Dora Spenlow
Dora Spenlow is a character in the 1850 novel David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. She is portrayed as beautiful yet childish. David, 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 acting as David's housekeeper. All this has a profound effect on David, but he still loves her. However, a year into their marriage, she suffers a miscarriage and her health steadily declines until she eventually dies.
| Dora Spenlow | |
|---|---|
| David Copperfield character | |
 David falls for Dora Art by Frank Reynolds (1910) | |
| Created by | Charles Dickens |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Female |
| Family | Francis Spenlow (father) Clarissa Spenlow (aunt) Lavinia Spenlow (aunt) David Copperfield (husband) |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nationality | British |
Charles Dickens named his daughter Dora Annie Dickens after the character on her birth in 1850, but she died the following year at the age of eight months.
Portrayal
Spenlow is played by Morfydd Clark in Armando Ianucci's 2019 adaptation, The Personal History of David Copperfield. Dora's role in the film differs somewhat 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, breaking off their engagement.
References
- The Oxford Companion to English Literature (ed. Margaret Drabble, Oxford 2000)