ABSTRACT
Context and social background David Copperfield is, in part, autobiographical. It is a Bildungsroman (literally, a growth and development novel), a genre in which the central character grows to maturity in the course of the narrative, often finding answers to significant questions and becoming socially successful by the completion of the story. Usually the protagonist suffers some event which causes a separation from their family – in David Copperfield’s case, the event which led to him being sent to boarding school. From this point, David is largely alone as he deals with the issues he faces. The novel ends with the protagonist reflecting on his journey through life to success. Because of his naivety and immaturity throughout much of the novel, he is a good example of an unreliable narrator. As with many of Dickens’ novels, it was first published in twenty instalments, with the final two instalments sold as a double issue. It was then published as a complete novel in 1850.
