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David Copperfield - Group Read 1
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May - June 2020: David Copperfield: chapters 30 - 44
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Pamela
(last edited Jun 11, 2020 10:51AM)
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Jun 11, 2020 10:50AM
From Emma Micawber's letter, it appears that Mr Micawber is no longer taking her into his confidence, and he has become more cautious in every way. It suggests that Micawber may be up to no good, but I don't believe that. Micawber has been a friend of David's from earliest times, he may be careless and profligate, but he's never been sly or malevolent like Uriah. Therefore my hope is that he is waiting for an opportunity to prove his true worth - maybe he feels something is about to turn up but he's keeping it to himself.
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Dora is spoiled and silly, but she isn't totally lacking in self awareness. She realises that if she had had support from someone like Agnes, she might have been steadier and more mature. But now it's too late, she's been sheltered too long and the adult world scares her. I don't dislike Dora, she has a kind heart and adores David, but hasn't got the strength of character to be a true partner and companion to him, as Agnes would.
In regard to Jean’s question about Dora: Perhaps it’s instinctual. Dora is treated like a pet by her aunts and David too, to some extent. I think of how I react to a newborn kitten or puppy. I want to protect them and I also want to give and receive affection, thus the phrase “puppy love”, I suppose. It’s not really a stretch to say that Dora comes off as a vulnerable creature. So, in spite of the fact that I find Dora to be vacuous, I do understand why she would inspire certain emotions that border on worshipful affection by some. I even get the idea that Dora’s aunts are childless so maybe Dora gives them a chance to nurture. I was actually thinking of Donny Osmond’s song, Puppy Love, shows how old I am, and how apt it might be here. It seems David and Dora’s relationship is pretty much shallow compared to other more mature forms of love.
I wonder too how everyone thinks that Dora is so enchanting especially people who are in constant contact with her, I would find her exasperating... I had a very naive friend in my early 20s and sometimes I had to roll my eyes; naive, how? well, she didn't lock her door in Montreal and she was robbed, and she really didn't understand how that could happen! Montreal is a huge town where not locking your door is inviting trouble, but it's her reaction to it that just made me a little angry. So when I think of Dora, I think of my friend too. (She was a nice girl though and I wonder how she matured, we lost touch).I think what we know of Agnes reaction comes from David and I'm not sure I'm totally trusting him on that. I rather think Agnes is doing everything to make David happy and that's why she does the "instant friendship" with Dora when she probably feels otherwise.
How angry I am at Uriah after this chapter! How dare he break a happy if unconventionnal (in our modern eyes) marriage just because Annie Strong didn't treat him as an equal (and he wasn't and isn't), it's just spite. I think we all thought as the characters that there might me infidelity there, but I think not, I think Annie truly loves her husband the best way she can and facing Dr. Strong new attitude must me so confusing for her. I hope they talk to each other, this is such a modern problem too... they just need to communicate!
Mod
Yes, a good thought :)
Perhaps everyone here is needful in some way. The two maiden aunts only have birds and goldfish to care for, and for Aunt Betsey, perhaps she's a substitute for the idealised "Betsey Trotwood" who would have been David's sister. For Mr Wickfield, she is his own spoilt pet, as he has lost his wife, for Agnes, a sweet friend who needed her. Last of all, she makes David feel protective - and perhaps masculine - which he needs at the moment, still being a bit wet behind the ears (I'm back to how perplexed I felt when he slapped Uriah Heep on the cheek. If he'd punched him on the nose, or grappled with him, it might have been more understandable!)
Mod
..."
Yes, another good point. All those surrounding David (except Uriah - who cannot have any true friends) are his friends and family. So they all accept Dora, because they want to like anyone he has chosen, just as we would. When she turns out to be pretty and appealing (if rather needy!) they are so relieved that they don't really think whether she is suitable, or in David's best interest.
Both Aunt Betsey and Agnes have expressed reserve - both by telling David he will have to look after Dora, and also by Aunt Betsey's pacing all night.
It must be frustrating for Aunt Betsey and Agnes... we have all have been in their's or David's positions: too far gone to listen to our family and friends telling us that relationship is probably not the best idea, I know teenagers were not a recognized part of society in Victorian times, but the basic behaviour was there nonetheless.
