And here we finally are, with my last installment of my reading David Copperfield: Chapters 61-64! And some concluding thoughts on the book as a whole. (Here are the other posts in this series, if you missed any of ’em: Chapters 1-10, Chapters 11-20, Chapters 21-30, Chapters 31-40, Chapters 41-50, and Chapters 51-60.)
Chaper 61
I wasn’t expecting Number 27 and Number 28 to be Uriah and Littimer (perhaps I should have), but neither was I surprised. That was a pretty fitting wrap-up for our favorite (not) slimy slugs of villains. (And hearing about Miss Mowcher’s part of the proceedings was quite satisfying!)
Chapter 62
Okay, let’s all say it together: FINALLY!
I don’t usually cry at romantic stuff, but I’ll admit it. I cried.
Chapter 63
More wrap-up…it’s nice to hear a bit about Mr. Mell again!
Emily’s ending is rather melancholy – though I suppose not so melancholy as it might be – but, well, I suppose that’s realistic.
Chapter 64
And more wrap-up. More bittersweetness. (I liked Julia better as a teenage drama queen.)
And that’s that.
So, what did I think of David Copperfield? I liked it. I found it one of the most engrossing Dickens books I’ve read. I loved a lot of the characters – David, Agnes, Betsey Trotwood, Mr. Dick, Dora, Traddles, all the lovable peeps – and strongly disliked others of the characters.
That being said, I think I would have liked it more if the last ten chapters or so were different. I expect death and tears when I go into Dickens. I am prepared for it. But the ending of DC felt so, so heavy to me that I think it brought down my appreciation of the book as a whole. (And I hate when Dickens has people die without proper closure, which was the case of at least one of the deaths here, in my very ‘umble opinion.)
At the same time, though, parts of the ending seemed almost unrealistically perfect. For instance, that whole Thing with Miss Betsey not really having lost her whole fortune after all, and just pretending that she had to see what kind of stuff David was made of. That seemed highly implausible and unlikely to me. (And also unnecessary. I honestly don’t see what good that did the plot.) And of course, perhaps it was also unrealistic to have it end with all our favorite characters (at least the ones who were still LIVING *sniff*) living a perfect fairy-tale happy ending…though I didn’t mind that so much; we’d been dragged through so much misery that I, for one, felt that we deserved to see our peeps finally happy at the end.
Interestingly, although I found it so engrossing, I think that DC actually felt a good bit more rambly and less structured than some others of Dickens’ books. In Our Mutual Friend, for instance, the subplots are interwoven together and connect with each other and affect each other. This didn’t really seem to be as much the case in DC. How did the subplot with the Strongs, for instance, really affect the main plot in any major way? (I didn’t mind the rambliness of it, though. I think it added to the feeling that we were just listening to David ramble on about his life…in real life, our lives don’t always feel super structured either.)
And DC has given me something I didn’t really have before: a favorite period drama heroine! Obviously, there were period drama heroines I was quite fond of before this, but I never really knew who my favorite was. Now I do, and her name is Agnes Wickfield. (I am considering doing a post at some point discussing how Mr. Knightley could be considered the ideal man and Agnes Wickfield could be considered the ideal woman…is there any interest in this idea?)
So…there you have it! I have finished reading David Copperfield (rather a while ago at this point, actually, but never mind that. Technicalities, technicalities). How do you like David Copperfield? Any film version suggestions for me? What’s your favorite Dickens book?
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I’ve only ever seen one film version, and it’s an old one because I love classic films. But I do recommend it! W.C. Fields, Edna May Oliver, Maureen O’Sullivan, Freddie Bartholomew… and so many more of the popular character actors of the time in it.
I would like to watch that one! I have heard of it. I can see Edna May Oliver being very good as Aunt Betsey! I’m assuming Maureen O’Sullivan is Agnes? (Or is she Dora?)
In which I realize I missed…. About 74.5 percent at least of the David Copperfield posts, and am taken aback…. How did this happen??! After considering for a moment, the whys and wherefores of the matter become clear to me, but I am nonetheless still taken aback….
And also intrigued🤔 And quite behind in What All Has Happened X ) And….
🥳🥳Finally!! Uhhhh…. Huh. Only…. Um…. Finally what??! I have not the foggiest notion, being still in the boat of not having personally met Dickens beyond through Adventures In Odyssey 😆 Something romantic, it seems. And we wouldn’t be cheering if it wasn’t nice and pleasant, now would we?
Agnes Wickfield, you say? Ooh!! Me!! Me!! You have here one reader interested in meeting her up close, and you need only alert me to such a post 😉 She must be quite a lady to have achieved FPDH (Favourite Period Drama Heroine) Status, and no mistake! Is she a prominent character, I wonder??
Eh, these things do ‘appen. (And I believe that some of them went up while you were still a member of the Society of Well-Kept Eyes, so it was Wise of you not to spend too much time reading my ramblings.) They’re always there if you ever feel in the mood for perusing ’em (;
It is indeed something romantic. And something pleasant. So now you must follow where AIO leads you and personally acquaint yourself with Dickens so you can find out what this something is. 😀
Oh, lovely! You probably won’t see the post for a while, because I have a very bad track record of actually completing the post ideas that I mention on my blog (though I have a couple currently in the works! Really I do!), but it should be coming at some point. 😛 But yes, she is indeed quite the lady, and she is rather prominent. (Though I would have liked to see more of her, so you could say that she’s prominent, but should be more prominent.)
That DOES make sense, I had totally forgotten about that😆 Good thing the Archives hold on to such things for people who miss them on their First Waltz Out Into Society (;
Quite understandable, my own happen to run very much along the same lines (; And then there are the ones that get written and never posted, and the ones that stay Strictly Ideas…. I think they must be like stories, they ripen, and not before they are quite ready to be picked will they work! Like persimmons, some things must not be indulged in whilst still green😆
All the best characters are the ones you wish would never stop (; Always wanting more, and Enough is simply not a thing…. Although perhaps having them only in small tastes makes them all the more appreciated!
Yes indeed, I have a whole list of post ideas that have never seen the light of day and may never do so…one needs inspiration to strike, and sometimes it just – doesn’t. (Strike, that is.)
Yes, yes, this is very true. That’s part of the charm of bookish discussions, I think – you can continue mulling over and thinking about the characters, and, in a way, make them live on after the book has ended!
What a lovely concluding post! It’s been a while since I’ve read David Copperfield… I really should reread it, but in the meantime I’ve enjoyed seeing your thoughts on it!
I am very interested in that post idea, especially since we read Book of the City of Ladies earlier in the year and my mentor/teacher has an episode in his podcast about Christianity and literature called the Tyranny of the Ideal Woman. I’d be really interested in what you have to say about it!
Thanks for the post, Lizzie!
I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying my thoughts! Re-reading sounds like a rather good plan (;
Oh, that sounds fascinating! I’m rather curious as to what he said. As I said in my reply to Emily, it may take a little while for this post to actually be published…but I will get it up someday! (We hope, anyway :P)
You are most welcome! 😀