David Copperfield book club questions
by Charles Dickens · a kit for three meetings · 15 questions · printable
Fifteen discussion questions for David Copperfield, grouped by three stretches of the book of about the same length, with a reading plan, themes to talk about and a sheet you can print. Two good openers: how should we judge David Copperfield's decision to help the Micawbers while struggling to feed himself? And does Miss Trotwood's wish to protect a girl make her disappointment at a boy's birth more understandable or more troubling?
The reading plan
Meeting 1
Chapters 1 to 19
About 7 h 43 min to read
Meeting 2
Chapters 20 to 39
About 7 h 45 min to read
Meeting 3
Chapters 40 to 64
About 7 h 54 min to read
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Meeting 1: Chapters 1 to 19
- Does Miss Trotwood's wish to protect a girl make her disappointment at a boy's birth more understandable or more troubling?
- What does Peggotty's comfort offer David Copperfield when the Murdstones control his home, and what can comfort alone not change?
- How might a warning placard shape David Copperfield's expectations of school before he meets the returning boys?
- How should we judge David Copperfield's decision to help the Micawbers while struggling to feed himself?
- Does David Copperfield's escape from warehouse life seem more like a free choice or a choice forced by hardship?
Meeting 2: Chapters 20 to 39
- What kind of freedom do work and rooms of one's own promise David Copperfield, and what might they fail to provide?
- How does cheerful hospitality affect your judgment of a gathering shadowed by unpaid debts?
- What does Mr. Peggotty's decision to search suggest about the responsibilities of love after someone leaves home?
- What makes Agnes's practical help valuable when David Copperfield faces poverty, and where might such help reach its limits?
- When Dora fears household accounts and hard work, should David Copperfield change his plans, his expectations, or how he explains them?
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Meeting 3: Chapters 40 to 64
- Can affection take the place of practical partnership in David Copperfield and Dora's marriage, or does it leave too much unresolved?
- What does Martha's response to trust suggest about the difference between helping someone and judging them?
- Does learning to accept Dora seem like growth, surrender, or some mixture of both?
- How much should Micawber's exposure of Uriah Heep change your judgment of his earlier financial troubles?
- Is David Copperfield right to hide painful news while his friends prepare to leave, or does protection require honesty?
Themes to talk about
Tips for the host
- Open each meeting with one question everyone can answer, then go deeper.
- Anyone who fell behind can catch up with the 15-minute summary.
Free for 3 months
Get the full summary of David Copperfield, free
- 200,000+ classics as eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
- Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
15-minute summaries today, eBooks and audiobooks as each book opens, and printed books, large print included, at cost.
Try 3 months freeMore book club kits: Wuthering Heights · The Odyssey · Hamlet · All kits
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