I believe Uriah is trying to isolate Agnes so that she will have no one to fall back upon and prevent his possessing her. Annie Strong is a friend, might influence Dr. Strong, who might influence Wickfield, so she must go.It is difficult to understand why everyone is so solicitous of Dora, but I think it has to do with how you feel about anything that is helpless--a baby, a small animal, Mr. Dick. She is irritating and wrong for David, but she is also pitiful and in need of protection. I am sadly hoping that something will happen to prevent the marriage and leave her with the aunts to be petted endlessly.
Uriah Heep has such a bad effect on everyone who comes into his sphere of influence. Heaven knows what he has done to Micawber, a weak character in the first place and one who could easily be led to put financial trust in the wrong place.
Mod
Yes, I'm sure we all are. His behaviour is vile :( But ...
Actually Uriah Heep hasn't said anything that isn't true! He is more honest than anyone else. Here are several proofs:
David talked of "all the mingled possibilities of innocence and compromise". He just didn't know, but he suspected the worst. He noticed the flower that had been torn from Annie's gown when Jack Maldon left for India -and Jack Maldon's anguished face.
Annie herself was pale and withdrawn after Jack Maldon left, and always reluctant to accompany him to the opera and theatre, when he returned. Why, if they were just companionable? And why did she beg her mother not to speak of their childhood romance? If it was all over, wouldn't it just be cute?
Also we saw that when Annie was young, she said to Mrs Markleham that she did not love Dr Strong, but just honoured and respected him. She married him because her mother convinced her to - that he was a good match. She married him before she could ever love him. Uriah Heep speaks the truth in this - we know it from the text. It is just that it sounds so despicable coming from his mouth!
Mr Wickfield kept Agnes away from Annie as much as he could, just as Dan Peggotty kept Emily away from Martha - and for the same reason. He admits too, that he suspected Jack Maldon was being got rid of, when he was sent abroad - and we were aware of his thoughts about this at the time.
So aren't we biased in favour of half truths, and dissembling, just because we like Doctor Strong, and are sorry that he is so naive? We always see Uriah Heep through David's eyes and condemn Uriah Heep for speaking out because he has hurt someone we care about. But (given that this is a Victorian novel, with Victorian morals) why is this worse than what we are led to suspect Annie and Jack may have been up to, deceiving her husband?
If Uriah Heep's motives were good, (which we know they aren't) would what he did still be wrong?
It’s more the way Dr. Strong learns about what is happening than that he learns it. He cannot keep his humiliation to himself like he would have preferred, people even if it was only the three knows about it and he’s an intelligent man he knows a lot more suspect. I think though that Annie is not bad, she cares for her husband and loves him even if she is not in love with him (not convinced she isn’t) and we have seen in later chapters that she tries not to see Malson because of the temptation or because her feelings have changed? I think there is a flirtation, but I don’t think it is a consummated love, but I guess what is there is a deception. I just think an old man like Dr. Strong didn’t need to know, it’s not like he can divorce... His friends were trying to protect him, in their society lying by omission was probably the most kind they could be to him.
I agree that Annie has not acted on her feelings and tries to limit her exposure to Maldon, but is often pushed toward him by Dr. Strong. It is unreasonable to expect that she can erase feelings that she has been building since childhood, especially married to such an older man, but that she respects and loves him is obvious. It would be horrible to hear this suspicion is out there, but to hear it from Uriah Heep would be the ultimate humiliation.
While I haven't liked Uriah Heep, thinking him shady at best, I did leave open a door that perhaps his actions were not as evil/bad as we see them. This chapter has made it impossible to continue to think that. He is a small, small man.He had no reason to do this to Dr. Strong. This was a malicious act, meant to cause trouble and discord. It was meant to bring hurt and pain. There's really no excuse for that.
He may not be saying anything that isn't true, but he's twisting the meaning to strongly imply a wrong. He isn't just stating the facts, he's turning them to be seen in the light he wants them to be seen in. That's manipulative and conniving.
As for Dora, I think I dislike her because she has the self awareness to know that she could be stronger and better. Knowing this means she has a choice to work towards this or staying where she is. And she has decided to stay where she is because it's too hard to become more mature.She's lost a lot of years of learning & practicality. She can make it up but not on her own. She needs tutoring & someone to give her that backbone she lost along the way... and David isn't that someone.
Mod
Yes I agree. Also with your idea France- Andrée that "his friends were trying to protect him, in their society lying by omission was probably the most kind they could be to him."
