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David Copperfield
- 782 statements
- 153 feature instances
- 45 referencing feature instances
David Copperfield | type |
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David Copperfield | comment |
David Copperfield is a coming-of-age tale that follows the title character almost literally from birth to death. In between that is Charles Dickens at his finest...Little David's father dies before he's even born, and his mother Clara dies not many years later, leaving him in the care of Mr. Edward Murdstone, his Wicked Stepfather. Murdstone in turn heartlessly turns little Davey out into the big bad world, first in a Boarding School of Horrors in which he's beaten and humiliated on a regular basis, then to earn his own living in a factory. While navigating Victorian London at the tender age of ten or so, David boards with the Micawbers, a good-natured but completely irresponsible family who make him pawn the silver to buy supper and eventually end up in debtor's prison.Desperate, David runs away, finally reaching a safe haven with his eccentric Aunt Betsey Trotwood - who magnanimously forgives him for not being a girl - and her own... interesting... coterie. It's at this point David meets Uriah Heep, a clerk in the local law office, whose fawning professions of 'umbleness' mask a scheming, vengeful nature. By the time David's graduated high school Uriah's well on his way not only to taking over the business but menacing David's sweet, beautiful best friend Agnes Wickfield, the boss' daughter, with plans for their marriage. In his spare time, Uriah cheats Aunt Betsey out of her fortune just as David's fallen hopelessly in love with his boss' daughter Dora. Even Micawber, now Heep's clerk, is acting strangely. Oh, and over in the main subplot, David's oldest and dearest school friend, James Steerforth, is busily seducing and ruining David's childhood sweetheart, little Emily......do you see a pattern here? It doesn't help that David is by nature a sensitive artistic type who suffers miseries under hardship. Nor that he's so ridiculously gentle and naive (Steerforth dubs him 'Daisy', as in 'fresh as a...') that he's taken advantage of more or less constantly.Nevertheless, in the main, the book reads as a sweet-natured comedy. Good ol' Dave is repeatedly downed but never broken, making it through his crummy life by relying on his imagination and on his true friends, at least one of whom is always to be found standing loyally by his side (albeit how they get there often stretches deep into Contrived Coincidence territory). The valiant but foolish Micawbers, the stalwart seafaring Peggottys, the diamond-in-the-rough Tommy Traddles — they may be eccentric, they may be impecunious, but they're always loveable, as only Dickensian characters can be.Through his involvement in their convoluted adventures, and the lessons in pluck and determination arising therefrom, David finally rises to the top: marrying his One True Love — well, his second after Dora, she's dead by now — having children, launching a successful writing career...A lot of Dickens's books stem from direct experience, but David Copperfield is his most autobiographical tale and his 'favourite child' among his works. David's seemingly over-the-top anguish at being so degraded by factory work has its roots in Dickens' own trauma when at ten his father similarly yanked him out of school and sent him out to augment the family finances (Mr. Micawber is by all accounts an only slightly exaggerated portrait of John Dickens). Writing many years later, as a world-honoured and beloved man, he confided to friends that merely revisiting those memories caused him nearly insupportable pain.Many critics have also hailed it as one of their favorite books, including Tolstoy and Freud. Several of its characters - including Aunt Betsey, villainous Uriah Heep and above all the Micawbers - became Household Names in the 19th-century and are still familiar to some extent today.Adaptations include: Three silent film adaptations, one in 1911, one in 1913, and one in 1922 David Copperfield (1935), a theatrical adaptation, produced by David Selznick and directed by George Cukor. It boasted an invokedAll-Star Cast that included child star Freddie Bartholomew (young David), Basil Rathbone as Mr. Murdstone, Lionel Barrymore as Dan Peggotty, and W. C. Fields as Mr. Micawber. Two lost television adaptations, one by The BBC in 1956 and another in 1966 A 1969 Made-for-TV Movie, starring Robin Phillips as David A 1974 miniseries, starring David Yelland as David A 1986 miniseries, starring Colin Hurley as David David Copperfield (1993), a very loose animated adaptation A 1999 two-part BBC TV adaptation, starring Ciarán McMenamin (and a pre-Harry Potter Daniel Radcliffe) as David, opposite a lineup of British acting royalty including Bob Hoskins as Mr. Micawber, Maggie Smith as Aunt Betsey, Imelda Staunton as Mrs. Micawber, Nicholas Lyndhurst as Heep, Ian Mc Niece as Mr. Dick, and Ian McKellen as Creakle. A 2000 Made-for-TV Movie, starring Hugh Dancy as David The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019), which was written and directed by Armando Iannucci and boasts a similarly starry cast, including Dev Patel as David, Gwendoline Christie as Jane Murdstone, Peter Capaldi as Mr. Micawber, Tilda Swinton as Aunty Betsey, Hugh Laurie as Mr. Dick, and Ben Whishaw as Uriah Heep. It screened at film festivals in 2019 ahead of a 2020 release date. The trailer can be seen here. Demon Copperhead, a 2022 novel by Barbara Kingsolver that transplants the whole story to 1990s-2000s trailer park Appalachia, and grounds it in the opioid crisis.If it's mentioned anywhere in pop culture, it'll be because the individual has the title confused with the magician. Or, if someone mentions Uriah Heep, they'll confuse that with the British rock band.Can be read here. | |
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Dropped link to Blackmail: Not a Feature - ITEM | |
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David Copperfield | isPartOf |
DBTropes | |
David Copperfield / int_197b546a | type |
Scarpia Ultimatum | |
David Copperfield / int_197b546a | comment |
Scarpia Ultimatum: Uriah Heep's ultimate plan is to gain total control of the Wickfields by blackmailing Agnes into marrying him out of concern for her father. | |
David Copperfield / int_197b546a | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_197b546a | |
David Copperfield / int_1c8e096e | type |
Childhood Friend Romance | |
David Copperfield / int_1c8e096e | comment |
Childhood Friend Romance: David grew up with Agnes and views her as his "sister", unaware of her true feelings even though they're obvious to pretty much everyone but him. | |
David Copperfield / int_1c8e096e | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield / int_1c8e096e | |
David Copperfield / int_1ddc03c1 | type |
Breaking Bad News Gently | |
David Copperfield / int_1ddc03c1 | comment |
Breaking Bad News Gently: Mrs. Creakle, much more kindhearted than her husband, tries to gently tell David that his mother has died... to the point where she's on the borderline of torturing him by the end. | |
David Copperfield / int_1ddc03c1 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_1ddc03c1 | |
David Copperfield / int_1fd2efc9 | type |
Byronic Hero | |
David Copperfield / int_1fd2efc9 | comment |
Byronic Hero: Played with in James Steerforth, whose handsome, dashing good looks and potent charisma are explicitly discussed as compelling. Unfortunately his failures of self-control leave him far short of his heroic potential. | |
David Copperfield / int_1fd2efc9 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_1fd2efc9 | |
David Copperfield / int_21d70919 | type |
Crapsack World | |
David Copperfield / int_21d70919 | comment |
Crapsack World: It's Dickens. He grew up in one. | |
David Copperfield / int_21d70919 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield / int_21d70919 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_21d70919 | |
David Copperfield / int_234fa9ba | type |
May–December Romance | |
David Copperfield / int_234fa9ba | comment |
May–December Romance: David's mother was "not yet twenty" when she married his father, who was twice her age. | |
David Copperfield / int_234fa9ba | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_234fa9ba | |
David Copperfield / int_25b7257f | type |
Red Right Hand | |
David Copperfield / int_25b7257f | comment |
Red Right Hand: Uriah Heep's ugly physical characteristics—including an unpleasant habit of wringing his dry hands together—are repeatedly emphasized to illustrate his evilness. | |
David Copperfield / int_25b7257f | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield / int_25b7257f | |
David Copperfield / int_2848e7d2 | type |
Oblivious to Love | |
David Copperfield / int_2848e7d2 | comment |
Oblivious to Love: David is capable of absolutely maddening the reader with his obtuseness re: Agnes' feelings. | |
David Copperfield / int_2848e7d2 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_2848e7d2 | |
David Copperfield / int_2a015a74 | type |
Beauty Equals Goodness | |
David Copperfield / int_2a015a74 | comment |
Beauty Equals Goodness: Played straight with Agnes Wickfield and Uriah Heep, although characters like Steerforth blur the lines somewhat. The dwarf Mrs. Mowcher goes from exemplifying this trope on first appearance to totally subverting it the next. | |
David Copperfield / int_2a015a74 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_2a015a74 | |
David Copperfield / int_2a6a8e89 | type |
Sadist Teacher | |
David Copperfield / int_2a6a8e89 | comment |
