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Oliver Twist

This article is about the novel. For the title character, see Oliver Twist (character). For other uses, see Oliver Twist (disambiguation).

Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress
Frontispiece and title-page, first edition 1838
Illustration and design by George Cruikshank
AuthorCharles Dickens
IllustratorGeorge Cruikshank
LanguageEnglish
GenreSerial novel
PublishedSerialised 1837–1839; book form 1838
PublisherSerial: Bentley's Miscellany
Book: Richard Bentley
Publication placeEngland
OCLC185812519
Preceded byThe Pickwick Papers 
Followed byNicholas Nickleby 
TextOliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress at Wikisource

Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress, is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. It was originally published as a serial from 1837 to 1839 and as a three-volume book in 1838.[1] The story follows the titular orphan, who, after being raised in a workhouse, escapes to London, where he meets a gang of juvenile pickpockets led by the elderly criminal Fagin, discovers the secrets of his parentage, and reconnects with his remaining family.

Oliver Twist unromantically portrays the sordid lives of criminals and exposes the cruel treatment of the many orphans in London in the mid-19th century.[2] The alternative title, The Parish Boy's Progress, alludes to Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress as well as the 18th-century caricature series by painter William Hogarth, A Rake's Progress and A Harlot's Progress.[3]

In an early example of the social novel, Dickens satirises child labour, domestic violence, the recruitment of children as criminals, and the presence of street children. The novel may have been inspired by the story of Robert Blincoe, an orphan whose account of working as a child labourer in a cotton mill was widely read in the 1830s. It is likely that Dickens's own experiences as a youth contributed as well, considering he spent two years of his life in the workhouse at the age of 12 and subsequently missed out on some of his education.[4]

Oliver Twist has been the subject of numerous adaptations, including the 1948 film of the same name, starring Alec Guinness as Fagin; a highly successful musical, Oliver! (itself adapted into the Oscar-winning 1968 film), and Disney's 1988 animated feature film Oliver & Company.[5]

  1. ^ "Oliver Twist | Introduction & Summary". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  2. ^ Donovan, Frank. The Children of Charles Dickens. London: Leslie Frewin, 1968, pp. 61–62.
  3. ^ Dunn, Richard J. Oliver Twist: Heart and Soul (Twayne's Masterwork Series No. 118). New York: Macmillan, p. 37.
  4. ^ Dickens, Charles. Oliver Twist. Kiddy Monster Publication. p. Summary.
  5. ^ "Oliver and Company". 1988. Archived from the original on 30 May 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2017.

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