Tristram Shandy still being in my not long ago reading memory I could not help but compare the opening of that book to David Copperfield.
A memory refresher in case it has been a while since you read either book or in case you have never read them at all.
Tristram Shandy begins:
I wish either my father or my mother, or indeed both of them, as they were in duty both equally bound to it, had minded what they were about when they begot me; had they duly consider’d how much depended upon what they were then doing;—that not only the production of a rational Being was concerned in it, but that possibly the happy formation and temperature of his body, perhaps his genius and the very cast of his mind;—and, for aught they knew to the contrary, even the fortunes of his whole house might take their turn from the humours and dispositions which were then uppermost;—Had they duly weighed and considered all this, and proceeded accordingly,—I am verily persuaded I should have made a quite different figure in the world, from that in which the reader is likely to see me.
And David Copperfield:
I was born (as I have been informed and believe) on a Friday, at twelve o’clock at night.
Both books are coming of age stories written from the perspective of a later date and both books begin at the beginning only it takes Tristram nearly half the book to actually get born where David does it in the first sentence. Both books are more about character than plot and filled with digressions. But the whole point of Tristram is the digression and Copperfield always comes back to a main progression toward a firm conclusion. Tristram ends with a joke and loose ends flying everywhere, while Copperfield ends with everything wrapped up and tied with a neat little bow. I’ve no further comparisons to make or brilliant observations, I only wanted to remark how fascinating literature is that you can have the same basic story told in two completely different ways.
What I found really interesting about David Copperfield is how all the characters come in pairs except for David, he is left alone until late in the book. There are the brother and sister Murdstones, Dr. Strong and Mrs. Strong, Mr. Wickfield and his daughter Agnes, Mr. and Mrs. Micawber, Uriah Heep and his mother, David’s aunt and Mr. Dick, Steerforth and his butler Littimer. Everybody has somebody except David who goes from pairing to pairing, learning from each while being cared for or hated.
I would have thought that in all these relational pairings David would have learned something about pairing up himself, but alas, he makes the same mistake his father made and chooses a “child-wife.” When he gets a second chance he makes the correct choice but he had to learn the hard way.
In spite of its length and lack of real drama, David Copperfield moves along pretty well without bogging down at all. It does bog down though. The last 15% of the book dragged as David went on his European tour to get over his grief at losing Dora and as Dickens felt compelled to tie up all the ends. The wrapping up went on and on and on as characters died, got put in jail, or shipped out to Australia. Australia solved a lot of problems for Dickens in this book. Need to get rid of a thief? Send him to Australia! Need a fresh start? Go to Australia! It actually got to be kind of funny. It’s a good thing Dickens had so many characters to dispose of, which was probably the problem in the first place. Nonetheless, good book. And if you like Dickens you are sure to enjoy David Copperfield.
I remember loving the story of David Copperfield as a kid. One time (this dates me) when the Wizard of Oz was on tv, a version of David Copperfield was on too, and I chose it, possibly because it was longer and therefore let me stay up longer past my bedtime.
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Jeanne, it’s a good story. I don’t recall David Copperfield being on TV when I was a kid but if I had the choice I would have gone with that one too, the flying monkeys in Wizard of Oz always terrified me!
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I so want to read more Dickens! You make me want to go grab one of his books. I don’t think I have David Copperfield though. Hmm, good excuse to go book shopping 🙂
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Iliana, Dickens is so much fun. While Great Expectations continues to be my favorite, David Copperfield was quite good. You could always get the book free at Project Gutenberg 🙂
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Oo you made me want to attempt Tristram again. That opening is so great.
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laura, I loved Tristram especially all the stories about his uncle. I wish you success if you give it another try!
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A great review of a truly great book. And speaking of great first sentences in a novel, it makes me think of Catcher In The Rye —
If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap.
Salinger kills me!
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Cipriano, thanks! Yes! Excellent first line! And another great example of how different the same kind of story can be.
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I remember feeling a bit bemused about that Australia thingie too in David Copperfield too. It seemed at a point that almost everyone was going off to Australia :D. I liked this book but it didn’t really live up to my expectations as I went in thinking it would be the best Dickens of the lot. Huh, not really.
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Nish, I’m glad to know I am not the only one who was amused by everyone being sent to Australia. DC is good, but not my favorite Dickens. Still, it ranks up there 🙂
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Where would Dickens be without Australia, indeed? No ‘Great Expectations’ for a start!
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Alex, heh, you are right! I forgot about that!
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Love me some Dickens! Right now I’m reading The Invisible Woman: The Story of Charles Dickens and Nellie Ternan (a bit of a yawn, I’m afraid, but I’m only about 1/3 into it.) which helps in understanding the character studies found in his work. He is by far my favorite writer and I’ve never been disappointed in anything I’ve read. Great review.
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Grad, Invisible Woman sounds like it should be interesting, I hope it gets better! Dickens is firmly among my top ten favorite writers.
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Oh, I do like David Copperfield but I LOVE Tristram Shandy. It’s about time I reread it.
Have you read Bleak House? It’s my joint favourite with Great Expectations (but then I’ve only read about 5 Dickenses, so that may not be very meaningful.
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Helen, I know what you mean. I really liked DC but the twisty crazy fun of Tristam Shandy is unbeatable. I have read Bleak House, it’s been a few years but that was a good one too. The opening with the fog is first rate. Great Expectations is my favorite too but like you I’ve only read about four or five. So whenever I read a new Dickens it always gets compared to GE for better or worse!
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The first half or so of Copperfield is almost the best of Dickens but, as you say it goes off quite a bit later on. I suppose the Australia “solution” to the Micawbers was one that Britain used for its surplus population until well on into the 19th century. Any novel that has the Micawbers, Steerforth and Uriah Heep in it is no failure – and it was Dicken’s own favourite of his books.
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Ian, yes, the first half of Copperfield is excellent stuff. I suppose Australia is a solution much like America was a solution too, a place to start fresh and/or make your fortune. It is amusing though how often Dickens employs it. Heep is one of the best villains. The Micawbers, who couldn’t love them? And Steerforth, a delightful two-faced jerk. All characters I won’t be forgetting any time soon!
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I hadn’t thought about the pairings–it is always so interesting to hear another reader’s perspective on a book! This is one Dickens I have read and enjoyed–I seem to pick up and put down others of his books…though I love his contemporary Wilkie Collins! I still want to read A Tale of Two Cities (how many times have I told you that now…;) ). Am reading the Balzac…veryyyy slowly! Oh–I love the comparison between T. Shandy and David Copperfield by the way.
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Danielle, that’s what makes reading so much fun, everyone notices different things. Glad you enjoyed the comparison between DC and Shandy. I’ve only read one Wilkie, Woman in White, and loved it. I should read something else by him. Balzac is going verrrry slowly for me too. The type is so tiny without much space between the lines in my copy. I am enjoying it though!
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