First published as a book in 1850, "David Copperfield" (in full "The Personal History of David Copperfield") is a bildungsroman by English writer Charles Dickens. In "David Copperfield"-the novel he described as his "favorite child"- Dickens drew revealingly on his own experiences to create one of his most exuberant & enduringly popular works, filled with tragedy & comedy in equal measure.
"David Copperfield" is the story of a young man's adventures on his journey from an unhappy & impoverished childhood to the discovery of his vocation as a successful novelist. Among the gloriously vivid cast of characters he encounters are his tyrannical stepfather, Mr Murdstone; his formidable aunt, Betsey Trotwood; the eternally humble yet treacherous Uriah Heep; frivolous, enchanting Dora; & the magnificently impecunious Micawber, one of literature's great comic creations.