David Copperfield by Chas Dickens (Book one)

Yup, in the sixties they apparently split books up like they did in the--well, the eighteen-sixties. A most curious thing is, that while this book is in one piece it is split--that is, the break in volumes is clearly marked and each 'separate' volume is numbered separately. The book itself looks like it's been made in imitation of some earlier edition--perhaps the 'Charles Dickens' edition. (I couldn't tell you what that means either--I assumed they were all Charles Dickens editions...) Anyway, because the book is long as all hell I figured I would split it up like they did back then.

Background on the book: this is supposed to be the most autobiographical of Dickens' books--a fact which makes me more than a little nervous, especially after what Emma has explained to me of his love life. I'll rely on her to provide any particular parallels, as I'm sure she knows leaps and bounds more of Dickens' life than I do. Well, anyway, our main character is clearly David Copperfield. His father died before his birth, and his mother remains single until he is about seven whereupon she marries a perfectly horrid man named Mr Murdstone. From there, he has a brief stint at a boarding school, than as a tenant in the home of a family who eventually is sent to debtor's prison, from which he hitchhikes to his aunt's home. His aunt raises him into a respectable (though very naive) young man.

Though the book only goes by David Copperfield, the book's full title on the front page reads as follows: "The Personal History Experience and Observation of David Copperfield the younger of Blunderstone Rookery which he never meant to be published on any account". Hehe.

Charles Dickens' prefaces are rather touching, both, but especially that which was included in the 'Charles Dickens' edition. (Seriously, what makes it more 'Charles Dickens' than the others?) Anyway, it concludes as such: "But, like many fond parents, I have in my heart of hearts a favourite child. And his name is DAVID COPPERFIELD."

"Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show" (1). It is not on the top tier of opening lines, in my opinion, but it must be given credit as it's the line that drew me to the book in the first place.

The first proof in this book of Chas's awesome abilities of naming characters is in Mr Chillips, who gets so agitated by the dismissive noises of David's aunt that he "could not bear it" (15), as they were clearly "calculated to break his spirit" (14), and he turns to drink. Of course!

What I like is that it appeared that Dickens made sure people wouldn't misinterpret him. Young, young Copperfield sees a stray sheep outside of the church--and takes care to add that he didn't mean a sinner--he meant mutton. Good thing he felt the need to clarify, or certainly this would be a passage that high school kids are tortured over. Plus, it's hilarious--he actually says he means mutton.

One of the most agitating things about Mrs Copperfield's second marriage is that Murdstone is CLEARLY A VILLAIN. He has a beard! (That's not the only reason!) David, unaffected by false romances that wouldn't be directed at him gives a very unattractive picture of the man. A scene in which he has only David he refers to him as an unfavourable creature to his "projected business" (30), that is what boils down to ruining the family. Plus, the name!? Someone told me--since it is Dickens-related, I assume Emma--Dickens tended to give names to characters that referred in some ways to their personalities. Now let's try that with Murdstone. Murder. And... stones. Because he's cold as stone? Well, he's a bad guy and I would totally love to have a round of fisticuffs with him, and by a round of fisticuffs I mean carry a concealed dagger and use it. And, kind of funny story--I reread Edward Eager's Half Magic right before reading this. The mother is going to get remarried and Jane is all "What if he's another Murdstone!?" and I never knew what's up. I always assumed their mom just had a relationship with some guy who was a jerk named Murdstone sometime before that book. But now I know! Methinks I chuckled most heartily when I figured it out! And then I was like, Murdstone, you're a jerk. Jeez. (David's aunt even calls him 'Murderer' later on in lieu of his name, as she can't remember it exactly.)

Murdstone thrusts David from his home and David spends two weeks in his nurse Peggotty's childhood home, which is pretty much an overturned boat furnished like a home, which is totally awesome. Anyway, David is so enamored with it he says he couldn't have loved it more if it was Aladdin's palace complete with Roc's egg. Not to look like a jerk, but I don't believe Aladdin ever came in contact with any form of Roc, egg or otherwise. He's probably thinking of Sinbad.

I love Mr Peggotty! Upon introduction you automatically see that he is the exact opposite of Murdstone--he is completely, purely, 100% a good person. "'Glad to see you, sir,' said Mr Peggotty. 'You'll find us rough, sir, but you'll find us ready'" (41). This, so far, is his natural and automatic introduction of himself and his family.

"'Dead, Mr Peggotty?'... 'Drowndead'" (43). Hehe, wordplay. Mr Peggotty also refers to himself as a 'bacheldore' in this chapter. Yeah, I know this other guy who was a bacheldore, but he pronounced the first part 'dumble'...

One thing that super-makes me mad about Clara (David's mother) is that she never tells David that she's going to get married, WHICH IS REALLY AWESOME. Then she asks David why he's all upset and crying all the time. UM GEE. The other things are that she's fallen into a totally abusive and controlling relationship which should make me feel bad for her which I do, but only a little. I'm kind of in the Big Mikey school of thought--if you don't escape while you have the chance, it's only your own fault that your husband murdered you and buried you in the basement. Oh! Sorry, wrong story. And the fact that she lets Murdstone beat her son. I mean, he goes to cane the boy. And there is absolutely no question of his intention--Clara says she's feeling sick, but when Murdstone goes to take the boy away she doesn't do a damned thing to stop him. That, that is what is sick. Utterly disgusting. I don't care how futile it would have been, at least try to fight them--ugh. Well. There is a semi-satisfying note, as though David is in fact harmed, he bites Murdstone in the hand quite deeply, drawing much blood. I was hoping Murdstone would then get an infection from it and die, but, like Great Expectations, that hope went unfounded.

