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Lot 453
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Charles Dickens & "David Copperfield"! 6-Chapter AM Prepared For Author's Engrossing Stage Readings
Charles Dickens & "David Copperfield"! 6-Chapter AM Prepared For Author's Engrossing Stage Readings
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Description:

Charles Dickens
n.p., n.d. but ca. 1855-1861
Charles Dickens & "David Copperfield"! 6-Chapter AM Prepared For Author's Engrossing Stage Readings
AM
A 2pp autograph manuscript penned by beloved Victorian novelist Charles Dickens (1812-1870), comprising over 200+ words in his hand. N.d. but ca. 1855-1861. N.p. Inscribed on the first and third pages of watermarked laid blue bifold paper. Expected wear including flattened folds. A few stray ink impressions and minor smudges. The second page is blank. A few isolated manuscript words found on the outer page. Else near fine. 4.375" x 7.25."

This manuscript penned in Dickens's hand is an outline of what would become a two-hour-long stage reading of "David Copperfield," one of the author's most famous novels, and also his personal favorite. Dickens writes out the name of the story's hero, David Copperfield, four times as "Copperfield" and also explicitly refers to nine foremost characters by name. In addition to David Copperfield, these include, in order of mention: "Steerforth" - James Steerforth, David's Salem House schoolmate; "Mr Peggotty" - Daniel Peggotty, David's housekeeper's brother who lives in a beached vessel at Yarmouth; "Little Emily" - Emily, Peggotty's adopted niece and David's playmate; "Ham" - Ham, Peggotty's adopted nephew and David's playmate; "Dora" - Dora Spenlow, David's first wife; "Mr and Mrs Micawber" - Wilkins and Emma Micawber, David's London landlords; and "Traddles" - Tommy Traddles, David's Salem House schoolmate.

Dickens writes in full:

"Chapter I. - Copperfield (a young man of 19 or 20) takes his friend Steerforth to the old boat where Mr Peggotty lives, and introduces Steerforth to Little Emily. It is foreshadowed in this chapter, that Steerforth admires her in a profligate way, and begins to form designs upon her.

Chapter II. Copperfield goes alone to the old boat, to pass with the family, the last evening of Little Emily's single life; because she has engaged herself to be married to Ham (Mr Peggotty's nephew) that day fortnight. Ham suddenly brings the news that she has eloped with Steerforth - a last letter from his is read - and Mr Peggotty sets forth to seek her 'through the world.'

Chapter III Copperfield describes his love for Dora, and the dinner that he gave to Mr and Mrs Micawber and Traddles.

Chapter IV. Mr Peggotty returns from his search, was unsuccessful, and relates his where he has been in France and Italy.

Chapter V. Copperfield describes how he made proposals to Dora - how he married Dora - and what their little menage was.

Chapter VI. describes the storm at Yarmouth, in the words of the book, and the Death of Steerforth."

Charles Dickens first published "The Personal History, Adventures, Experience and Observation of David Copperfield the Younger of Blunderstone Rookery" as a serial in 1849-1850. Although "David Copperfield" proved less commercially successful than either "Dombey and Son" or "Bleak House," Dickens was still encouraged, and he began the process of condensing "David Copperfield" into the format of a two-hour-long stage reading. In January 1855, Dickens wrote to a friend: "I have been poring over Copperfield (which is my favorite), with the idea of getting a reading out of it, to be called by some such name as 'Young Housekeeping, and Little Emily.' But there is still the huge difficulty that I constructed the whole with immense pains, and have so woven it up and blended it together that I cannot yet separate the parts as to tell the story of David's married life with Dora, and the story of Mr. Peggotty's search for his Niece, within the time." The stage reading required that Dickens condense the novel--tipping the scale at over 900 pages, 358,000 words, and 64 chapters, and including dozens of colorful primary, secondary, and tertiary characters--into a pithy 6-chapter script of 26,500 words containing an abbreviated roster of characters.

Dickens performed over 470 public readings of various works before sold-out audiences in the United Kingdom and United States from 1853 until his death in 1870. Initially, Dickens did readings for charity, but he quickly discovered that they could be very lucrative. Dickens, without the benefit of any costumes or stage props, and relying solely on his voice, facial expressions, and gestures, deftly impersonated all of the characters in the works. Having practiced all of the parts extensively, Dickens would sometimes close the book he was "reading," instead piloting the stage performance by way of memory and improvisation.

Dickens performed his first reading of "David Copperfield" on October 28, 1861. The 6-chapter outline that he created for this stage reading is discussed and quoted in full from Malcolm Andrews' "Charles Dickens and His Performing Selves: Dickens and the Public Readings" (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.) Andrews writes: "Dickens had great difficulty in designing a Reading from Copperfield… His practice in devising the other Readings had been to condense a complete short story ('A Christmas Carol'), to extract a single episode ('Bardell and Pickwick'), or to concentrate on a character study ('Mrs. Gamp'). With Copperfield he was trying to do all three, to varying degrees: he wanted to encompass a developing narrative (the story of Emily and Steerforth); he wanted to feature some of the famous characters (the Micawbers, Mr. Peggotty); and he wanted some strong single episodes (most notably the storm at Yarmouth)…The organization of the Reading is masterly. Dickens had shaped the narrative into a sequence of striking scenes, finely adapted for performance—'a series of tableaux,' as one reviewer put it" (p. 87-88). Dickens immortalized the role of Mr. Peggotty throughout the 71 performances of the reading, which became—like its source material—his personal favorite. The storm scene from "David Copperfield," which he saved for the finale, has been hailed as the most sublime moment in all of Dickens' readings.

The importance of this "David Copperfield" manuscript - penned entirely in Dickens's hand - cannot be underestimated!

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 4.375" x 7.25"
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