I wonder why nobody thinks there has been anything other than a flirtation between Annie and Jack. Jack Maldon has hardly been shown in an honourable light.
Mod
When? We know she has been educated in Paris, and has some of the skills ladies of her class are expected to have - David is proud of her watercolours, singing and dancing. I think one of the illustrations showed a piano too. Perhaps she doesn't have practical or academic skills naturally, and finds it hard to learn them. She may even be dyslexic, or have something like dyscalculia, since she says numbers make her head hurt.
She seems to relate to people though, has "winning ways", and perhaps understands more than she shows.
Perhaps she's smarter than she seems, Jean. She is self aware. Giving her such things as dyslexia or some other condition, may be true, but Dickens hasn't indicated that.
How many people have said their heads hurt when they really need to concentrate and figure things out? Many. It's not an indication, in my opinion, of a medical condition. (it doesn't rule it out either, but Dickens is making her into an air head; not a person with a hidden condition....at least not yet, I find).
It's just my opinion and means nothing beyond that.
Petra wrote: "He had no reason to do this to Dr. Strong. This was a malicious act, meant to cause trouble and discord. It was meant to bring hurt and pain. There's really no excuse for that...."I agree, Petra. While what he says is true, you have to look at his intentions. If things had progressed to the point that Mr. Wickfield or David had felt compelled to bring it to Dr. Strong's attention, they would have done so reluctantly and out of love for their friend. They would have felt almost as much pain in telling him about it as he has in hearing it. Uriah's intention is clear. He wants to cause the old man as much grief and pain as possible, and through him, his wife. He is feeding off of Dr. Strong's pain as he stands over him, digging the knife in repeatedly. Nothing would have disappointed Uriah more than if Dr. Strong had not visibly reacted. Whether he is speaking the truth or not, his intention is pain and destruction, and that is what makes him such a terrible person.
I think if there was an actual consummation of Annie's feelings for Jack, it happened long ago, before he sailed to India. Her behavior since his return seems to be to steadfastly avoid being alone with him. So what's the point of bringing it up to him now? If she has already effectively ended whatever was going on, why address it now? It does help decrease temptation, but it appears that no matter how hard Dr. Strong tried to push her into going places with Jack, she was equally determined to avoid him.
Mod
Yes, the enjoyment Uriah showed was very hard to watch.
I think the aunts welcome Dora's childishness because it allows them to dote on her, and makes it more likely that she will stay with them longer and allow them to cosset her. She won't necessarily be eager to take on a husband and a home of her own. When she does marry, it definitely needs to be a rich man. Aside from not being able to run a household on her own, I'm not sure she has the brains to be left alone all day while her husband is at work! I think David's friends and family are willing to accept her because, as others have posted, they love him and want to support him. Maybe they also have the wisdom to foresee the outcome if they did criticize or even try to point out a few home-truths to him. At this stage in his infatuation, he is so tail-over-top in love that there is no way he would back off simply from a conversation with someone, even someone he looks up to as much as Agnes. Trying to separate the besotted one from the object of his adoration at this point would only result in him digging in his heels. The truth about Dora's suitability to be his wife is a realization that he must come to on his own for it to have any effect on him.
I still don't know about Dora. I know that she is innocent and immature and has been terribly spoiled, but her behavior just seems . . . extreme. I mean, I've read other books written during the same time period and never seen behavior to equal hers. She makes Mr. Dick look like a rocket scientist!
Mod
Yes, she may be. We have already seen that she is empathic, by her words about Dora to David just before they parted, which he didn't quite understand.
"Giving her such things as dyslexia or some other condition, may be true, but Dickens hasn't indicated that." I'm not so sure ... His characters often do have identifiable conditions that were either in their infancy then, or even not yet diagnosed (but we now recognise the signs and symptoms, as a genuine condition ) as well as those that were known about.
Or as you say, she could just get a headache doing sums, and her seeing little flies' legs and doodling is her being creative, like Traddles drawing skeletons on his school books :)
Yes, it's just my opinion too! I know this book well, but (as Sara said) I have forgotten plenty of its details, and anyway just take the story from the point we have reached and the information we have been given.
Mod
I more or less came clean about my feelings about this little noodle earlier, without playing devil's advocate ;) She's perhaps the main character in Charles Dickens stories whom he has (totally inadvertently) made many modern females dislike intensely. I think she is responsible for much of the misapprehension of those, who only have a smattering of familiarity with Charles Dickens, to think that he created "wishy-washy heroines" despite all the evidence against this - all the strong women we do see.
