In the middle of this month's reading, I suddenly realized that I had made a miscalculation. The goal of this project was to read Copperfield as it was originally released. For the most part, the book was released in three-chapter installments each month, but there were a couple of months with extra chapters that I didn't notice. It turns out that I was two chapters behind, and so I had to read five chapters this month to catch up. For that reason, and because I am nearing the end, a lot happened this month. Now, this is where I would normally put up a spoilers alert, but it's getting impossible to write about David Copperfield without revealing all that has happened. Read on at your own risk. There were three major resolutions this month.
Emily is found. Although I've never been enthralled with this particular subplot, I have to say this was one of the more dramatic chapters in the book. Dickens goes all out in this section, and he had me on the edge of my seat. I suppose my main problem with the Mr. Peggotty-Emily subplot is that it seems so peripheral to David's life. This is Dickens where the periphery is often more entertaining than the central parts of a book, but still this seemed a little too beside the point, especially since David's role in the search for Emily has been minimal.
Uriah Heep gets his comeuppance. And he does so in a very satisfying manner. I suppose one could make the argument that this is a peripheral story too. However, David is much more involved in the events, especially since Agnes has been one of Heep's victims. Besides, HEEP (as Mr. Micawber calls him) is an entertaining villain, so for the most part these sections are just fun.
Poor Dora passes away. It was obvious that this would be happening soon, and in a sad but short "retrospective" chapter at the end of this installment, David finally loses his "child-wife," as she called herself. I've never exactly liked Dora, but she really was one of the more entertaining caricatures in the book.
With all these resolutions and with just two installments left, I feel as if I am embarking on a whole new book.
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