Editing David Copperfield (section)

===Setting===
Setting is a major aspect of Dickens's "narrative artistry and of his methods of characterization", so that "the most memorable quality of his novels may well be their atmospheric density [... of the] descriptive writing".<ref name=Johnson1969p147>{{harvnb|Johnson|1969|p=147}}</ref>

In ''David Copperfield'' setting is less urban, more rustic than in other novels, and especially maritime. Besides Peggotty, who is a seaman whose home is an overturned hull, Mr Micawber goes to the naval port of [[Plymouth]] on the south coast after prison and appears finally on board a steamer. David himself is connected to [[Great Yarmouth|Yarmouth]], and Aunt Betsey settled in the [[English Channel|Channel]] port of [[Dover]]. Young David notices the sea on his first day at her home; "the air from the sea came blowing in again, mixed with the perfume of the flowers".<ref name=Dickens1985Ch13>{{harvnb|Dickens|1985|loc=Chapter 13}}</ref> The city, [[London]], is especially the place of misfortune, where the dark warehouse of Murdstone and Grinby are found. The philosopher [[Émile Chartier|Alain]] (pseudonym of Émile-Auguste Chartier) comments as follows about Dickens's portrayal of London (but it might also be applied to other locations), as cited by Lançon:

::The Dickensian atmosphere, unlike any other, comes from the way the distinctive nature of a dwelling is linked to the personality of its inhabitant [...] [There is there] a look that creates a sense of reality, with the remarkable connection between buildings and characters.<ref>{{cite news |first=Philippe |last=Lançon |author-link=Philippe Lançon |location=Paris |newspaper=Libération |date=17 March 2012 |title=Charles Dickens, homme de Londres |department=Review: Arts. To celebrate the bicentennial of the birth of the writer, the British capital presents an exhibition in which London holds the leading role |trans-title=Charles Dickens, man of London |language=fr |url=https://next.liberation.fr/culture/2012/03/17/charles-dickens-homme-de-londres_803733 |access-date=27 February 2019 |archive-date=4 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190204231031/https://next.liberation.fr/culture/2012/03/17/charles-dickens-homme-de-londres_803733 |url-status=dead }}</ref>