"David Copperfield" is a novel by English author Charles Dickens that follows the life of David Copperfield from childhood to adulthood. David is born in Blunderstone, Suffolk, England, six months after his father's death. He spends his early years living in a small house called the Rookery. He is raised by his loving but naive mother and their kind housekeeper, Clara Peggotty, who affectionately calls him Davy.

When David is seven years old, his mother marries Edward Murdstone without informing him about their plans. To keep him out of the way, David is sent to visit Peggotty's family in Yarmouth. Her brother, Mr. Peggotty, is a fisherman who lives in a beached barge with his adopted niece and nephew, Emily and Ham, as well as an elderly widow named Mrs. Gummidge. "Little Em'ly," as she is affectionately called, is somewhat spoiled by her caring foster father, and David has fallen in love with her. Throughout this time, they refer to him as Master Copperfield.