However, I shall try to think of why he wrote the character this way.
1. Clearly it's cathartic, because of his wife, as we said before. His own life reveals that he preferred this type of young pretty woman, and the disparity in marital relationships comes into his plots time and time again. (We even have it here with Dr Strong and Annie - although with a slight twist.)
2. Plot-wise, it does point up the fact of David's naivety quite well, and his self-absorption too. It also allows for the character of Agnes to be fully fleshed out by comparison.
3. I'm also interested in the sociological implications. I'm still cogitating on why it was OK for David to stalk Dora, but not Uriah Heep to yearn after Agnes. I think it must be mainly a matter of class, since Uriah was a pauper - from both David's and Dora's points of view.
Class also comes in with Dora and Little Em'ly. Apart from money and education, there seems to be little difference between Dora and Em'ly - and David was sweet on both of them.
4. So does this imply a mercenary instinct - whether overt or hidden? Even if you argue that it's just being financially practical that David would come into the business by marrying Dora, how can we then reconcile this with David's being besotted?
(I've always had difficulty too with Elizabeth Bennet's passion for Fitzwilliam Darcy seeming to date from the exact moment she had her first glimpse of Pemberley ...)
5. Dora is a-dora-ble to others too. They all seem to pet her all the time and generally treat her like a child. She even views herself as a child. Aunt Betsey calls Dora "Little Blossom" and Dora makes "a rosebud of her mouth" during one of her many pouts. She doodles and does drawings of "little nosegays" and likenesses of Jip and David instead of figures and sums in the accounts books which David had hoped would help her with her housekeeping.
So all through this, Dickens is suggesting the childish, unformed nature of Dora. The Victorian ideal husband seemed to be one who could "form/mould" his wife through his greater experience and knowledge of the world. It comes into Victorian authors time and time again, and even a little earlier with Jane Austen.
Through the use of flower references to "Little Blossom" and "rosebud" he suggests innocent potential. Because she is a child, she does not realise any serious import, and her cookery-books etc are used for drawing in rather than recording recipes - and also, ridiculously, as a stool upon which Dora's dog can perform tricks.
6. Apparently a Victorian beauty ideal consisted in a woman being silly and insipid like Dora, or intelligent, calm and reliable like Agnes. We do need to be aware of his time, his focus, and the fact that he was writing in a world that could not even imagine what the 21st Century would be like; of what we now consider to be desirable, and how we should perceive and interact with one another.
I'm still struck by the similarity to Rosamond Lydgate in Middlemarch. The pretty naive little wife, to be improved by her more experienced knowledgeable husband, is rather a mainstay of Victorian fiction I suppose.
I shall nevertheless be heartily relieved when we have a chapter without the a-dora-ble Dora!
Jean: I am glad you mentioned “Little Blossom” and Dora’s “rosebud” mouth. I looked up the Victorian meaning of rosebud: Rosebud: Beauty, youth
Rosebud (red): Pure, lovely
Rosebud (white): Girlhood
Rosebud (Moss): Confessions of love
Daisy: Loyal love, Gentleness, Innocence, Purity. It can also mean that you’ll keep someone’s secret.
Oh, and now I’m wondering what we could be in for if Steerforth’s “Daisy” marries Aunt Betsey’s “Little Blossom”..... Also, I wish I knew which flower was in the vase behind the goldfish bowl as it would have had a special meaning to the Victorians as well.
Jean, that was a great summing up of Dora. And as always when I use the spoiler tag, this contains really bad spoilers! (view spoiler)
I was wondering about David's slap of Uriah and can see that it could be another way that it effeminizes David perhaps just as Steerforth calling David "Daisy" seems to do so, although to me it is more indicative of David's inexperience, naivete and immaturity. While this action would be expected of a woman, the ideas of maturity, power, and control are also involved. David is extremely angry and frustrated with Uriah and rather than controlling his emotions, he strikes out as an immature youth might - a physical attack rather than reasoning. By losing control like this and with Uriah's smug reaction (he does not engage physically), I can't view this action as a shining moment for David. It is rather an admission that there is nothing he can do to deter Uriah who seems to have a rise in control and power at this moment. We see Uriah, no matter how despicably, moving into a position of power while David is aware of his own loss of power over the years with the Murdstones, with Mr. Creakle, with even his disillusionment with Steerforth, and with his loss of funding due to Aunt Betsey's monetary loss. David seems powerless to intercede where Uriah is involved. He loses some of his "gentlemanliness" (a sign of the mature man?) by resorting to violence in his frustration.I believe at this time in Victorian England the method of obtaining resolution of personal grievances was moving toward nonviolent means in the courts rather than by physical attacks.
