Inside the Museum of London

Elizabeth Singleton, Host at the Museum of London, introduces our our final Dickens Book Club book for May, David Copperfield.

Hello all, my name is Elizabeth and I work as a Host at the Museum of London.  I must admit that Dickens has always been on the periphery of my literary life. Sure, I have always been acquainted with his work – from the multiple adaptations I have seen on screen and stage – but I have yet, until today, actually delved into the original work.

And what better way to start than with the novel the writer described as his ‘favourite child’, David Copperfield. In the preface to the book Dickens writes that the novel was a result of a two year ‘imaginative task’, and how, having at last finished it, he is so torn between pleasure and regret at its end – his pleasure deriving from  ‘the achievement of a long design’ but his ‘regret in the separation from so many companions’.  I do so love this idea, as I have often felt the same way as a reader at the end of a particularly enjoyable read; I have found that I have lamented the parting of such characters that have taken such an active part in my imagination, but find I am forever grateful to have met them in the first place. This, I believe, is the best thing about starting a new book – the promise of new characters you will meet along the way as the adventure unfolds.

And what a book this is! My first thoughts, I must admit, centred around the sheer size of the novel – ‘blimey, quite an adventure there’ – but delve into it I will! I have no idea what I will find, as I know very little about the story, only that the author is said to have drawn inspiration from his personal life. So, let’s see who I’ll meet…