Dora Spenlow is a character in the 1850 novel ''

David Copperfield ''David Copperfield''Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work; see is a novel by English author Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from infancy to matur ...

'' by

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

. She is beautiful but childish.

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

, who is employed by her father, the lawyer Mr Spenlow, falls in love with Dora at first sight and marries her. She proves unable to cope with the responsibilities of married life and is more interested in playing with her dog, Jip, than in keeping their house. All this has a profound effect on David, but he still loves her. A year into their marriage, she suffers a miscarriage; her health steadily declines until she dies. In 1830, Dickens met his first love, Maria Beadnell, thought to have been the model for the character Dora in ''David Copperfield''. Maria's parents disapproved of the courtship and ended the relationship by sending her to school in Paris.Davis, Paul (1998). ''Charles Dickens A to Z''. Facts on File, Inc. Charles Dickens named his daughter

Dora Annie Dickens Dora Annie Dickens (16 August 1850 – 14 April 1851) was the infant daughter of English novelist Charles Dickens and his wife Catherine Dickens, Catherine. She was the ninth of their ten children, and the youngest of their three daughters. Lif ...

after the character on her birth in 1850, but she died the following year at the age of eight months.

Portrayals

Dora has been portrayed by several actresses in numerous adaptations. She was first most notably depicted in the 1935 film adaptation by

Maureen O'Sullivan Maureen Paula O'Sullivan (May 17, 1911 – June 23, 1998) was an Irish actress who played Jane in the ''Tarzan'' series of films during the era of Johnny Weissmuller. She starred in dozens of feature films across a span of more than half a ...

. Pamela Franklin portrayed her in the 1969 adaptation, the first feature film depiction since the 1935 film, and the last for 50 years. Spenlow is played by

Morfydd Clark Morfydd Clark (; born 17 March 1989) is a Welsh actress. She is best known for playing Galadriel in the Amazon Prime series '' The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power'' (2022–present). She received a number of accolades for her performance in ...

Armando Iannucci Armando Giovanni Iannucci (; born 28 November 1963) is a Scottish satirist, writer, director, producer and performer. Born in Glasgow to Italian parents, Iannucci studied at the University of Glasgow followed by the University of Oxford. St ...

’s 2019 adaptation, '' The Personal History of David Copperfield''. Dora's role in the film differs greatly from the novel, with Dora realising that she is not a good match for Copperfield and asking him to "write her out" of his story (the eponymous “Personal History”), so breaking off their engagement. The BBC has adapted the novel four times. Dora was first portrayed in the 1956 adaptation by Sheila Shand Gibbs, although no recording of the production is thought to exist. Tina Packer played Dora in 1966. Only four episodes are known to exist, three of which (8, 9 and 11) feature Dora, including the character's miscarriage. She was depicted as more comically childlike in this version than most others, pronouncing her ''r''s as ''w''s in some scenes. The first BBC adaptation still to exist entirely and the first one made in colour is the 1974 serial, where she is portrayed by

Beth Morris Bethan "Beth" Morris (19 July 1943 – 1 March 2018) was a Welsh actress. Born in Gorseinon and a lifetime native of Swansea, she was probably best known for her performance as Julia Drusilla in the 1976 BBC adaptation of '' I, Claudius''. ...

. In the 1999 miniseries she is portrayed by Joanna Page.

References

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The Oxford Companion to English Literature ''The Oxford Companion to English Literature'' first published in 1932, edited by the retired diplomat Paul Harvey (diplomat), Sir Paul Harvey (1869–1948), was the earliest of the Oxford Companions to appear. It is currently in its seventh ed ...

'' (ed. Margaret Drabble, Oxford 2000) {{DEFAULTSORT:Spenlow, Dora Literary characters introduced in 1850 Spenlow, Dora Female characters in literature