History YMMV / DavidCopperfield

** And Ham, after Emily left him for Steerforth. [[spoiler: Even more so when he dies making an HeroicSacrifice to reach a passenger signalling from a ship foundering in a storm. And ''especially'' when the passenger he was trying to rescue ''[[{{Irony}} turns out to have been Steerforth]]''.]]

** And Ham, after Emily left him for Steerforth. [[spoiler: Even more so when he dies in an HeroicSacrifice to help out the people involved in a ship wreckage. And ''especially'' when the passenger he was trying to rescue ''[[{{Irony}} turns out to have been Steerforth]]''.]]

** And Ham, after Emily left him for Steerforth. [[spoiler: Even more so when he dies in an HeroicSacrifice to help out the people involved in a ship wreckage. And ''especially'' when The passenger he was trying to rescue ''[[{{Irony}} turns out to have been Steerforth]].]]

** And Ham, after Emily left him for Steerforth. [[spoiler: Even more so when he dies in an HeroicSacrifice to help out the people involved in a ship wreckage. ''[[{{Irony}} Trying (without realising it) to save Steerforth]]''.]]

** And Ham, after Emily left him for Steerforth. [[spoiler: Even more so when he dies in an HeroicSacrifice to help out the people involved in a ship wreckage. ''[[{{Irony}} Trying without realising it) to save Steerforth]]''.]]

** And Ham, after Emily left him for Steerforth. [[spoiler: Even more so when he dies in an HeroicSacrifice to help out the people involved in a ship wreckage. ''[[{{Irony}} The same one where Steerforth dies]]''.]]

* RetroactiveRecognition: A [[Creator/TheBBC BBC]] adaptation stars a very young DanielRadcliffe, pre-''Film/HarryPotter'' fame.

* HaveAGayOldTime: After Steerforth and Copperfield talk very loudly in their room, Steerforth is afraid of being reprimanded for "disorderly conduct in the bedroom"

* RetroactiveRecognition: A {{BBC}} adaptation stars a very young DanielRadcliffe, pre-''Film/HarryPotter'' fame.

* ToyShip: David with Little Em'ly, and to some extent with Agnes.

** And Ham, after Emily left him for Steerforth.

* JerkAssWoobie: [[spoiler: Rosa Dartle]] is seen as a massive bitch... but as a very tragic one as well.

* ValuesDissonance
* ValuesResonace: As said above, the narrative treats the prostitute Martha sympathetically.

* CompleteMonster: The 1993 AnimatedAdaptation version of Edward Murdstone whose every scene is basically one big reminder of how much of one he truly is

* {{Wangst}}: Emily's weepy penitence can drive a modern reader up the wall.

** Some readers even loved her the moment they saw her.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: Miss Mowcher's abrupt transformation from TheGrotesque to heroic figure, after the woman on whom she was based recognized herself.

* {{Crowning Moment Of Awesome}}: " ... and the name of that scoundrel is - HEEP!"

** The scene where David gets home from his trans-continental vacation of perpetual depression and meets up with his old buddy Traddles never fails to make me smile.

* {{Foe Yay}}: Uriah gets very touchy-feely with David, who for his part, is fascinated by Uriah's strange appearance. Once he compares those reddish brown eyes to "two glowing suns", and another time, when Uriah has wormed himself into David's home, David gives in to an irresistible temptation to watch him sleep.

** Let's not forget Mr. Mell, David's good-hearted but weak-willed teacher in Salem House. This troperette ''[[TearJerker cried]]'' as a little girl when she read how Steerforth [[KickTheDog abused him and got him kicked out of the school on a whim.]]
** What about Ham, after Emily left him for Steerforth?

* PuritySue: Agnes Wickfield, David's 'dearest sister'. Albeit somewhat more realistic than most examples, and even quite likeable in spots, she's clearly intended as the 'angel in the house' archetype beloved of most authors of the period. Kinda hard to ignore when she's ''introduced'' standing in the light of a stained-glass window, 'pointing upward'.

* {{Designated Hero}}: David, increasingly, towards the end of the book. He doesn't lift a finger to bring Uriah down, leaving all the hard work to Mr. Micawber, which makes it all the weirder when Uriah starts spitting tacks at him ("I have always hated you, Copperfield!") as if David were solely responsible. He doesn't defend Emily from getting verbally shredded by Rosa Dartle, or even speak to her at all - a little cold, considering they were childhood sweethearts.