Thinking about David slapping vs. punching Uriah: I can think of a couple of potential reasons for the slap. One is that it's evocative of British men (a few generations earlier) slapping each other in the face with a glove as an insult and to challenge them to duel. The other is related, in that a slap seems more insulting and diminishing of another man than a punch in the nose would be. It's interesting to speculate about.
That's true, Tadiana. A slap to the face is the more insulting act that diminishes the other person. In David's case, though, I can't help feel that this was a sudden rage and frustration that he felt and he lacked the skills to respond in a more mature manner so he lashed out. While it being also an insult to Uriah, David's response was derived from such strong anger within himself and he was not considering that Uriah would be insulted. And could Uriah as an 'umble person be any more diminished as he was aware how others looked upon him? I felt Uriah was exalted that he could extract such emotions from his betters.
Elizabeth A.G. wrote: "I felt Uriah was exalted that he could extract such emotions from his betters."Uriah is a goader, he could never get away with slapping David but it thrills him to see that he can goad David into slapping him. In a way that gives him the same satisfaction and builds on his fiction that he is so very humble and can expect "mistreatment" from his "betters". Of course, it isn't mistreatment, it is far, far less than he deserves. I'd like to see him buggy whipped.
Mod
France-Andrée - re. your spoiler - Me too, "with knobs on"! (as we say here, which means "very much". That's an English idiom which might confuse your French-speaking friends no end!)
So in posting order ...
Mod
Rosebuds - are one example. You have helpfully given us the main meanings, and it makes me wonder why "Rosa" Dartle was named such. When characters have such a name ("Rosa Bud" is another, in Our Mutual Friend) they usually have a pleasant rather than a vicious personality. But here the "Rosa" is followed by "Dart"(le), so perhaps this indicates a split personality, or one who is always conflicted, or one who is going to change?
A little off-topic perhaps, but interestingly for Victorians, a rosebud on a gravestone would symbolise the death of a child. This is based on the belief that a dead child was a bud which would bloom in heaven. If the gravestone had a rosebud with a broken stem, then that indicated that the child died in birth. And if there was a broken rosebud stem, and a broken blooming rose stem, carved into the gravestone, then that meant that both the mother and the child had died in childbirth.
Yet if we chanced upon a Victorian gravestone like this, we might have assumed these were merely charming decorations.
"I wish I knew which flower was in the vase behind the goldfish bowl as it would have had a special meaning to the Victorians as well." - Excellent thought! If anyone can see it well enough, please do say. Perhaps it is a daisy ...
Mod
A while ago I suggested that Steerforth's naming of David as Daisy was feminising, as was the way he asked him to read stories to him each evening, putting David in the position of Scheherazade. Bearing this out, almost Steerforth's first words to David were that he wished he had a sister. Plus David has to present all the food he receives at school to Steerforth to distribute, like a lioness would to her lion.
Some critics might assume that with all this, there is a homoerotic subtext, but I don't really. I think though that because of the Victorian mindset, an immature young man might be equated with femininity. At this point David is immature. He reacts spontaneously and childishly, and Charles Dickens shows this by giving him a womanish response, which astounded Uriah Heep. I can't put it better than your excellent analysis, Elizabeth. And thank you for this observation:
"I believe at this time in Victorian England the method of obtaining resolution of personal grievances was moving toward nonviolent means in the courts rather than by physical attacks"
which is useful. I'm pretty sure there will still have been duels, but in general if people are aware of more legislation, this does gradually influence public's perceptions. As Tadiana mentioned (and it had occurred to me too), a slap on the face with a glove by one man to another, was understood by all as an insulting challenge to a duel.
However in this case, I really don't think it was premeditated, but a fit of pique and temper. So I don't think he stopped to consider a slap on the face being "more insulting and diminishing of another man than a punch in the nose would be". However, it does have a nice echo for the readers, of that insult from earlier times.