Sadist Teacher: Mr. Creakle, whose unpleasant fetish for hitting his students in general, amd the chubby ones in particular, is explicitly called out. | |
David Copperfield / int_2a6a8e89 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_2a6a8e89 | |
David Copperfield / int_2af6bbeb | type |
Break the Haughty | |
David Copperfield / int_2af6bbeb | comment |
Break the Haughty: Aunt Betsey does this to Murdstone, subtly, when the latter tries to reclaim David from her care: he admits nothing, but they both know she has his real motives pegged, and they aren't pretty. | |
David Copperfield / int_2af6bbeb | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_2af6bbeb | |
David Copperfield / int_2fd7200b | type |
Dead Guy Junior | |
David Copperfield / int_2fd7200b | comment |
Dead Guy Junior: David is named after his late father, and renamed Trotwood by Aunt Betsey in homage to the girl he was supposed to be, whom she was prepared to insist would be named after her. Also, one of David and Agnes's daughters is named Dora. | |
David Copperfield / int_2fd7200b | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_2fd7200b | |
David Copperfield / int_316e9da2 | type |
Memetic Mutation | |
David Copperfield / int_316e9da2 | comment |
Mrs. Micawber's defiant (albeit frequently unasked-for) insistence that "I never will desert Mr. Micawber!" achieved the nineteenth-century equivalent of a Memetic Mutation. | |
David Copperfield / int_316e9da2 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield / int_316e9da2 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_316e9da2 | |
David Copperfield / int_32da548d | type |
Arch-Enemy | |
David Copperfield / int_32da548d | comment |
Arch-Enemy: Uriah for David. Largely over the girl they both love, Agnes Wickfield. | |
David Copperfield / int_32da548d | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield / int_32da548d | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_32da548d | |
David Copperfield / int_34b33a09 | type |
You Should Have Died Instead | |
David Copperfield / int_34b33a09 | comment |
You Should Have Died Instead: The 1999 version has a moment where a distraught,disheveled Murdstone yells at David that he should died instead of Clara and the baby. | |
David Copperfield / int_34b33a09 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield / int_34b33a09 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_34b33a09 | |
David Copperfield / int_3545b7df | type |
Proper Lady | |
David Copperfield / int_3545b7df | comment |
Proper Lady: Agnes Wickfield is pretty much the template of the Victorian feminine ideal. | |
David Copperfield / int_3545b7df | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_3545b7df | |
David Copperfield / int_361a1d26 | type |
Anguished Declaration of Love | |
David Copperfield / int_361a1d26 | comment |
Anguished Declaration of Love: But it doesn't go quite according to plan, what with Dora breaking down into sobs, David trying to calm her down, and her yippy little dog barking his head off the entire time. There's a second one at the end of the book. | |
David Copperfield / int_361a1d26 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield / int_361a1d26 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_361a1d26 | |
David Copperfield / int_39d750cb | type |
Hand Rubbing | |
David Copperfield / int_39d750cb | comment |
Hand Rubbing: Uriah Heep is almost certainly the Trope Codifier. His constant rubbing of his hands together is a sign of his true, evil nature. | |
David Copperfield / int_39d750cb | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield / int_39d750cb | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_39d750cb | |
David Copperfield / int_3d5c5deb | type |
Flat Character | |
David Copperfield / int_3d5c5deb | comment |
Flat Character: Mrs. Micawber is a textbook example of this trope in use. Her sole character trait is her devotion to her husband, but she still plays an important role in a narrative that focuses on the plight of the working class. | |
David Copperfield / int_3d5c5deb | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_3d5c5deb | |
David Copperfield / int_3e16e61c | type |
Villain by Default | |
David Copperfield / int_3e16e61c | comment |
Villain by Default: Uriah Heep to a certain extent. Also, again, anybody named Murdstone isn't real likely to end up a noble philanthropist. | |
David Copperfield / int_3e16e61c | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_3e16e61c | |
David Copperfield / int_3f11ef74 | type |
Parental Substitute | |
David Copperfield / int_3f11ef74 | comment |
Parental Substitute: David encounters several of these including Mr. Wickfield, Aunt Betsey, and Mr. Micawber. Also Dan Peggotty to Ham and Emily. | |
David Copperfield / int_3f11ef74 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_3f11ef74 | |
David Copperfield / int_40cad744 | type |
Flower Motifs | |
David Copperfield / int_40cad744 | comment |
Flower Motifs: David is rather fond of flowers, and most of the characters around him get compared to one at some point. Most notably, Steerforth's Affectionate Nickname for him, "Daisy." | |
David Copperfield / int_40cad744 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_40cad744 | |
David Copperfield / int_4412f4d | type |
Guess Who I'm Marrying? | |
David Copperfield / int_4412f4d | comment |
Guess Who I'm Marrying?: Clara Copperfield and Mr. Murdstone, through the eyes of young David. | |
David Copperfield / int_4412f4d | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_4412f4d | |
David Copperfield / int_4441d947 | type |
The Storyteller | |
David Copperfield / int_4441d947 | comment |
The Storyteller: To cope with the Boarding School of Horrors's crap, Steerforth makes young David recount the tales he has learned from his beloved books. Steerforth suggests it purely for his own entertainment, but David later muses that the practice likely helped develope the tendency towards authorship he would later avail himself of. | |
David Copperfield / int_4441d947 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_4441d947 | |
David Copperfield / int_4781adbb | type |
Jerk with a Heart of Gold | |
David Copperfield / int_4781adbb | comment |
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Betsy Trotwood can be... difficult to approach with all her stubborn eccentricities, but at the core, she is kind and good-natured. | |
David Copperfield / int_4781adbb | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_4781adbb | |
David Copperfield / int_4783acfa | type |
Bait the Dog | |
David Copperfield / int_4783acfa | comment |
Bait the Dog: Mr. Creakle takes the sign warning that David bites away... because the sign gets in the way when a caning needs to be done. | |
David Copperfield / int_4783acfa | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_4783acfa | |
David Copperfield / int_48ca7c29 | type |
Broken Ace | |
David Copperfield / int_48ca7c29 | comment |
Broken Ace: Steerforth is charming, brilliant, and no one but Agnes can keep from adoring him, and yet he's got serious problems in his perception of morality, entitlement, and self-control, due to his over-privileged upbringing. | |
David Copperfield / int_48ca7c29 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_48ca7c29 | |
David Copperfield / int_48d9e12d | type |
Funetik Aksent | |
David Copperfield / int_48d9e12d | comment |
Funetik Aksent: several of the lower class characters, and especially Uriah Heep ("We're very umble, mother and me...") Not to mention the Peggottys. | |
David Copperfield / int_48d9e12d | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_48d9e12d | |
David Copperfield / int_48e8fe57 | type |
Happily Adopted | |
David Copperfield / int_48e8fe57 | comment |
Happily Adopted: Desperate orphaned David seeks his aunt Betsey, who takes him in and turns his life around. | |
David Copperfield / int_48e8fe57 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_48e8fe57 | |
David Copperfield / int_49f6a9e4 | type |
Most Writers Are Writers | |
David Copperfield / int_49f6a9e4 | comment |
Most Writers Are Writers: The book ends with David having become a successful novelist. Justified, since David is a loose portrait of Dickens himself. | |
David Copperfield / int_49f6a9e4 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_49f6a9e4 | |
David Copperfield / int_4a6e9fd9 | type |
Obnoxious In-Laws | |
David Copperfield / int_4a6e9fd9 | comment |
Obnoxious In-Laws: Mrs. Markleham, Annie's mother, who is always pestering Dr. Strong to support her poor relations while making him feel guilty about being too old for her. | |
David Copperfield / int_4a6e9fd9 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_4a6e9fd9 | |
David Copperfield / int_4b316d47 | type |
Break the Cutie | |
David Copperfield / int_4b316d47 | comment |
Break the Cutie: Murdstone's verging-on-Mind Rape campaign to teach Clara (and later his unnamed second wife) 'firmness of character', apparently out of some kind of sadistic fetish (one his sister Jane clearly shares, making things that much weirder). Later, when Aunt Betsey points out David might be starting down a similar path with Dora, he immediately flips out. | |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_4b316d47 | |
David Copperfield / int_4c3a0f69 | type |
You Know What You Did | |
David Copperfield / int_4c3a0f69 | comment |
You Know What You Did: Uriah's 'umble' admission of Annie Strong and Jack Maldon's supposed relationship to Annie's husband. | |
David Copperfield / int_4c3a0f69 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_4c3a0f69 | |
David Copperfield / int_4eaa9b84 | type |
Author Tract | |
David Copperfield / int_4eaa9b84 | comment |
Author Tract: Good and evil, in Dickens, are largely defined as 'agrees with the author' and 'doesn't agree with the author'. Luckily, he was a warmhearted, generous spirit in most respects, and had a real sense of humour. | |
