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.