It's actually to Uriah's credit that he does not respond in any way, but says he is still friends. The slap resulted in a lot of pain, and his having a tooth out (not a nice procedure at that time!) As Elizabeth pointed out, it's not a "shining moment" for David, but the reverse. It's as well to note that David feels ashamed of himself. Uriah Heep behaved far more like a true gentleman than he did, at this moment, speaking in a low slow voice, whilst David's was very quick, which "did not improve my temper; though my passion was cooling down". Then this:
"‘You know, Copperfield,’ he said, in my ear (I did not turn my head), ‘you’re in quite a wrong position’; which I felt to be true, and that made me chafe the more; ‘you can’t make this a brave thing, and you can’t help being forgiven. I don’t intend to mention it to mother, nor to any living soul. I’m determined to forgive you.’"
Sara - you're absolutely right that Uriah has goaded him, and is now (as Elizabeth said) exultant. But we can't get away from the fact that Uriah is now behaving honourably, and David is ashamed of himself.
I also find it intriguing that Uriah Heep says he will tell nobody about it, as this is completely atypical for him. It's a priceless piece of information, which I'm sure would have proved of use to him in his devious planning. Could it be that he does feel, (as far as he can), a kind of friendship towards David?
I put in the summary that David inwardly excused his actions feeling freer than before (now that Agnes was, in his mind, "safe" from Uriah's clutches). This is in the text, but the other above is in the text also.
David has a very long way to go before he is worthy of being called a "gentleman"!
Mod
Time has passed, and the seasons move on until David is 21, the age of majority (in England at this time). He thinks back to what he has achieved in life. He has mastered the art of shorthand, that "savage stenographic mystery", and has a good reputation for accuracy, so that he can make a good living as a reporter of Parliamentary debates for a Morning Newspaper. He has a low opinion of parliament itself, however. Traddles has been called to the Bar, and is working in conveyancing (legal work to do with the buying and selling of property). He too is beginning to be quite successful.
David is also trying his hand at being an author:
"I wrote a little something, in secret, and sent it to a magazine, and it was published in the magazine. Since then, I have taken heart to write a good many trifling pieces. Now, I am regularly paid for them."
David and his aunt have moved from Buckingham Street, to a pleasant little cottage, but this is only temporary. Betsey Trotwood has sold her cottage in Dover, and is moving to a smaller cottage close by, as David and Dora are to be married.
Everyone is working hard towards this end. Miss Lavinia is making the bride's trousseau, and has disagreements with the official dressmaker, Miss Clarissa and Aunt Betsey are searching for suitable household goods, and Peggotty is cleaning everything and everywhere until it shines.
Occasionally David sees Dan Peggotty roaming the dark streets of London, but he never approaches him, for fear of what he might discover. David is "in a dream, a flustered, happy, hurried dream".
The day before the wedding arrives and so do Traddles's sweetheart Sophy, and Agnes, who are to be Dora's bridesmaids. David watches all the preparations, and everyone is very happy. Dora tries on her wedding dress to show David, and he is enchanted.
David and Dora's wedding - Frank Reynolds (1910)
It is an "incoherent dream ... a fairy wedding".
Traddles, wears a "dazzling combination of cream colour and light blue" reminiscent of his suit of sky blue when he was a boy. He is David's best man, and Mr Dick will give Dora away. Aunt Betsey is dressed in lavender-coloured silk, with a white bonnet, and is "amazing". She tries to look solemn and severe but tears course down her cheeks, perhaps thinking of David's mother:
"I think of poor dear Baby this morning."
Dora gets through the marriage service, trembling and whispering, and in the vestry "crying for her poor papa, her dear papa". But everyone is happy, David is proud and loving, and:
"Agnes laughing gaily; and of Dora being so fond of Agnes that she will not be separated from her, but still keeps her hand."
The wedding breakfast follows and the speeches, and at last they are on their way. Dora's final words to the assembly are:
"‘If I have ever been cross or ungrateful to anybody, don’t remember it!’ and bursting into tears."
And to David himself, who loves her so well:
"Are you happy now, you foolish boy? ... and sure you don’t repent?"
This has been a precious memory: a retrospective:
"I have stood aside to see the phantoms of those days go by me. They are gone, and I resume the journey of my story."
Mod
There are many comic moments in this chapter - as well as some facetious comments on Parliament (which doesn't seem to have changed a great deal in 170 years...)