David Copperfield / int_4eaa9b84 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_4eaa9b84 | |
David Copperfield / int_4ee487f2 | type |
Evil Makes You Ugly | |
David Copperfield / int_4ee487f2 | comment |
Evil Makes You Ugly: Uriah Heep is depicted as being physically repulsive. | |
David Copperfield / int_4ee487f2 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_4ee487f2 | |
David Copperfield / int_4ef92d0b | type |
The Atoner | |
David Copperfield / int_4ef92d0b | comment |
The Atoner: Little Emily — to the fully Victorian extreme — after escaping from Steerforth. | |
David Copperfield / int_4ef92d0b | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_4ef92d0b | |
David Copperfield / int_4efc4fae | type |
Good Scars, Evil Scars | |
David Copperfield / int_4efc4fae | comment |
Good Scars, Evil Scars: The ugliness under Rosa Dartle's uber-accommodating personality is symbolised by the scar on her lip — given to her by Steerforth throwing a hammer as a spoiled child — which flares red when she's upset. | |
David Copperfield / int_4efc4fae | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_4efc4fae | |
David Copperfield / int_4fa68c72 | type |
Like Parent, Like Spouse | |
David Copperfield / int_4fa68c72 | comment |
Like Parent, Like Spouse: David's first wife, the beautiful, frail and empty-headed Dora Spenlow, is reminiscent of his mother Clara. Lampshaded by Aunt Betsey. | |
David Copperfield / int_4fa68c72 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_4fa68c72 | |
David Copperfield / int_516f986d | type |
Loving a Shadow | |
David Copperfield / int_516f986d | comment |
Loving a Shadow: David falls in love with Dora, it is heavily implied (mostly by Aunt Betsey), because she reminds him of his mother Clara. | |
David Copperfield / int_516f986d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_516f986d | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_516f986d | |
David Copperfield / int_52488c54 | type |
Drowning My Sorrows | |
David Copperfield / int_52488c54 | comment |
Drowning My Sorrows: Mr. Wickfield, actively encouraged by Uriah in order to gain further control. | |
David Copperfield / int_52488c54 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_52488c54 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_52488c54 | |
David Copperfield / int_54bb2c63 | type |
The Alleged Boss | |
David Copperfield / int_54bb2c63 | comment |
The Alleged Boss: Mr. Jorkins of the law firm of Spenlow and Jorkins does little beside hide in his office upstairs, with a small desk and a writing pad yellowed in age. Outside the office, Jorkins is a reclusive bachelor who lives in a house needing painting. In effect, for many years Mr. Jorkins chose to leave the running of the firm to his more competent partner Spenlow. | |
David Copperfield / int_54bb2c63 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_54bb2c63 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_54bb2c63 | |
David Copperfield / int_55d33017 | type |
Sheltered Aristocrat | |
David Copperfield / int_55d33017 | comment |
Sheltered Aristocrat: Dora, tragically. She doesn't know anything about household management or upper-middle-class life, a fact which frustrates David to no end. | |
David Copperfield / int_55d33017 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_55d33017 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_55d33017 | |
David Copperfield / int_55ec42d7 | type |
Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe | |
David Copperfield / int_55ec42d7 | comment |
Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe: Several passages, usually involving Micawber or Dan Peggotty. | |
David Copperfield / int_55ec42d7 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_55ec42d7 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_55ec42d7 | |
David Copperfield / int_560e8d61 | type |
Deceptive Disciple | |
David Copperfield / int_560e8d61 | comment |
Deceptive Disciple: Uriah Heep to Mr. Wickfield, for the first part of the book. | |
David Copperfield / int_560e8d61 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_560e8d61 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_560e8d61 | |
David Copperfield / int_5a40d6a | type |
Adaptation Distillation | |
David Copperfield / int_5a40d6a | comment |
Adaptation Distillation: Pretty much a necessity for any novel of this era. The 1935 adaptation heavily streamlines the plot and dialogue, and completely omits David's time at Salem Hall. Most of the TV adaptations, though they have more time to work with, also do some streamlining. | |
David Copperfield / int_5a40d6a | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield / int_5a40d6a | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_5a40d6a | |
David Copperfield / int_5c9ccf46 | type |
One of the Kids | |
David Copperfield / int_5c9ccf46 | comment |
One of the Kids: Mr. Dick is very simple and kind, and bonds easily with the young David. | |
David Copperfield / int_5c9ccf46 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_5c9ccf46 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_5c9ccf46 | |
David Copperfield / int_5dc016f | type |
Anthropomorphic Animal Adaptation | |
David Copperfield / int_5dc016f | comment |
Anthropomorphic Animal Adaptation: The 1993 animated adaptation in which the main characters are felines, and others are dogs, rats, monkeys, etc. | |
David Copperfield / int_5dc016f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_5dc016f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_5dc016f | |
David Copperfield / int_60547993 | type |
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy | |
David Copperfield / int_60547993 | comment |
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Exemplified by Agnes, who nobly puts her own feelings for David aside and becomes Dora's best friend — then Dora herself, on her deathbed, when she has Agnes promise that only she will fill Dora's 'vacant place' afterwards. | |
David Copperfield / int_60547993 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_60547993 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_60547993 | |
David Copperfield / int_6056f853 | type |
Homoerotic Subtext | |
David Copperfield / int_6056f853 | comment |
Homoerotic Subtext: James Steerworth nicknames David, his younger, starstruck bro, "Daisy". | |
David Copperfield / int_6056f853 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_6056f853 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_6056f853 | |
David Copperfield / int_60c90bd5 | type |
Orphan's Ordeal | |
David Copperfield / int_60c90bd5 | comment |
Orphan's Ordeal: David loses his mother and is stuck with the Murdstones. | |
David Copperfield / int_60c90bd5 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_60c90bd5 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_60c90bd5 | |
David Copperfield / int_60fa92ac | type |
Names to Run Away from Really Fast | |
David Copperfield / int_60fa92ac | comment |
Uriah Heep. Used to spectacular effect by Micawber in exposing him. | |
David Copperfield / int_60fa92ac | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_60fa92ac | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_60fa92ac | |
David Copperfield / int_61b8f9e2 | type |
Bunny-Ears Lawyer | |
David Copperfield / int_61b8f9e2 | comment |
Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Mr. Dick, at least to Aunt Betsey. She insists he's actually brilliant, and relies on his judgment. When he gets a job as a copyist later in the story, he does very well at it, and as he has a small independent income, he puts his wages in a trust fund for Betsey. | |
David Copperfield / int_61b8f9e2 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_61b8f9e2 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_61b8f9e2 | |
David Copperfield / int_64f3ea6e | type |
Disneyfication | |
David Copperfield / int_64f3ea6e | comment |
Disneyfication: The 1993 animated adaptation. All the characters are replaced with anthropomorphic house pets (including mice), and the poorhouse has a sub-plot with a Festering Fungus in the basement. | |
David Copperfield / int_64f3ea6e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_64f3ea6e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_64f3ea6e | |
David Copperfield / int_66755d29 | type |
Author Avatar | |
David Copperfield / int_66755d29 | comment |
Author Avatar: Although it's important to realise this isn't by any means a straight autobiography. | |
David Copperfield / int_66755d29 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_66755d29 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_66755d29 | |
David Copperfield / int_6bda9a30 | type |
Meaningful Name | |
David Copperfield / int_6bda9a30 | comment |
Meaningful Name: This is Dickens, so it's reasonable to assume every name in the story is significant in one way or another. "Copperfield" could very well be a reference to David's socioeconomic status—he is neither gold nor silver, but still one of the legacy metals. Class and class relations are major themes of the novel, and David's own situation is vital to his development, as it affords him mobility and exposure to a wide variety of demographics. As Aunt Betsey lampshades repeatedly, no one named "Murdstone" is going to be a fount of human kindness. Uriah Heep. Used to spectacular effect by Micawber in exposing him. Agnes Wickfield is frequently associated with candle and fire imagery. The similarity to David's own surname is also telling. Dora is nothing but adorable, and David's relationship with her cannot sustain itself beyond adoration. Steerforth's is possibly the most significant and multilayered. He is associated throughout the book with the ocean and navigation, in terms both metaphorical ("Steerforth, you'retheguidingstarofmyexistence!") and practical, leading up to his eventual watery demise. It also refers to his perpetual "steering forth"—always in search of new adventures before the old have been concluded—and the captivating, guiding influence he commands over everyone who encounters him. This last is lampshaded by Steerforth himself, who in a rare moment of depression laments the irony in his situation: | |
