David Copperfield

How does David Copperfield compare and contrast David and Mr. Dick as authors ? How does Dickens use these two characters to explore different aspects of writing autobiography?

The novel begins with the lines, “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” (17). How does the novel develop this question of heroism? Is David its hero? Why or why not?

Why do you think Dickens includes moments of meta-narration throughout the novel? How does he use them to comment on the processes of writing and remembering?