Chapter 8 The King of British Novels - Charles Dickens

I have been a doting father to all the children my imagination has created, and no one has ever loved them as deeply as I have.But, like many doting parents, in the back of my heart there was one child who was my favorite, and his name was David Copperfield. — Dickens He was laughing, and there was a hint of anger in the laugh, but there was no complacency, no malice.It was the face of a man who was always fighting something, but he was fighting openly and without fear, the face of a man who was angry but tolerant... — Orwell, Charles Dickens Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was known as the "King of British Novels", and he deserved his reputation. He worked hard all his life. Starting from his famous work, he wrote 14 novels in his 34-year creative career. (one of which is unfinished), many short stories, essays, travel notes, dramas, etc.Representative works include "Bleak House", "Hard Times", "Little Dorrit", etc.

During his creative career, Dickens kept exploring and innovating, and tried new novel styles one after another: tramp legend, historical novel, social novel, moral fable, personal growth novel, and even suspense novel.Every stroke of his is full of vitality and full of sincere feelings.He has achieved complete success in every novel style, and all 14 novels in his life have entered the ranks of classic masterpieces.One book in particular had a great impact at that time.Because of its vivid description of child labor conditions, workhouses, private schools, and slums, it mobilized strong public opinion for social reform, which directly prompted the British Parliament to pass various legislation.In addition, the novel makes full use of exaggeration, deformation, allegory, symbolism, and even absurd techniques, full of meanings of social criticism.In this he was a forerunner of Dostoevsky and Kafka.

It is a masterpiece of Dickens.This is a semi-autobiographical novel.The story tells that the orphan Copperfield has endured many hardships and bitterness in life, and with the help of some kind-hearted people, through unremitting struggle, he finally achieved success in his career and happiness in his family. Before David Copperfield came to the world, his father died, and he grew up under the care of his mother and maid Peggotty.Soon, the mother remarried, and his stepfather, Mordstone, was fierce and greedy. He regarded David as a burden, and sent David to Peggotty's brother's house before their marriage.Peggotty was an upright and kind fisherman who lived in a cabin converted from a broken ship on the shore of Yarmouth and lived with an adopted pair of orphans (his sister's daughter Emily and his brother's son Haimu). Live a life of poverty and harmony with them.

After David returned home, his stepfather often beat him and deprived his mother of his care and affection.After his mother died, his stepfather immediately sent David, who was less than 10 years old, to be a child laborer washing wine bottles, making him live a life without food and clothing.He went through hardships and finally found his aunt, Miss Bessie. Miss Bessie is eccentric by nature, but kind-hearted.She took David in and let him go to school for further studies.During David's studies, he boarded at the home of his aunt's lawyer, Wakefield, and formed friendship with his daughter Anis.But David was extremely disgusted with a secretary named Hipp hired by Wakefield, and hated his ugly, ingratiating appearance.

David went on a trip after graduating from middle school, and met his childhood classmate Steerforth.The two came to Yarmouth together and visited the Peggotty family.Emily, who has been engaged to Haimu, can't stand the temptation of the rich young master Steerforth, and elopes with Steerforth abroad on the eve of their wedding.Peggotty was in great pain, and vowed to find Emily back. David returns to London as a trainee at Spenlow Law Firm.He learned from Anis that lawyer Wakefield fell into the trap designed by the scheming Shipp and was in a desperate situation, and he was very indignant.But at this time, David fell in love and fell in love with Dora, the daughter of lawyer Spenlow.Their married life is not ideal, because Dora is a beautiful but simple-minded "doll".My aunt was also on the verge of bankruptcy.At this time, David met again his landlord Micawber when he was a child laborer, and Micawber is now Heep's secretary.After a fierce ideological struggle, Micawber revealed Heep's conspiracy to frame Wakefield and cause Miss Bessie to go bankrupt.In the face of the facts, Hipp had no choice but to plead guilty.Later, he was sentenced to life imprisonment because of other cases.In order to thank Micawber, Miss Bessie sent him a sum of money to make him rich and successful in Australia.