David Copperfield / int_6bda9a30 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield / int_6bda9a30 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_6bda9a30 | |
David Copperfield / int_6da1d9ae | type |
Parental Marriage Veto | |
David Copperfield / int_6da1d9ae | comment |
Parental Marriage Veto: Spenlow's putting the squash on his daughter Dora's romance with newly-penniless David. Right before he actually dies. | |
David Copperfield / int_6da1d9ae | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_6da1d9ae | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_6da1d9ae | |
David Copperfield / int_6dbd3711 | type |
Affectionate Gesture to the Head | |
David Copperfield / int_6dbd3711 | comment |
Affectionate Gesture to the Head: When Miss Betsey Trotwood visits David's mother Clara Copperfield, who is very pregnant and very sad over her dead husband, she seems very determined, opinionated, stubborn and almost rude. However, at one moment she gently touched Clara's hair ("she had a fancy that she felt Miss Betsey touch her hair, and that with no ungentle hand"). When Clara has a boy instead of a girl that Miss Betsey had wanted to take care of, she left abruptly. Later in the narrative, when David is unsure if Miss Betsey will help him, he keeps thinking particularly about this gesture of kindness. Soon after Mr Murdstone meets little David and his young widowed mother, he pats him on his head, but David dislikes him very much, and dislikes the thought that he is interested in his mother. | |
David Copperfield / int_6dbd3711 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_6dbd3711 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_6dbd3711 | |
David Copperfield / int_6fcfbf9c | type |
The Plot Reaper | |
David Copperfield / int_6fcfbf9c | comment |
The Plot Reaper: It gets to Dora, and to some extent Clara Copperfield. Clara has to die so David can be sent off as an orphan and move on to the next part of the story; Dora has to die so David can wind up with his real true love and proper match, Agnes. | |
David Copperfield / int_6fcfbf9c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_6fcfbf9c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_6fcfbf9c | |
David Copperfield / int_74d9d78f | type |
Hate at First Sight | |
David Copperfield / int_74d9d78f | comment |
Hate at First Sight: David's reaction on meeting Uriah. | |
David Copperfield / int_74d9d78f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_74d9d78f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_74d9d78f | |
David Copperfield / int_757bbdb8 | type |
Massive Numbered Siblings | |
David Copperfield / int_757bbdb8 | comment |
Massive Numbered Siblings: Tommy Traddles's fiancee Sophy is the fourth of ten daughters. | |
David Copperfield / int_757bbdb8 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_757bbdb8 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_757bbdb8 | |
David Copperfield / int_767f84ea | type |
Does Not Like Men | |
David Copperfield / int_767f84ea | comment |
Does Not Like Men: At the beginning of the story Aunt Betsey has a grim view of men and boys in general, due to her bad experiences in her own marriage. Clara giving birth to the male protagonist instead of the girl Betsey wanted induces the latter to storm out of the house in a rage. However, she gradually softens, and grows very fond of David after taking him in. | |
David Copperfield / int_767f84ea | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_767f84ea | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_767f84ea | |
David Copperfield / int_77063cd7 | type |
Hooker with a Heart of Gold | |
David Copperfield / int_77063cd7 | comment |
Hooker with a Heart of Gold: Martha's friendship with Emily and her assistance to Dan Peggotty. | |
David Copperfield / int_77063cd7 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_77063cd7 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_77063cd7 | |
David Copperfield / int_780e2082 | type |
Slimeball | |
David Copperfield / int_780e2082 | comment |
Slimeball: Uriah Heep is a smarmy villain with sanctimonious "umble" mannerisms, inspiring loathing from most other characters. On their first meeting, David tries to be polite but is repulsed by Uriah's clammy handshake. Uriah even manages to take any fun out of it when David finally clobbers him one, merely looking hurt and saying he was too generous of a man to hit back. | |
David Copperfield / int_780e2082 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_780e2082 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_780e2082 | |
David Copperfield / int_78540917 | type |
Like Brother and Sister | |
David Copperfield / int_78540917 | comment |
Like Brother and Sister: David and Agnes... according to David, that is. Conjectures are also made that Rosa and Steerforth, as well as Ham and Emily, have this sort of relationship. But it's not that simple in any of these cases. | |
David Copperfield / int_78540917 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_78540917 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_78540917 | |
David Copperfield / int_7a08e8d1 | type |
They Call Me MISTER Tibbs! | |
David Copperfield / int_7a08e8d1 | comment |
They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!: Uriah makes a habit of calling David "Master Copperfield" (the form of address for a young boy) even when they are both adults, subtly belittling him. | |
David Copperfield / int_7a08e8d1 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_7a08e8d1 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_7a08e8d1 | |
David Copperfield / int_7ab81664 | type |
Kick Them While They Are Down | |
David Copperfield / int_7ab81664 | comment |
Kick Them While They Are Down: Uriah toward Wickfield, in that he uses the latter's alcoholism as a weapon against him. Also, in one vivid scene, Rosa Dartle's response to poor Emily, whom she finds broken and defenseless on returning to England. | |
David Copperfield / int_7ab81664 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_7ab81664 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_7ab81664 | |
David Copperfield / int_7d89315b | type |
"The Reason You Suck" Speech | |
David Copperfield / int_7d89315b | comment |
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: As per above, Aunt Betsey gives a great one to Mr. Murdstone and his sister when they try to take David from her. | |
David Copperfield / int_7d89315b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_7d89315b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_7d89315b | |
David Copperfield / int_813afa05 | type |
Defiled Forever | |
David Copperfield / int_813afa05 | comment |
Defiled Forever: The reason everyone is so distraught by Emily's escape with Steerforth. If he seduces her but neglects to marry her, she will be forever stained in the eyes of Victorian society. | |
David Copperfield / int_813afa05 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_813afa05 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_813afa05 | |
David Copperfield / int_815d5a99 | type |
The Three Faces of Eve | |
David Copperfield / int_815d5a99 | comment |
The Three Faces of Eve: The three women David loves over the course of his life fit this pretty well: Agnes, who is sensible, a fabulous homemaker, and always lends wisdom and support is the wife; Dora, who is woefully ignorant and naive but affectionate and often described in terms of children and even called 'child-wife' is the child, and Em'ly, who has an affair with Steerforth and may or may not have worked as a prostitute but is at the very least keeps company with ex-prostitute Martha is the seductress. | |
David Copperfield / int_815d5a99 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_815d5a99 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_815d5a99 | |
David Copperfield / int_815ea2a1 | type |
All Is Well That Ends Well | |
David Copperfield / int_815ea2a1 | comment |
All Is Well That Ends Well: David overlooks the abuse of his childhood and other experiences to focus on the happy present. | |
David Copperfield / int_815ea2a1 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_815ea2a1 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_815ea2a1 | |
David Copperfield / int_83a55c8e | type |
Napoleon Delusion | |
David Copperfield / int_83a55c8e | comment |
Napoleon Delusion: Downplayed. Mr. Dick believes himself to be King Charles I, but unlike most examples makes no attempt whatsoever to act or dress the part. | |
David Copperfield / int_83a55c8e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_83a55c8e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_83a55c8e | |
David Copperfield / int_83a903f6 | type |
Stepford Smiler | |
David Copperfield / int_83a903f6 | comment |
Stepford Smiler: Miss Mowcher turns a Type A prototype after Dickens switches gears from The Grotesque (she hides her depression under laughs, even at her own expense). It's possible to read Agnes Wickfield as a very determined version of this. | |
David Copperfield / int_83a903f6 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_83a903f6 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_83a903f6 | |
David Copperfield / int_853b7948 | type |
Ambiguously Evil | |
