Charles Dickens' DAVID COPPERFIELD

[Dexter Green]

Well, as a new "'kid' on the block," I thought of starting out by saying that I have just read DAVID COPPERFIELD for the sixth time in my long career (54 years) and remain as enthusiastic about the novel and its characters as ever. My interest has always focused on James Steerforth primarily, who remains somewhat enigmatic. The Freudian issues with him are numerous as is David's devotion to him in some of his comments which border on the homoerotic. The Victorians must have had a "field day" with this, if they gave this character any thought. I like the character, as well as Rosa Dartle and James's mother and wonder how they would appear in a more modern novel, but one can easily imagine that in today's world. Anyway, I am teaching this novel for the last time to a bright class of eight students at the 10th grade level and look forward to hearing what they have to say. Discussion is "no holds barred"; it makes for a lively class atmosphere. Perhaps more later. Thanks for reading, if anyone does.

[Pompey Bum]

Hello Dexter! If I missed you before, then welcome to the site. :) Congratulations on your sixth jaunt through David Copperfield. I was just blithering on about Wilkins Micawber on another thread. If you're interested:

http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?80550-Nominations-for-New-Classics/page7

I sometimes think that we moderns/post-moderns read too much implicit sexuality into Victorian literature, but in the case of James Steerford, I definitely know what you mean. It's probably because he is an older student (to David's younger student) in a 19th century British boarding school. I'm sure most of Dickens contemporaries would never have called the admiration that David feels for him homoerotic, but I imagine the more worldly would have privately recognized it as something like that. The Victorians were prudes, but they weren't innocents.

Anyway, thanks for your comments and welcome again to the site. Hopefully JonathanB will turn up soon. He knows much more about Dickens than I do.