The parts of this chapter that I enjoyed were the parts which are taken verbatim from his life: the shorthand, the reporting from Parliament for newspapers, his dislike of red tape, and the way he starts as a writer, by writing "something, in secret, and sen[ding] it to a magazine", and then having more "trifles" accepted.
I'm glad it was a short chapter, without too much sentimentality about Dora. But I did wonder whether Dickens would report all the speeches at the wedding. They would have been fine fodder for comic cameo pieces, in fact. But it seems he wanted us to be aware of David's infatuated, dreamy, enchanted state.
I was surprised that Dora allowed David to see her before the wedding in her wedding finery, as that is such a well-known superstition, that it is supposed to be bad luck.
Just a thought about Rosa's name...Roses do have thorns, and it would seem that Rosa Dart(le) may have been a nice person before and is all thorns and pricks now.My hopes have been squashed with this wedding. lol. I LOVE this illustration, Jean. It is Dora the way my mind imagines her. There is so much sweetness in David's memory of the time that I have softened toward Dora. Each of us needs to live a dream, if only for a moment, and this would seem to be that kind of time for these two. I cannot imagine it will last long.
The comparison to David's mother also made me think perhaps this is what David sees in Dora--a reflection of his innocent mother. Perhaps he wishes to protect Dora from the world in the way he was unable to protect his mother.
Mod
Oh I like this idea very much! Thanks Sara.
"The comparison to David's mother also made me think perhaps this is what David sees in Dora--a reflection of his innocent mother." I'm sure that's on point, and someone Milena? mentioned that was probably an aspect of her attraction right from the beginning. So I like the logical extension of that idea, in that he wishes to protect this tender bloom in a way that he could not do for his mother.
The illustrations are "my selection" LOL although sometimes there are many for one chapter, and for others just the one. The one for chapter 42, for instance, I consider to be poorly executed, and I wondered about just adding a posed character. But this one I really like too :) Some artists' styles lend themselves better to scenes of a certain type, and I reckon Phiz is best at comedy!
Reading this chapter, I was also struck hard by the similarities between Dora and David's mother, and I think it's clear that Aunt Betsey is too. Every time Dora calls David "Doady" it sets my teeth on edge - it sounds so much like Daddy. I can't imagine Dickens didn't do that on purpose. :)That Frank Reynolds painting captures Dora exactly how I imagine her, whereas none of the actresses in the earlier posts did.
Caught up with the last three chapters, and thought there was a lot happening between all the persons, not always understandable for me, but I´ll try to re-read your posts!I also love the comical aspect of Phiz´ illustrations!
David´s allusions to the marriage not being real can be attributed to his naive sentimental feelings, but seem to me also a forboding of worse things to come.
Bionic Jean wrote: ""The comparison to David's mother also made me think perhaps this is what David sees in Dora--a reflection of his innocent mother." I'm sure that's on point, and someone Milena? mentioned that was probably an aspect of her attraction right from the beginning. "Jean. It wasn’t me, but I’m the person who likes this kind of Freudian analysis. I loved Sara’s comment: “Dora--a reflection of his innocent mother”. David couldn’t protect his mother because he was a powerless child. Being a man means that now he can.
What a nice dream the narrator guides us through. Though is it is a dream is it a little idealized? I think so. The bad things about good dreams is you have to wake up and I feel David's awakening might be abrupt.I thought from the beginning the attraction of Dora for David is how much she looks like his mother. I think Clara might have been a little bit silly too and at the time of her marriage with David Senior, but her experiences made her a little more mature, but still very naive and soft. We will see how Dora changes.
The latest name for David is the irksome “Doady”. It’s as if Dora is trying to infanticize him down to her level.
It is very touching to see David and his Aunt and the affection they have for one another as they travel by coach to his wedding. She has certainly infrequently expressed her emotions (unless it was to slam the door shut in anger when David rather than a girl baby was born, or when she and Janet yelled and chased the mules off her property). She has taken David in as her own son and seen to his education and career and has tried to conceal her feelings by hiding her tears of affection. Here we see her in such a tender moment - squeezing David's hand and giving him a gentle kiss. Thoughts of Clara are shared as she states: "God bless you, Trot! My own boy never could be dearer. I think of poor dear Baby this morning." David expresses appreciation to what she has done for him, as a mother would do for her child. Then, back to the unsentimental "Tut, child" from her. You really have to love Aunt Betsey!