David Copperfield / int_853b7948 | comment |
Ambiguously Evil: Steerforth is often cast as one of the villains of the piece, although his actions betray a mere careless self-interest (coupled with an unfortunately potent charisma), rather than any actual desire to do harm. | |
David Copperfield / int_853b7948 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_853b7948 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_853b7948 | |
David Copperfield / int_85ca9dab | type |
Second Love | |
David Copperfield / int_85ca9dab | comment |
Second Love: David marries Agnes to be his second wife. Although a case can be made that his first love, Dora, was only boyish infatuation. (He mentions several other crushes, though.) | |
David Copperfield / int_85ca9dab | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_85ca9dab | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_85ca9dab | |
David Copperfield / int_8cbd311b | type |
Good Angel, Bad Angel | |
David Copperfield / int_8cbd311b | comment |
Good Angel, Bad Angel: Discussed. David repeatedly refers to Agnes as his "good angel," maintaining that her influence guides him in life. When Agnes learns of this association, she takes the opportunity to warn him against his "bad angel," Steerforth, whom she sees as a corrupting influence. Throughout the book, Agnes and Steerforth are paralleled and contrasted in terms of their relationships to David and linked by the shared metaphor of guiding star. | |
David Copperfield / int_8cbd311b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_8cbd311b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_8cbd311b | |
David Copperfield / int_8d0461e2 | type |
Destructive Romance | |
David Copperfield / int_8d0461e2 | comment |
Destructive Romance: Emily's all-consuming ambition to "be a lady" and Steerforth's tendency to woo and then discard collide with disastrous results. | |
David Copperfield / int_8d0461e2 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_8d0461e2 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_8d0461e2 | |
David Copperfield / int_8ff8d545 | type |
Kissing Cousins | |
David Copperfield / int_8ff8d545 | comment |
Kissing Cousins: Ham and Emily were going to be this, as their marriage had been arranged, but Emily gets seduced by Steerforth instead. | |
David Copperfield / int_8ff8d545 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_8ff8d545 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_8ff8d545 | |
David Copperfield / int_91652846 | type |
Hero-Worshipper | |
David Copperfield / int_91652846 | comment |
Hero-Worshipper: David and his fellow students at Salem House are unabashedly this to Steerforth; Mrs. Steerforth later explains to David that this is specifically why she placed her son at such a lowly school, so that he would naturally stand out and thus be 'appreciated' as he deserved. | |
David Copperfield / int_91652846 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_91652846 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_91652846 | |
David Copperfield / int_957e5fc2 | type |
Villainous Breakdown | |
David Copperfield / int_957e5fc2 | comment |
Villainous Breakdown: Uriah, who has spent the whole book pretending to be "umble" to disguise his greedy, spiteful, obsessive nature, only shows his true colors during his final confrontation with Mr. Micawber. | |
David Copperfield / int_957e5fc2 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_957e5fc2 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_957e5fc2 | |
David Copperfield / int_95b7c400 | type |
Faux Affably Evil | |
David Copperfield / int_95b7c400 | comment |
Faux Affably Evil: Uriah Heep makes a pretense of being "'umble" and friendly, and maintains a superficial attitude of obsequiousness, but is actually an evil schemer looking to take over Mr. Wickfield's business and force Agnes to marry him. | |
David Copperfield / int_95b7c400 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_95b7c400 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_95b7c400 | |
David Copperfield / int_95e7be81 | type |
Rich Boredom | |
David Copperfield / int_95e7be81 | comment |
Rich Boredom: Steerforth comes from a rich upper-class family. He doesn't have to do anything, and as a result, he flits from one fancy to the next without truly accomplishing anything. | |
David Copperfield / int_95e7be81 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_95e7be81 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_95e7be81 | |
David Copperfield / int_963e36bd | type |
Boarding School of Horrors | |
David Copperfield / int_963e36bd | comment |
Boarding School of Horrors: Salem House isn't quite as bad as the famous Dotheboys Hall from Nicholas Nickleby, but only because Mr Creakle isn't quite as devoted to his sadism, being more stupid and lazy than outright evil. | |
David Copperfield / int_963e36bd | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_963e36bd | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_963e36bd | |
David Copperfield / int_984ef9ef | type |
"Not So Different" Remark | |
David Copperfield / int_984ef9ef | comment |
"Not So Different" Remark: Uriah Heep points out the similarities between himself and David, freaking David right out. | |
David Copperfield / int_984ef9ef | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_984ef9ef | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_984ef9ef | |
David Copperfield / int_9b54d536 | type |
Evil Counterpart | |
David Copperfield / int_9b54d536 | comment |
Evil Counterpart: Mr. Murdstone is this to the adult David, in respect of their treatment of their frail, child-like wives. The former utterly destroyed Clara with his cruelty in attempting to instil "firmness of character" in her. Although David is kind to his first wife Dora, he similarly shows signs of wanting to mould her and train her to be an efficient housekeeper, and Aunt Betsey cautions him against going down a similar path to that his stepfather took with his mother. David takes this to heart and resolves to allow Dora to just be who she is. | |
David Copperfield / int_9b54d536 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield / int_9b54d536 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_9b54d536 | |
David Copperfield / int_9fe35833 | type |
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas | |
David Copperfield / int_9fe35833 | comment |
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Both Steerforth and Heep have close relationships with their mothers, whom they closely resemble. The women's unconditional worship of their sons is suggested to have played a part in the boys' negative development. | |
David Copperfield / int_9fe35833 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield / int_9fe35833 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_9fe35833 | |
David Copperfield / int_a00fb5fd | type |
First Love | |
David Copperfield / int_a00fb5fd | comment |
First Love: This trope is an important element in the story, used both ways, since David marries his first love, Dora, only to realise that they are not well-suited. He loves her but she can't be a partner to him. Upon her death, he marries Agnes, who considered him to be her first love, and who had loved him the whole time. A rare case of both the unhappy First Love type and the triumphant First Love type, for Agnes, who ultimately ends up marrying David — in one story. | |
David Copperfield / int_a00fb5fd | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield / int_a00fb5fd | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_a00fb5fd | |
David Copperfield / int_a4c37cbe | type |
Mood Whiplash | |
David Copperfield / int_a4c37cbe | comment |
Mood Whiplash: Often Played for Laughs with Mr. Micawber, who can go in an instant from being assured that he has reached the uttermost depths of despair to cheerfully assuming that all will be well. | |
David Copperfield / int_a4c37cbe | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_a4c37cbe | |
David Copperfield / int_a70223 | type |
Karma Houdini | |
David Copperfield / int_a70223 | comment |
Karma Houdini: Mr. Murdstone never really gets what he deserves for abusing David and his mother, and continues to marry and abuse women. | |
David Copperfield / int_a70223 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield / int_a70223 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_a70223 | |
David Copperfield / int_a8cbf649 | type |
I Should Write a Book About This | |
David Copperfield / int_a8cbf649 | comment |
I Should Write a Book About This: From the very first sentence, the reader knows this is meant as David's autobiography: | |
David Copperfield / int_a8cbf649 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield / int_a8cbf649 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield / int_a8cbf649 | |
David Copperfield / int_a939a527 | type |
Red Eyes, Take Warning | |
David Copperfield / int_a939a527 | comment |
Red Eyes, Take Warning: David sometimes refers to the villainous Uriah Heep's eyes as red, with an ambiguous degree of seriousness. | |
David Copperfield / int_a939a527 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_a939a527 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_a939a527 | |
David Copperfield / int_a939d96a | type |
Adults Are Useless | |
David Copperfield / int_a939d96a | comment |
Adults Are Useless: David's guardians (save for Peggoty) almost exclusively fall under this, being too childish themselves (Clara Copperfield, Mr. Dick), heartless (the Murdstones, Creakle), drunks (Wickfield), or severely in debt (Micawbers). Even kind and capable Aunt Betsey ends up losing all her money and throwing herself on David's doorstep. | |
