Wilkins Micawber

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W.C. Fields in David Copperfield

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Wilkins Micawber

fictional character

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Wilkins Micawber, fictional character, a kindhearted, incurable optimist in Charles Dickens’s semiautobiographical novel David Copperfield (1849–50). In a 1935 film adaptation directed by George Cukor, American actor W.C. Fields gave a memorable performance as Micawber.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.