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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
dark
medium-paced
I don't consider myself an especially sensitive person, I grew up in a Gentile neighborhood so I've heard it all forever, and I knew ahead of time about Dicken's bigotry and who Fagin was, but I was surprised to be so put off. After a while, I felt like things would be going along OK and then I would be slapped in the face. So here are two stars, don't spend them all in one place.
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I think I've selected the wrong edition. I read the Norton Critical Edition and the included essays are very good.
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I think I've selected the wrong edition. I read the Norton Critical Edition and the included essays are very good.
ongoing dickens ranking:
1. bleak house
2. little dorrit
3. martin chuzzlewit
4. great expectations
5. david copperfield
6. nicholas nickleby
7. a tale of two cities
8. hard times
9. oliver twist
(the top seven are all wonderful. not such a great fan of hard times, but can see its merits. oliver's fun at times, but generally kind of sucks)
1. bleak house
2. little dorrit
3. martin chuzzlewit
4. great expectations
5. david copperfield
6. nicholas nickleby
7. a tale of two cities
8. hard times
9. oliver twist
(the top seven are all wonderful. not such a great fan of hard times, but can see its merits. oliver's fun at times, but generally kind of sucks)
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Not my favorite Dickens. Though there are some other great characters, Oliver is too dull.
Loved all the bad characters plus Nancy, but I got really pissed off with Oliver himself and his boring angel-like character.
Sorry, but I wanted Fagin to come out on top.
Sorry, but I wanted Fagin to come out on top.
nancy is one of the most interesting characters i ever came across
“… melancholy and yet sweet and soothing… ”
Oliver Twist is a classic; It is still spoken about 185 years after its initial publication! Dickens’ writing uses extravagant words expertly so they fit into the context perfectly but do not hinder or overload the writing. The words contrast the dialogue impeccably. For instance, Dickens uses ‘hither’ and ‘here’ in the same chapter. Additionally, his characters’ vernacular is very authentic to the times.
Deprived orphan Oliver Twist is dissatisfied with the disliberty and conditions that he and his equivalents are forced to live under. He decides to stand up for himself and asks for more food which takes people aback (how dare a child act up like that!). Oliver decides to run off and live a richer life with more freedom and joy.
Oliver encounters a group of men who rob houses and he assists them in search of wealth instead of calling them out. His new friends hide the good in Oliver.
At the novel's denouement, Oliver returns to his hometown to find his dearest childhood friend dead. He had the benefit of a more liberal lifestyle but missed the passing of his best friend. The group of burglars are prosecuted and one is hung. Oliver leads a new life living with the orphaned former parochial beadle (of Oliver’s childhood) Mr Brownlow with whom he finds many similarities to relate; both tried by calamities throughout their lives.
From a literary viewpoint, Oliver Twist is a masterpiece; as previously stated, its legacy has lasted 185 years without a foreseeable decline. Oliver Twist uses a lot of niche words but implements in a way that the sentences are still intelligible even if the reader does not know the meanings of the words. Unlike the rare words in Bryce Courtenay’s Power of One and Stephen King’s Fairy Tale, the words add a level of sophistication without degrading the literature to render it unintelligible. On another note, Dickens occasionally adds his view as a narrator to accentuate the story's points and aspects and add authenticity.
Furthermore, Oliver Twist contains a surprising amount of foreshadowing. The name “Oliver Twist” is a foreshadowing of Fagin being hung as “twist” is a colloquial term for murder by hanging. Death is also foreshadowed by the fact that Miss Maylie had multiple coffins being carried past her in the street and when she read a book to wile away the time she only saw the word “coffin” on each page. Also, the use of “shroud” foreshadows death.
Notwithstanding endless accolades, this book does have minor racism. For example, Fagin is frequently referred to as “the Jew” without stating a name and nobody should be defined by their race. Moreover, when Dodger is on trial, he implies that Englishmen deserve more privileges. “I’m an Englishman, an’t I? Where are my priwileges?”
Oliver Twist is a classic; It is still spoken about 185 years after its initial publication! Dickens’ writing uses extravagant words expertly so they fit into the context perfectly but do not hinder or overload the writing. The words contrast the dialogue impeccably. For instance, Dickens uses ‘hither’ and ‘here’ in the same chapter. Additionally, his characters’ vernacular is very authentic to the times.
Deprived orphan Oliver Twist is dissatisfied with the disliberty and conditions that he and his equivalents are forced to live under. He decides to stand up for himself and asks for more food which takes people aback (how dare a child act up like that!). Oliver decides to run off and live a richer life with more freedom and joy.
Oliver encounters a group of men who rob houses and he assists them in search of wealth instead of calling them out. His new friends hide the good in Oliver.
At the novel's denouement, Oliver returns to his hometown to find his dearest childhood friend dead. He had the benefit of a more liberal lifestyle but missed the passing of his best friend. The group of burglars are prosecuted and one is hung. Oliver leads a new life living with the orphaned former parochial beadle (of Oliver’s childhood) Mr Brownlow with whom he finds many similarities to relate; both tried by calamities throughout their lives.
From a literary viewpoint, Oliver Twist is a masterpiece; as previously stated, its legacy has lasted 185 years without a foreseeable decline. Oliver Twist uses a lot of niche words but implements in a way that the sentences are still intelligible even if the reader does not know the meanings of the words. Unlike the rare words in Bryce Courtenay’s Power of One and Stephen King’s Fairy Tale, the words add a level of sophistication without degrading the literature to render it unintelligible. On another note, Dickens occasionally adds his view as a narrator to accentuate the story's points and aspects and add authenticity.
Furthermore, Oliver Twist contains a surprising amount of foreshadowing. The name “Oliver Twist” is a foreshadowing of Fagin being hung as “twist” is a colloquial term for murder by hanging. Death is also foreshadowed by the fact that Miss Maylie had multiple coffins being carried past her in the street and when she read a book to wile away the time she only saw the word “coffin” on each page. Also, the use of “shroud” foreshadows death.
Notwithstanding endless accolades, this book does have minor racism. For example, Fagin is frequently referred to as “the Jew” without stating a name and nobody should be defined by their race. Moreover, when Dodger is on trial, he implies that Englishmen deserve more privileges. “I’m an Englishman, an’t I? Where are my priwileges?”