At the same time, Peggotty, after running around, finally found Emily, who had been thrown into London after being abandoned by Steerforth, and decided to take her to Australia to start a new life.On the eve of departure, on a stormy sea, a passenger ship from Spain sank in distress in Yarmouth, with a dying passenger climbing on the mast.Regardless of his own danger, Haimu went into the sea to rescue him, but was unfortunately swallowed by huge waves.When people picked up his body, the body of the passenger on the ship also floated to the shore. It turned out to be Steerforth who abducted Emily!Emily misses Haimu, finds peace in labor after going to Australia, and never marries for life.

David became a writer, but Dora was seriously ill and passed away on the eve of Peggotty's departure to Australia.Anis kept in touch with David during his grief-stricken travels abroad.When he returned to England three years later, he found that Anis had always loved him.They finally got married and lived happily with their aunt Bessie and their maid Peggotty. By describing the joys and sorrows of the characters surrounding Copperfield's life, the novel reveals the truth of the society at that time in many ways.Similar to Copperfield, Dickens has also experienced the bitterness of the world since he was a child. He grew up in a poor family, and his father took him to perform in hotels to earn money. At the age of 10, the whole family was moved to live in a prison for debtors.When he was 11 years old, he took on heavy housework.When he was an apprentice in a shoe polish workshop, because of his skillful packaging, he was placed in a window by his employer to perform in public, as an advertisement for the crowd to watch, which left a permanent scar in his heart, and thus developed deep sympathy and love for unfortunate children. Resolute determination to get rid of poverty.This is one of the reasons for his success.As he said of his work in his final, most affectionate words: "Like many doting parents, I have, deep down, a favorite child, and his name is David Copperfield."

In Dickens's novels, there are occasionally complete families, but never normal family relations; in his novels, the protagonists are often orphans.Perhaps this is the deep aversion in his heart to his parents' dissatisfaction, and he borrowed books to resist.In the book, there are even more orphans—the protagonist, Rosa Dartle, Martha, Traddles, Emily, Steerforth, Uriah, Anne Strong, Agnes, Dora, even David's mother Clara Copperfield, and the loyal Ham, either died of their parents or lost their father or mother when they were young, all grew up in incomplete families.Under Dickens's pen, the normal family relationship in this world has become very rare or even non-existent.What do orphans need in such a fickle world?Of course, the sense of security and being loved.In Dickens's works, it is not parents who can give children a sense of security, love, and education, but people other than parents, such as Mr. Peggotty and aunts in the middle.There are always such characters who provide a refuge for orphans, where helpless orphans can live, be educated, and be cared for.

Dickens also reflects his unique artistic personality in this novel.Because it is a semi-autobiographical novel, the image of the protagonist David stands out because of the complex mood of the writer.This change the strong fictional characteristics of Dickens's early novels, so it has a unique style.David is an upright intellectual who has gradually risen from the bottom to the pinnacle of career and love through personal struggle.The author focuses on describing the different identities and personalities of the characters through their appearance, speech, actions, clothing, habits, and even some eccentricities.The growth and development process of David's character is written in a delicate, real and intimate way, which is difficult to see in some novels that win with plots.In addition, the author narrates and describes life with kindness, clarity, and lyricism. People read David's works as if he is talking to us.

There are no such thrilling fighting scenes, and there is no twists and turns of the bizarre storyline. It just enables readers to understand the style of the times, understand the characters in the work, and cultivate their thoughts and feelings through daily trivial matters. This feature determines the narrative language and characters of the novel. The dialogue is lively and beautiful, but the narration is breathtaking. When many children read this book, they think that this book is written for children.Because Dickens spent his time describing characters and things from a child's point of view in many places, so that children can understand and feel that this is written for them.However, when people reread this book after leaving their childhood, they will find that this is a book that is far heavier and more sad than what was left in our memory.

Marks the culmination of Dickens' career.Dickens gained a lot in fame and fortune from this book.With the aid, the writer finally vented the depression that had accumulated in his heart for many years, and poured his childhood dreams into that "self"-indomitable, hard work, becoming a writer, and having a warm home with a loving wife.However, this is not the case in real life. The unhappy marriage made the writer very sad and had a great negative impact on him.