Absolutely, Elizabeth! She is one of Dickens' most endearing characters.
“I have never seen my aunt in such a state. She is dressed in lavender-colored silk, and has a white bonnet on, and is amazing.”Jean: (view spoiler) Thought it best to put this observation/question in a spoiler just in case.
I am so glad you know all these Victorian traditions, Lori. That is a bit of foreshadowing that I would have entirely missed.
Elizabeth: Yes, Aunt Betsey is a treasure!!Sara: It certainly caught my attention. I’ll see what Jean has to say but I think the Victorians might have been getting a hint. I have read that green was a color to be avoided at weddings as it was considered unlucky.
That’s great to know, Lori, I knew the meaning, but hadn’t thought of it in that situation.
Lori - Thanks for the color analysis - had no idea the meaning of the lavender and white as related to half-mourning. Dickens can be very sly about is foreshadowing. A couple of articles about Victorian fashion:
1) https://www.mimimatthews.com/2016/08/....
"Purple was one of the most fashionable—and versatile—colors of the Victorian era. In fabric shades ranging from pale, delicate lilac to rich, deep plum, it was suitable for day dresses, visiting dresses, riding habits, and evening gowns. It was also an acceptable color for those in half-mourning, with ladies frequently wearing dresses in shades of mauve-grey or lavender. The 1856 invention of aniline dyes resulted in even more varieties of color. Gowns and accessories were produced in violets, magentas, and brilliant berry hues.
2.) https://vintagedancer.com/victorian/1...
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I hope the summaries help, Michaela. Charles Dickens is a bit wordy at the moment; he has a lovely dry, caustic and witty way of describing things even when it's not a comical scene, but it must be terribly difficult to read in a different language. Kudos to you and everyone else who is reading it in a second language.
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"Doady" - his latest given name, is as Robin and Tadiana and others point out, a "babying" name. Although it's something a lot of courting couples indulge in, we have to wonder whether this indicates something else about Dora.
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You're absolutely right that shades of purple for Victorians were correct for mourning and half mourning, and thanks for the addition of white which I did not know (except as the correct colour for Indian funerals).
Thanks too Elizabeth for the links to those fascinating articles about Victorian fashion. How beautiful! But then purple is my colour. When I was a bride I wore a white floor-length silk dress, with a lavender velvet full length hooded cloak with a train. I had a muff, not a bouquet, with a single rosebud on it. Chris wore a suit with a mauve tone, and my bridesmaid had a velvet magenta cape. It was all quite unusual for a church wedding at that time.
So back to the main point, but you can see why I am so interested in this - especially as for all the funerals I have attended, I have worn purple, never black.
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Looking in several places, it seems that the Victorians were contradictory about several colour and flowers. This was nice for Charles Dickens, as he can be foreshadowing something, but as Elizabeth says, "sly" about it. He loves ambiguity and disguise.
So here are the possible symbolic interpretations:
Lavender flowers are known to represent purity, silence, devotion serenity, grace and calmness. In addition to the flower's significance, purple is the colour of royalty, so indicates elegance, refinement and luxury. There are also traditions to do with lavender as a gift. Perhaps we should see it in this sense, as it was not the bride who wore lavender, but a "substitute mother" to them both, in Aunt Betsey. Her outfit was a symbolic gift: an approval of David and Dora's marriage. In this sense it represents purity, silence and luck.
White of course represents purity; I think this is universal.
The colour lavender is a soft shade of purple, that royal, noble colour, and strongly feminine. It was an accepted colour for half-mourning, as Lori says, after full mourning (the black stage) has been completed. There were other ideas running parallel. My grandma, (born a little later, in 1880) never wore any other colour than dark blue, dark purple, or black, as these was thought the only appropriate colours at that time, and "respectable" for all women over 30 - especially widows.
So we have the two extremes, with the only difference apparently being in the shade and depth of colour.
A purely practical point is that lavender is extremely flattering to older tones of fair skin, and a colour selected by elderly ladies eg., the Queen Mother rarely wore anything else to formal functions, late in life.
Dickensians!
Books mentioned in this topic
Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen: Annotated (other topics)Middlemarch (other topics)
The Vampyre (other topics)
David Copperfield (other topics)
Oliver Twist (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
John Mullen (other topics)Catherine Thomson Dickens (other topics)
Charles Dickens (other topics)
John William Polidori (other topics)
Jane Austen (other topics)
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