David Copperfield · Character

Mrs. Steerforth

A handsome, imperious widow who has made her son James the center of her universe and mistakes her pride in him for love.

supporting

Also known as Dear Mrs. Steerforth

First appearance: Steerforth's Home

As a supporting figure in David Copperfield, Mrs. Steerforth is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Steerforth's mother, proud and devoted to her son, gives David a stately welcome.

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Mrs. Steerforth is a commanding presence at her seaside home, doting on James with a devotion that brooks no criticism and treating his friends, including David, with gracious condescension. Her pride in her son is the organizing principle of her life, and she cannot imagine a version of him that would disappoint her. That blindness is the quiet engine of the Steerforth tragedy, and it makes her a figure to watch whenever James is on the page.

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See Mrs. Steerforth in Steerforth's Home

Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the story's dramatic climax because it presents the emotional peak of David's concealed grief and the…

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In the story

Mrs. Steerforth appears across 5 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Steerforth's Home
Steerforth's mother, proud and devoted to her son, gives David a stately welcome.
My First Dissipation
Mrs. Steerforth welcomes David to Highgate and talks with him about Steerforth's popularity in Yarmouth.
XXIX: I Visit Steerforth at His Home, Again
Steerforth's mother; engages in tense exchanges with Rosa Dartle and shows affection for her son.
LVI: The New Wound, and the Old
Mrs. Steerforth is overcome with grief, sitting like a stone figure and moaning inarticulately.
A Last Retrospect
A bent lady with traces of old pride and beauty, now querulous and wandering in mind, mourning her son.

Chapter companion notes

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See Mrs. Steerforth in Steerforth's Home