm, yeah, I’m worried. Steerforth is an arrogant, insufferable snob, and I’m sure he’s going to cause trouble somehow. I do not like the idea of him going with David to see the Pegottys AT ALL. I wish David could see through him. You’d think Steerforth’s way of talking about the Peggotys and the fact that he, hello, LITERALLY THREW A HAMMER IN A WOMAN’S FACE WHEN HE WAS A CHILD would sort of wake David up a little? But no.

Also, I’m not sure if I’m supposed to like Miss Dartle or not, but I kind of do…sure, she’s passive aggressive in the extreme, but pretty much all the points she makes are in fact very fair points. And living with Steerforth and his mother must be awful – it would drive anyone to passive aggression.

~

Do you like Dickens’ habit of cramming his books full of minor characters? Do you think David is a little dense sometimes? Who would you rather have to entertain for an evening: Mr. Murdstone or Steerforth?