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David Copperfield / int_a939d96a | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_a939d96a | |
David Copperfield / int_aae5831b | type |
Disproportionate Restitution | |
David Copperfield / int_aae5831b | comment |
Disproportionate Restitution: In exchange for having seduced her, taken her from her loving family, dragged her all over Europe as his pet, completely broken her sense of self-worth, and broken her heart, Steerforth offers Em'ly marriage to his odious, much-older, and fully cooperative manservant, Littimer, as a consolation prize. Em'ly doesn't go for it. | |
David Copperfield / int_aae5831b | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield / int_aae5831b | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_aae5831b | |
David Copperfield / int_b0bce7aa | type |
Selective Obliviousness | |
David Copperfield / int_b0bce7aa | comment |
Selective Obliviousness: Near the end, David thinks to himself that he rather suspected that Agnes had loved him when they were younger, but since he wasn't interested in her like that he just ignored it. She's actually still interested, but now he's genuinely oblivious because presumably she's hiding her feelings now. | |
David Copperfield / int_b0bce7aa | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield / int_b0bce7aa | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_b0bce7aa | |
David Copperfield / int_b1e8a3b3 | type |
Coming of Age Story | |
David Copperfield / int_b1e8a3b3 | comment |
Coming of Age Story: Very literally, and one of the finest examples in Western literature. | |
David Copperfield / int_b1e8a3b3 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield / int_b1e8a3b3 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_b1e8a3b3 | |
David Copperfield / int_b26cc887 | type |
Just Between You and Me | |
David Copperfield / int_b26cc887 | comment |
Just Between You and Me: Villainous Uriah Heep confides his love for Agnes to David, knowing how much it will hurt him. | |
David Copperfield / int_b26cc887 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_b26cc887 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_b26cc887 | |
David Copperfield / int_b2c15631 | type |
"No More Holding Back" Speech | |
David Copperfield / int_b2c15631 | comment |
"No More Holding Back" Speech: Miss Mowcher gives one of these to David in her second appearance, calling him out for snap-judging her based on her appearance and behavior in company of Steerforth and describing her struggles growing up as a dwarf and the effort she spent carving out a niche for herself in society. | |
David Copperfield / int_b2c15631 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield / int_b2c15631 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_b2c15631 | |
David Copperfield / int_b53077b3 | type |
Take That! | |
David Copperfield / int_b53077b3 | comment |
Take That!: Uriah Heep was often said to be based on the real life Hans Christian Andersen, with whom Dickens was quite annoyed with after he invited himself to stay at the Dickens' house for a month. | |
David Copperfield / int_b53077b3 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield / int_b53077b3 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_b53077b3 | |
David Copperfield / int_b593baf1 | type |
Author Filibuster | |
David Copperfield / int_b593baf1 | comment |
Author Filibuster: Comes with the territory. Often goes so far as to become an... | |
David Copperfield / int_b593baf1 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_b593baf1 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_b593baf1 | |
David Copperfield / int_b5b3599d | type |
Amoral Attorney | |
David Copperfield / int_b5b3599d | comment |
Amoral Attorney: Uriah Heep and, by blackmail, Wickfield. Also David's first bosses Spenlow and Jorkins, to an extent. Dickens gleefully lampshades the disastrous state of the British judicial system at every opportunity. | |
David Copperfield / int_b5b3599d | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield / int_b5b3599d | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_b5b3599d | |
David Copperfield / int_b77808f2 | type |
"Where Are They Now?" Epilogue | |
David Copperfield / int_b77808f2 | comment |
"Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: The last two chapters are primarily concerned with sketching the current circumstances of the characters. | |
David Copperfield / int_b77808f2 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield / int_b77808f2 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_b77808f2 | |
David Copperfield / int_b7e0c5ff | type |
Love Triangle | |
David Copperfield / int_b7e0c5ff | comment |
Love Triangle: A few, but the main one is Agnes/David/Dora. Others include Ham/Emily/Steerforth, Emily/Steerforth/Rosa Dartle, Uriah/Agnes/David, and for a time, we're led to believe Dr.Strong/Annie/Jack Maldon is one. | |
David Copperfield / int_b7e0c5ff | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield / int_b7e0c5ff | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_b7e0c5ff | |
David Copperfield / int_bc03c871 | type |
Child Hater | |
David Copperfield / int_bc03c871 | comment |
Child Hater: Jane Murdstone, though only towards boys. Her opinion of girls is unknown. | |
David Copperfield / int_bc03c871 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_bc03c871 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_bc03c871 | |
David Copperfield / int_bc74ef27 | type |
Berserk Button | |
David Copperfield / int_bc74ef27 | comment |
Berserk Button: Do not let the donkeys on Betsey Trotwood's green. Ever. | |
David Copperfield / int_bc74ef27 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_bc74ef27 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_bc74ef27 | |
David Copperfield / int_bec0417c | type |
Happily Married | |
David Copperfield / int_bec0417c | comment |
Happily Married: A few explicit examples, pretty clearly intended to further David's exploration of the topic: comically unromantic but comfortable Peggotty & Barkis, then plain but-sensible Tommy Traddles & his devoted, self-denying Sophy. Partly due to the lessons he learns from them, David and Agnes end up as this. | |
David Copperfield / int_bec0417c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_bec0417c | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_bec0417c | |
David Copperfield / int_c335b9ec | type |
Irony | |
David Copperfield / int_c335b9ec | comment |
Irony: Ham dies trying (and failing) to save Steerforth, the man he swore to kill because he stole and subsequently ruined his fiancee. (At least, that's one possibility — the other is that Ham dies making sure Steerforth drowned.) | |
David Copperfield / int_c335b9ec | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield / int_c335b9ec | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_c335b9ec | |
David Copperfield / int_c3b40ab8 | type |
Evil Redhead | |
David Copperfield / int_c3b40ab8 | comment |
Evil Redhead: Uriah Heep. The pale eyelashes and -brows that go with this colouring are played up for maximum creepiness. | |
David Copperfield / int_c3b40ab8 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield / int_c3b40ab8 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_c3b40ab8 | |
David Copperfield / int_c5249b29 | type |
Nice Guy | |
David Copperfield / int_c5249b29 | comment |
Nice Guy: Tommy Traddles, Ham, and usually David himself. | |
David Copperfield / int_c5249b29 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_c5249b29 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_c5249b29 | |
David Copperfield / int_c75df49a | type |
Shout-Out | |
David Copperfield / int_c75df49a | comment |
Shout-Out: All the books David mentions reading as a child are real books Dickens probably read in his. The novel is filled with allusions to other famous works of literature, primarily Shakespeare. | |
David Copperfield / int_c75df49a | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield / int_c75df49a | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_c75df49a | |
David Copperfield / int_c83cd6b8 | type |
The Nicknamer | |
David Copperfield / int_c83cd6b8 | comment |
The Nicknamer: Miss Betsey, who is a bit of a benign control freak, likes to rename the people around her to her taste. David is "Trotwood" or "Trot", Richard Babley is "Mr. Dick", Clara is "Baby", the Murdstones are "the Murderers" and Dora is "Little Blossom". | |
David Copperfield / int_c83cd6b8 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_c83cd6b8 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_c83cd6b8 | |
David Copperfield / int_c868a42a | type |
Freudian Excuse | |
David Copperfield / int_c868a42a | comment |
Freudian Excuse: David's attachment to women like his mother, and Uriah Heep's issues with humility via his father. | |
David Copperfield / int_c868a42a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_c868a42a | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_c868a42a | |
David Copperfield / int_c8d6d621 | type |
I Will Wait for You | |
David Copperfield / int_c8d6d621 | comment |
I Will Wait for You: Sophy faithfully and happily waits for Traddles to be financially able to marry her. | |
David Copperfield / int_c8d6d621 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_c8d6d621 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_c8d6d621 | |
David Copperfield / int_c960826 | type |
Supporting Protagonist | |
David Copperfield / int_c960826 | comment |
Supporting Protagonist: David toes the line, especially when Steerforth is around. | |
David Copperfield / int_c960826 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_c960826 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_c960826 | |
David Copperfield / int_c972d624 | type |
Slut-Shaming | |
