Oliver Twist
by Charles Dickens
Summary
Orphaned in a workhouse and sold into apprenticeship, young Oliver Twist escapes to London only to fall in with a gang of child pickpockets led by the cunning Fagin and the brutal Bill Sikes. Dickens exposes the cruelty of the Poor Law and the criminal underworld it pushes children into, while keeping Oliver's essential innocence intact through every danger. The novel's mix of social outrage and melodrama set the template for Dickens's lifelong campaign against Victorian poverty.
Historical Context & Significance
Dickens published the novel in monthly installments beginning in 1837 and finishing in 1838, drawing public attention to the harsh workhouse system. Its vivid characters, especially Fagin and the Artful Dodger, remain instantly recognizable more than a century and a half later.