Always assumed to be Charles Dickens' autobiography, David Copperfield was written during the period of England's Queen Victoria reign in the mid-1800s that has since been christened the Victorian Era. Literature scholars and social historians similarly refer to this period as the era of Victorianism. One of the most notable transformations during the period was on the industrial front as more and more people opted to transit from the agrarian life forms to embrace the industrial age. It is as a result of this outcome that the literature of the period, including Dickens' own David Copperfield opted to dwell on the social reforms that occurred in the typical society in the Victorian age. Against the backdrop of extensive socioeconomic change, the Victorian period is often is renowned for its volatility especially in the family front. Broken families were the norm as the various family members often got separated in their effort to search for the elusive financial breakthrough. .
The Victorian period was characterized by a high industrialization rate. People no longer deemed agriculture to be as lucrative and so they moved to the urban areas to earn wages from the mushrooming factories. The industrialization during the period also led to the early development of the supply chain as industrialists sought to obtain raw materials for manufacture from the farming populace. It is again for this reason that warehouses grew in popularity during the period as key components of the supply chain. The narrator reveals that he was set off to work in a warehouse by his step parent. Another distinguishing characteristic of the Victorian period which is evident in the novel is the increase in marriage rate. .
The high rate of marriages during the period is attributable to the economic windfall that came with industrialization during the period. Financial prosperity meant that more people had the capacity to finance new households and marriages, in most instances at a very early stage of their life.