Editing David Copperfield (section)

===Satire and pathos===
The very principle of satire is to question, and to tear off the masks, so as to reveal the raw reality under the varnish.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/eironeia |title=Eirôneia |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Britannica |access-date=26 February 2019}}</ref> Dickens uses the whole arsenal of literary tools that are available to the satirist, or rather supplied by his narrator, David, who even directs satire upon himself. These tools include [[irony]], [[humour]], and [[caricature]]. How it is employed relates to the characters' differing personalities. Satire is thus gentler towards some characters than others; toward David the hero-narrator, it is at once indulgent and transparent.

====Types of character====
[[File:Fred Barnard07.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|left|Uriah Heep at his desk, by Fred Barnard]]
There are several different types of character: On the one hand, there are the good ones, Peggotty, Dr Strong, Traddles, Agnes etc., on the other hand, there are the bad ones, Murdstone, Steerforth, Uriah Heep, etc. A third category are characters who change over time, including Betsey Trotwood, who at first is more obstinate than nasty, it is true, and Martha Endell, and Creakle, etc. There is also a contrast drawn between ever-frozen personalities such as Micawber, Dora, Rosa Dartle, and those who evolve. The latter includes David, Mr Mell, Miss Mowcher. There is also a contrast drawn between the idiosyncrasies of Mr Dick, Barkis, Mrs Gummidge, and the subtle metamorphosis from innocence to maturity of characters like David, Traddles, Agnes.

Dickens worked intensively on developing arresting names for his characters that would reverberate with associations for his readers, and assist the development of motifs in the storyline, giving what one critic calls an "allegorical impetus" to a novel's meanings.<ref name="Mee2010">{{harvnb|Mee|2010|p=20}}</ref> The name Mr Murdstone in ''David Copperfield'' conjures up twin allusions to "murder" and stony coldness;<ref>{{harvnb|Stone|1987|pp=xx–xxi}}</ref> Strong is definitely not "strong"; Creakle "squeaks and grinds". There can also be a visual dimension to Dickens's humour. This includes Micawber's rotundity, his wife's dried-up body, which forever offers a sterile breast, Betsey's steadfast stiffness, Mr Sharp's bowed head, Daniel Peggotty's stubborn rudeness, Clara Copperfield's delicate silhouette, and Dora's mischievous air. Then there are exaggerated attitudes that are constantly repeated. Dickens creates humour out of character traits, such as Mr Dick's kite flying, James Steerforth's insistent charm, Uriah Heep's obsequiousness, Betsey pounding David's room. There are in addition the employment of repetitive verbal phrases: "umble" of the same Heep, the "willin" of Barkis, the "lone lorn creetur" of Mrs Gummidge. Dickens also uses objects for a humorous purpose, like Traddles's skeletons, the secret box of Barkis, the image of Heep as a snake, and the metallic rigidity of Murdstone.

====Pathos and indulgent humour====
[[File:David Copperfield, Steerforth and Mr Mell.jpg|thumb|300px|Steerforth and Mr Mell, by [[Hablot Knight Browne|Phiz]].]]
In ''David Copperfield'' idealised characters and highly sentimental scenes are contrasted with caricatures and ugly social truths. While good characters are also satirised, a considered sentimentality replaces satirical ferocity. This is a characteristic of all of Dickens's writing, but it is reinforced in ''David Copperfield'' by the fact that these people are the narrator's close family members and friends, who are devoted to David and sacrificing themselves for his happiness. Hence the indulgence applied from the outset, with humour prevailing along with loving complicity. David is the first to receive such treatment, especially in the section devoted to his early childhood, when he is lost in the depths of loneliness in London, following his punishment by Mr Murdstone. Michael Hollington analyses a scene in chapter 11 that seems emblematic of the situation and how humour and sentimentality are employed by Dickens.<ref name=Hollingotn1997p37>{{harvnb|Hollington|1997|p=37}}</ref> This is the episode where the very young David orders a pitcher of the best beer in a [[public house]], "To moisten what I had for dinner".<ref>{{harvnb|Dickens|1999|pp=132–133}}</ref> David's memory has retained the image of the scene, which is so vivid that he sees himself as from the outside. He has forgotten the exact date (his birthday). This episode release David's emotional pain, writes Michael Hollington, obliterating the infected part of the wound. Beyond the admiration aroused for the amazing self-confidence of the little child, in resolving this issue and taking control of his life with the assurance of someone much older, the passage "testifies to the work of memory, transfiguring the moment into a true myth".<ref name=Hollingotn1997p37 /> The tone is nostalgic because, ultimately, the epilogue is a true moment of grace. The wife of the keeper, returning David's money, deposits on his forehead a gift that has become extremely rare,<ref name=Hollingotn1997p38>{{harvnb|Hollington|1997|p=38}}</ref> a kiss, "Half admired and half compassionate", but above all full of kindness and femininity; at least, adds David, as a tender and precious reminder, "I am sure".