Publication 1344
By clauditza on
Thursday, January 12, 2012
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hi everyone I have to write a thesis with the title Love and Business in David Copperfield .My question is how would you link these two themes together in the novel or how would you guys relate the two of them ?
thanks
C.
Publication 1345
By absent-minded on
Friday, January 13, 2012
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04:49
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It seems to me, as a first impression, that in David Copperfield people more able to love, are less "interested" (not less "able") in doing business.
Publication 1346
By clauditza on
Friday, January 13, 2012
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05:29
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yes somehow true but still if we think that the Murdstones have a business and Uriah Heep and Wickfield ...
Publication 1347
By absent-minded on
Friday, January 13, 2012
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Precisely if you think that Murdstones and Uriah (not exemplars of loving people...) are inclined to business, while Wickfield was interested in business as little as it was enough for Heep to take advantage.
Publication 1349
By DATo_Diomedies_DATon on
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
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Upon reading your post my first reaction was to consider all of the people who were either in business or attempting to situate themselves in some form of economic stability. In each case I found, to my amazement, that there was a "love" association prevalent as well.
David and Dora - David loves Dora despite the fact that she cannot adapt herself to the budgeting of the family expenses.
Mr. & Mrs. McCawber - Mrs. McCawber is totally devoted to her husband despite his apparent inability to get anything to "turn up". He is also totally devoted to his family and would never think of deserting them.
Even the villains of the novel - The Murdstones and the Heeps are devoted to each other (brother and sister and son and mother respectively) while in pursuit of wealth and position.
Daniel Peggotty does not let economic considerations affect his love for his fellow man as evidenced in his provision for those who live with him.
Mr. Strong provides for Annie's family even though it is obvious the mother is taking advantage of him.
Traddles works industriously to elevate his economic conditions but willingly and joyfully provides for his wife's family.
Mr. McCawber occasionally takes advantage of others to keep his family's economic circumstances from floundering completely but he never takes advantage of David.
Betsy Trotwood - Generously provides a funeral for the man who had treated her badly and had taken advantage of her because she never stopped loving him (or, perhaps the man he was).
Even the miser, Barkis, springs for a feast for David and provides for others after his death with the proceeds from his business.
Mr. Dick offers David all his money when David embarks for school.
There are other examples as well but I think the gist of what Dickens is saying is that at the end of the day regardless of personal ambition most people, and sometimes even a villain, innately understand that money takes second place to love. Steerforth, who I think Dickens is using to symbolize much of the heartlessness of the upper classes, never demonstratively shows real love to anyone including his mother, as I recall, in the entire novel.
Publication 1350
By clauditza on
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
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yes all you said it's true I also thought of that and more or less about marriage issues where the things look a bit different from my point of view.
True that the most of them love something whether it's money or the naivity of the other in the end the most of them are unhappy.
I also thought of seeing the novel as a critique of the mid victorian society where business plays a more important role than love...
Publication 1363
By DATo_Diomedies_DATon on
Saturday, March 24, 2012
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Just an observation .....
Have you noticed how many 19th century English novels involve characters who receive an inheritance or bequest of some kind? Whether you read Austin, Eliot, Dickens, Bronte or just about anyone else there is always someone in the novel (usually the main character or one of the main characters) who either receives or has already received a lot of money or an estate of some kind or both. Didn't anyone actually WORK for a living in those days!!!??? *LOL*
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