David Copperfield / int_c972d624 | comment |
Slut-Shaming: Rose Dartle blames Little Em'ly for beguiling Steerforth and corrupting him into running off with her, leaving his family bereft, when it's blatantly clear it was the other way around. Then again, Rose is a) living in the 19th century and b) in denial. | |
David Copperfield / int_c972d624 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_c972d624 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_c972d624 | |
David Copperfield / int_cbbf302c | type |
Cleaning Up Romantic Loose Ends | |
David Copperfield / int_cbbf302c | comment |
Cleaning Up Romantic Loose Ends: Interestingly lampshaded by Dora's death; she herself comments that it's better this way, as she would never have gotten past her silliness and stupidity and David would've eventually despised her for it. In the same portion of the story, Steerforth's death. Whether or not one considers him a strictly "romantic" interest (David certainly refers to the relationship that way at times), he has been enough of a draw for David to keep him from Agnes (which she herself acknowledges), who must now receive David's undivided attention. | |
David Copperfield / int_cbbf302c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_cbbf302c | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_cbbf302c | |
David Copperfield / int_cdd676a3 | type |
Hyper-Competent Sidekick | |
David Copperfield / int_cdd676a3 | comment |
Hypercompetent Sidekick: How David sees Littimer, Steerforth's loyal servant, later employed with another man. Later reveals his true colours when he runs away with his next master's money, gets arrested, and becomes Uriah's rival for the position of Most Valued Prisoner. | |
David Copperfield / int_cdd676a3 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield / int_cdd676a3 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_cdd676a3 | |
David Copperfield / int_ce27dc3f | type |
Protagonist Title | |
David Copperfield / int_ce27dc3f | comment |
Protagonist Title: The book is named David Copperfield after its hero. | |
David Copperfield / int_ce27dc3f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_ce27dc3f | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_ce27dc3f | |
David Copperfield / int_ceec4df5 | type |
Roaring Rampage of Revenge | |
David Copperfield / int_ceec4df5 | comment |
Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Mr. Micawber, after months of being blackmailed by Uriah into helping him forge documents and just generally being exploited past endurance, finally exposes all his misdeeds in truly epic fashion. | |
David Copperfield / int_ceec4df5 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_ceec4df5 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_ceec4df5 | |
David Copperfield / int_d29a6629 | type |
Death by Childbirth | |
David Copperfield / int_d29a6629 | comment |
Death by Childbirth: Dora, albeit this is referred to only very obliquely in the text. Also, Clara dies just a few weeks after giving birth to her and Edward Murdstone's child, and Agnes Wickfield's mother is implied to have died giving birth to her, heightening her father's melancholy and her own sense of guilty responsibility to him in turn. In an era well prior to modern hygienic let alone obstetric techniques, all this was very much Truth in Television. | |
David Copperfield / int_d29a6629 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield / int_d29a6629 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_d29a6629 | |
David Copperfield / int_d308cbb0 | type |
Character Catchphrase | |
David Copperfield / int_d308cbb0 | comment |
Character Catchphrase: Mrs. Micawber's defiant (albeit frequently unasked-for) insistence that "I never will desert Mr. Micawber!" achieved the nineteenth-century equivalent of a Memetic Mutation. David: "Dear me!" Uriah: "We are/I am so very umble ... " Mr. Dick: "She [Miss Betsey] is the most wonderful woman in the world, sir!" Mr. Peggotty: "You'll find me rough, but you'll find me ready." Rosa Dartle: "Is it really, though?" Miss Mowcher: "Ain't I volatile?" A drunken old pawnbroker: "Goroo! Oh, goroooooo!" Mr. Micawber is fond of mentioning something 'turning up'. He also has a habit of letting his florid turns of phrase get way out of hand, so that his speeches invariably end with "in short —" | |
David Copperfield / int_d308cbb0 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield / int_d308cbb0 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_d308cbb0 | |
David Copperfield / int_d52d28b6 | type |
Hypocrite | |
David Copperfield / int_d52d28b6 | comment |
Hypocrite: Uriah Heep, who in spite of claiming to be "humble", shows himself to be anything but humble when he uses his scheming power to forge Wickfield's signature in his attempt to embezzle the Wickfields' fortunes. | |
David Copperfield / int_d52d28b6 | featureApplicability |
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David Copperfield / int_d52d28b6 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_d52d28b6 | |
David Copperfield / int_d84a3beb | type |
Either/Or Title | |
David Copperfield / int_d84a3beb | comment |
Either/Or Title: The book's full title is "David Copperfield, or The Personal History, Adventures, Experience and Observation of David Copperfield the Younger of Blunderstone Rookery (which he never meant to publish on any account)". | |
David Copperfield / int_d84a3beb | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_d84a3beb | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_d84a3beb | |
David Copperfield / int_daecf1c2 | type |
Does He Have a Brother? | |
David Copperfield / int_daecf1c2 | comment |
Does He Have a Brother?: Steerforth asks David if he has a sister. A subtle indication that if there had been a female version of David in existence, Steerforth would have loved to know her. | |
David Copperfield / int_daecf1c2 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_daecf1c2 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_daecf1c2 | |
David Copperfield / int_dc579c91 | type |
Contrived Coincidence | |
David Copperfield / int_dc579c91 | comment |
Contrived Coincidence: Most of the major plot twists involve characters just happening to walk past doorways or meet on the street. In the heart of London! | |
David Copperfield / int_dc579c91 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_dc579c91 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_dc579c91 | |
David Copperfield / int_dcd423d2 | type |
Affectionate Nickname | |
David Copperfield / int_dcd423d2 | comment |
Affectionate Nickname: David is apparently just too cute for people to resist nicknaming him. Steerforth calls him "Daisy" purportedly in reference to his "freshness" and naivety. Dora calls him "Doady" and asks him to refer to her as his "child-wife". Agnes calls him "Trotwood" throughout his life, since that was how he was first introduced to her by David's aunt. Miss Betsey decides to call David "Trotwood Copperfield", as a compromise (she had intended his nonexistent sister to be christened Betsey Trotwood) and often shortens it to Trot. | |
David Copperfield / int_dcd423d2 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_dcd423d2 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_dcd423d2 | |
David Copperfield / int_de19df2b | type |
The Matchmaker | |
David Copperfield / int_de19df2b | comment |
The Matchmaker: Miss Mills, having despaired of ever finding love herself, reportedly plays this role for every young couple she can get her hands on. She consequently becomes the Shipper on Deck for David and Dora, and is instrumental in their continued relationship. | |
David Copperfield / int_de19df2b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_de19df2b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_de19df2b | |
David Copperfield / int_de80e030 | type |
Social Climber | |
David Copperfield / int_de80e030 | comment |
Social Climber Little Em'ly spends all her life wishing to be a lady. So when the dashingly highborn James Steerforth offers himself up, she jumps at the opportunity. Uriah Heep works the backstabber angle of this trope, plotting to supplant his employer in the law firm. | |
David Copperfield / int_de80e030 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_de80e030 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_de80e030 | |
David Copperfield / int_df2b3ec | type |
Kindly Housekeeper | |
David Copperfield / int_df2b3ec | comment |
Kindly Housekeeper: Peggotty, to the extent that she becomes more of an affectionate auntie figure to David. | |
David Copperfield / int_df2b3ec | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_df2b3ec | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield | hasFeature |
David Copperfield / int_df2b3ec | |
David Copperfield / int_e1721fd1 | type |
Antiquated Linguistics | |
David Copperfield / int_e1721fd1 | comment |
Antiquated Linguistics: It's Dickens. It's the Victorian era. Hemingway this was never gonna be. | |
David Copperfield / int_e1721fd1 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
David Copperfield / int_e1721fd1 | featureConfidence |
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David Copperfield / int_e1721fd1 | |
David Copperfield / int_e195807e | type |
Childhood Marriage Promise | |
David Copperfield / int_e195807e | comment |
Childhood Marriage Promise: David promises to marry 'Little Em'ly' when they're about 8 years old, but it never comes to pass, since she 'wants to be a lady'. Steerforth artfully uses both David's sentimentalism and Emily's desire to further his seduction, heightening his villainy. | |
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David Copperfield / int_e2cd1428 | type |
Widow's Weeds | |
