David Copperfield is Charles Dickens's eighth novel. He called it his "favorite child," probably because it was the most autobiographical of his works. Like most of his fiction, it was published serially, in twenty parts, from 1849-1850. David Copperfield is a classic example of the Bildungsroman, or novel of education and formation, as it follows David from a troubled childhood all the way through the hard-won peace and success of adulthood.
The novel contains many of Dickens's trademarks—social critique, melodrama, vivid description, and a vibrant web of characters. The novel critiques the British social class hierarchy, the oppression of women, and the corruption of the education and...