"I never shall forget the waking next morning; the being cheerful and fresh for the first moment, and then the being weighed down by the stale and dismal oppression of remembrance" (77). Very attractive turn of phrase, that.

In short time Murdstone sends Copperfield off to boarding school, where Copperfield first meets Steerforth, a fellow who is clearly a conman who Copperfield naively loves respects and never questions. Steerforth, from what I've so far come to understand, cons the ladies as well--when Copperfield first meets Steerforth, he is seeing the headmaster's daughter. Because of this, he is protected from any wrath, particularly that from the poor teacher Mr Mell. Mr Mell is a shoddily-dressed, clearly poor and in wretched conditions man--honestly, everything about him, including the picture of him (that by Hablot Knight Browne) makes me associate him with Severus Snape, even to a certain extent his visage. Seriously, they're really, really alike! (Except for relations to the main character, and Snape can't play flute--though I'm sure he'd play it just as dolefully as Mr Mell.) Anyway, Steerforth causes the poor man his job. He entices his fellow students to make fun of the poor man, and Steerforth eventually bursts out with an early your mother joke (lies; Shankspeare's used those jokes a few times) and says that she "lives on charity in an almshouse" (131). Mr Creakle--the headmaster--embarrasses Mr Mell in front of everyone by having him confess that this is the truth and scolds him for scolding Steerforth for lying! Then Creakle praises Steerforth for raising a rally and so abusing Mr Mell. Mr Mell then resigns. Traddles cries for Mr Mell's leaving and is caned for it. Chas Dickens gets an award for his incredible ability to enrage me. I would mess Creakle up bad if I had the chance. And Steerforth. DAMMIT DAVID STOP BEING SO NAIVE LISTEN TO AGNES GODDDDDDD. I'm going to punch Steerforth and Creakle's teeth in, BRB.

"'But fashions are like human beings. They come in, nobody knows when, why, or how; and they go out, nobody knows when, why, or how. Everything is like life, in my opinion, if you look at it in that point of view'" (166). This is kind of interesting because it looks more like he's saying life is a metaphor for these things--and not vice versa.

"I went into the outhouse to look about me; and the very same lobsters, crabs, and crawfish, possessed by the same desire to pinch the world in general..." (185). Again, the chuckles have been induced.

"'At present, and until something turns up... I have nothing to bestow but advice. Still my advice is so far worth taking that--in short, that I have never taken it myself, and am the... miserable wretch you behold'" (231/232). / "I always pass on good advice... It is never any use to oneself"--Oscar Wilde. As for the speaker of the quote, it is Mr Micawber, a man forever tangled in the law, always twenty pounds too short but never wanting in food and hardly ever wanting in comfort. Continually promising to clean up his act and continually squandering what little money he has. The second he gains a pound, he's known to spend it on an expensive meal at the local inn. Nonetheless, he's a sympathetic and funny fellow--even in his bouts where he threatens to kill himself. (He offhandedly mentions at one point that no man is ever without a friend who doesn't have a razor.) Eventually he is put into debtor's prison, but gets out--and when we meet him again it is clear he shall be visiting the place again. Or should be, at least. Mr Micawber's plight appears to be based off of Dickens' father's, who also had money troubles in the same fashion.

When Copperfield makes his way to his aunt's, he does it completely on his own on foot and pawning his possessions. He sells his coat to a creepy old man who punctuates all of his statements with "goroo, goroo". He also has patterns of speaking similar to a certain 500-year-old hobbit... IE, Gollum. He's very repetitive, talks to himself--Example: "'Oh, what do you want?... Oh, my eyes and limbs, what do you want? Oh, my lungs and liver, what do you want? Oh, goroo, goroo!'" (244). And he just does this over and over and over. Copperfield says he was never so scared in all his life (not even when Murdstone threatened to cane him!?) and I would certainly be terrified too. (Actually, that guy had probably just been driven mad by his inability to get past Darunia in Ocarina of Time--David just has bad ears is all.)

There's a word edited that begins with a G. Because the G is capitalized, I assume it was God, and it would have been considered obscene or rude or whatever to write his name... but they say God in other areas... so maybe it's gum. By Gum.

"'The twins no longer derive their sustenance from Nature's founts--in short,' said Mr Micawber... 'they are weaned'" (342). Why couldn't he have just said weaned to begin with!? That's just uncomfortable. And more than a little gross.

Chas is incredibly cute when writing about being in love. Though I'm not particularly fond of the love interest--Dora--it's still cute. (I think Dora's head is as empty as a flowerpot!) Anyway, I'm just saying it. Too much cuteness to completely quote it all!

"The pigeon-pie was not bad, but it was a delusive pie; the crust being like disappointing head, phrenologically speaking: full of lumps and bumps, with nothing particular underneath" (546). Hehe.

Well.... Yeah. For part one--I'd rather not judge it till I'm done with the whole thing. But admittedly I, yes, I, unlover of Dickens am enjoying it. This is all I shall say till I'm complete.

Answer to last post's cryptic song lyrics for Emma: The Time Warp from Rocky Horror Picture Show

This post's cryptic song lyrics for Emma: Oh my God, just don't ever let me go--yeah, sometimes we're high and sometimes we're low, put up with me and I'll make you see that things are better when you're with me

PS. Awesome news! I have a job that is to talk about Lord of the Rings. Not only am I getting paid, I will also be taught how to use a bow and arrow... Oh, sorry, can't hear you over the sound of how AWESOME my life is.