David Copperfield / int_e2cd1428 | comment |
Widow's Weeds: Spear Counterpart. David wears a black armband to show mourning for his wife Dora. | |
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David Copperfield / int_e2cd1428 | |
David Copperfield / int_e2d457 | type |
The Ditz | |
David Copperfield / int_e2d457 | comment |
The Ditz: Dora is very ditzy, something Dickens gleefully lampshades at every opportunity. | |
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David Copperfield / int_e2d457 | |
David Copperfield / int_e313b4e7 | type |
Manchild | |
David Copperfield / int_e313b4e7 | comment |
Manchild: Clara Copperfield and Dora are both good-natured but with the emotional range of children which leaves them unable to take on the adult role of managing their households. In Clara's case this left her vulnerable to Murdstone, who took advantage of her naivety. In Dora's case it leaves David with the pressure to pick up the slack. David is a downplayed example. Despite spending a good portion of his childhood on the streets of London, he remains fairly naive as an adult. | |
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David Copperfield / int_e313b4e7 | |
David Copperfield / int_e3b0cd87 | type |
Morality Pet | |
David Copperfield / int_e3b0cd87 | comment |
Morality Pet: David to Steerforth. Steerforth typically carries on relationships only as long as he believes they will benefit him, yet he seems to manifest a genuine attachment to David, especially in their young adulthood before meeting the Peggottys and Little Em'ly, when Steerforth stands to gain nothing from the relationship. Indeed, Mrs. Steerforth maintains that "he feels an unusual friendship for you, and ... you may rely on his protection." Some, including Mrs. Steerforth, believe that James hopes David will become his Morality Chain. | |
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David Copperfield / int_e3b0cd87 | |
David Copperfield / int_e83f211c | type |
O.O.C. Is Serious Business | |
David Copperfield / int_e83f211c | comment |
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Everyone notices how strange it is when the normally irrepressibly cheerful Micawber becomes withdrawn and irritable. It turns out he's being manipulated into taking part in Heep's evil schemes, and is right back to his old self after publicly exposing Heep. | |
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David Copperfield / int_e83f211c | |
David Copperfield / int_eadc018f | type |
Pinball Protagonist | |
David Copperfield / int_eadc018f | comment |
Pinball Protagonist: David, increasingly towards the end of the book, is a mere looker-on at the dramatic resolution of others' subplots, including Micawber's expose of Heep and (less plausibly) Dan Peggotty's rescue of Emily. | |
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David Copperfield / int_eadc018f | |
David Copperfield / int_eaf83237 | type |
The Grotesque | |
David Copperfield / int_eaf83237 | comment |
The Grotesque: Miss Mowcher, the dwarf hairdresser ("Ain't I volatile?!"). Originally, Dickens was going to make her an amoral little creep, but quickly switched gears after her real-life inspiration complained. | |
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David Copperfield / int_eaf83237 | |
David Copperfield / int_ec3ff1f7 | type |
In Which a Trope Is Described | |
David Copperfield / int_ec3ff1f7 | comment |
In Which a Trope Is Described: Used for the first several chapters. | |
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David Copperfield / int_ec3ff1f7 | |
David Copperfield / int_ec40626 | type |
Love Martyr | |
David Copperfield / int_ec40626 | comment |
Love Martyr: Emily, to Steerforth. He's too self-absorbed to properly return her feelings. | |
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David Copperfield / int_ec40626 | |
David Copperfield / int_ece948d8 | type |
Tender Tears | |
David Copperfield / int_ece948d8 | comment |
Tender Tears: Let's just say people cry a lot in this novel and leave it at that. Though David, Dora, and David's mother Clara probably cry the most. | |
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David Copperfield / int_ece948d8 | |
David Copperfield / int_eeb86ce6 | type |
Good Samaritan | |
David Copperfield / int_eeb86ce6 | comment |
Good Samaritan: The young, unnamed wife who Emily becomes acquainted with in Italy, who takes her into her home after she escapes Littimer and nurses her through her subsequent illness. Averted with the seemingly friendly woman who later takes her in in London, who nearly ends up luring the vulnerable Emily into prostitution. | |
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David Copperfield / int_eeb86ce6 | |
David Copperfield / int_ef21c962 | type |
Hired Help as Family | |
David Copperfield / int_ef21c962 | comment |
Hired Help as Family: Clara Peggotty is Mrs Copperfield's housekeeper and David's nurse. She is absolutely devoted and loyal to both of them. Peggotty never leaves the family even when David's young widowed mother marries Mr Murdstone, and the Murdstones actively campaign to get Peggotty out of the house. David is grateful for her friendship and devotion. (Peggotty is so loyal and self-sacrificing that she begins to feel like a stereotype: a model of a working-class woman in classist and class-segmented society.) | |
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David Copperfield / int_f1d3f0c9 | type |
Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness | |
David Copperfield / int_f1d3f0c9 | comment |
Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Mr Micawber has become a kind of unofficial emblem of this trope in English literature. | |
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David Copperfield / int_f4f3252e | type |
Law of Inverse Fertility | |
David Copperfield / int_f4f3252e | comment |
Law of Inverse Fertility: David and Dora. Also, possibly, the Micawbers (they keep having children, though they increasingly cannot support them.) | |
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David Copperfield / int_f4f3252e | |
David Copperfield / int_f627b434 | type |
Platonic Life-Partners | |
David Copperfield / int_f627b434 | comment |
Platonic Life-Partners: Aunt Betsey and Mr. Dick, whom she rescued when his family wished to institutionalize him. He unabashedly adores her for it. | |
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David Copperfield / int_f627b434 | |
David Copperfield / int_f788b2c5 | type |
Love Makes You Evil | |
David Copperfield / int_f788b2c5 | comment |
Love Makes You Evil: Rosa Dartle, who sees Steerforth for exactly what he is, but takes her fury out on any girl Steerforth loves and leaves (including his mother) rather than hate him. | |
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David Copperfield / int_f788b2c5 | |
David Copperfield / int_f7cf9612 | type |
Neologism | |
David Copperfield / int_f7cf9612 | comment |
Neologism: "Micawbers" are optimistic in spite of hardship, and "Uriah Heeps" are weasels who pretend humility. | |
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David Copperfield / int_f7cf9612 | |
David Copperfield / int_f8084d07 | type |
Society Is to Blame | |
David Copperfield / int_f8084d07 | comment |
Society Is to Blame: Uriah Heep turned out evil because of class injustice... according to Uriah, anyway. | |
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David Copperfield / int_f8084d07 | |
David Copperfield / int_fa6bfde9 | type |
Have a Gay Old Time | |
David Copperfield / int_fa6bfde9 | comment |
Have a Gay Old Time: After Steerforth and Copperfield talk very loudly in their room, Steerforth is afraid of being reprimanded for "disorderly conduct in the bedroom". Mr. Dick's name becomes an example when coupled with the belief, very much current in Dickens' time, that mentally-handicapped men are notably well-endowed. Following David's first marriage: | |
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David Copperfield / int_fa6bfde9 | |
David Copperfield / int_fbd285b7 | type |
Comically Missing the Point | |
David Copperfield / int_fbd285b7 | comment |
Comically Missing the Point: The old lady who bought David's caul, supposedly a charm against drowning in a shipwreck, eventually died of old age and everyone commented on the fact she had, indeed, not drowned in a shipwreck. She had also never been in a ship, and didn't understand why anyone would do do. | |
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David Copperfield / int_fbd285b7 | |
David Copperfield / int_ff251a68 | type |
Doting Parent | |
David Copperfield / int_ff251a68 | comment |
Doting Parent: Steerforth's mother, so much. Also Clara (and to a certain extent Aunt Betsey) to David, and Spenlow to Dora. | |
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David Copperfield / int_ff251a68 | |
David Copperfield / int_ff2ceef1 | type |
Old Maid | |
David Copperfield / int_ff2ceef1 | comment |
Old Maid: Rosa Dartle. Milked for all the drama it's worth. David thinks of her as "dilapidated, like a house, from being so long to let". | |
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David Copperfield / int_ff2ceef1 | |
David Copperfield / int_ff7f34c5 | type |
Pet the Dog | |
David Copperfield / int_ff7f34c5 | comment |
Pet the Dog: Noticeably in the 1999 version, the truly horrible Mr. Creakle is quite sympathetic and gentle with David when informing him of Clara's death. In the novel it was his wife who relayed the information, sobbing as she did so. | |
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David Copperfield / int_name | type |
ItemName | |
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David Copperfield |
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