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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I had a brief trouble about the rating. Compared to all other novels, it is easily a 5-star. Among the other productions in Dickens' crowded bibliography, it seems a 4-star. I had to go 5 for the simple fact that the author's own work should not be his own hindrance. I was again reminded of Dickens' strengths which are as sure as the dawn. Oliver Twist is no exception, and as a humble tribute to the one who might just be the greatest writer who ever walked the earth I want to call attention to some of those things Dickens does perfectly, things which go unnoticed or at the least appreciated too little.
As I have said in other reviews, Dickens is simply the master at creating the cast. Other authors have a tendency whether intentional or not to assign all or most of the weight to their central protagonist. It's easy enough to do so, after all he or she is the hero, the very subject of the novel, right? Dickens takes his time to develop his supporting cast like I've seen no other do. He nurtures them as if they were his own children. For long stretches in this particular work, the protagonist, Oliver, seems almost neglected. Dickens confidently writes exclusively on peripheral characters because he correctly identifies that the well rounded cast produces a bounty of fruit. He knows straying from the novel's core is not idle work when done with the proper purpose and skill. When this is done faithfully, the novel's course takes upon itself an orchestral feel where all parts of the whole bloom in full maturity. The way he focuses in on the remorseful Nancy or the light he sheds on the inner workings of the shameless bandits hiding in London's shadows ...this creates some of the best reading available. Among the most touching of passages is the chapter exploring the meditations and lonesome experience of a criminal during the few nights preceding his execution.
A surprising development I have come to appreciate much is the balance between pessimism and optimism in Oliver Twist. It was fairly easy to perceive that Dickens would have his differences with the world of his day, like those he held against utilitarianism in Hard Times, and the specific target here were the Poor Laws of 1834. Sure, they meant well but when those who administered such policies did not possess the care and nobility which perhaps motivated the laws' coming into being there arose the most dubious of results. Dickens' misgivings with governmental machinery were however countered by the goodness of heart seen in those who were connected to Oliver by relations both close and distant. The shortcomings of the system found a worthy and determined opponent in those who dove headlong into the task of overturning the great fraud which pressed Oliver into a life of hardship and misfortune. While the presence of the world's plainly evident evils are not denied, the cause for hope is conjured against it.
The solidity of the novel is just a final indication of the balanced development executed by Dickens. There is the tragedy of the unfortunates but also their hope. There is the lurking evil but also the genuine care of benefactors. The reader is spared the nauseating onslaught of the forced fantastic land of unicorns, but he isn't shoved a greasy plate of nothing but gloom and doom. It is all of the world in one presented by one who unquestionably had an eye for the world and all that is in it.
As I have said in other reviews, Dickens is simply the master at creating the cast. Other authors have a tendency whether intentional or not to assign all or most of the weight to their central protagonist. It's easy enough to do so, after all he or she is the hero, the very subject of the novel, right? Dickens takes his time to develop his supporting cast like I've seen no other do. He nurtures them as if they were his own children. For long stretches in this particular work, the protagonist, Oliver, seems almost neglected. Dickens confidently writes exclusively on peripheral characters because he correctly identifies that the well rounded cast produces a bounty of fruit. He knows straying from the novel's core is not idle work when done with the proper purpose and skill. When this is done faithfully, the novel's course takes upon itself an orchestral feel where all parts of the whole bloom in full maturity. The way he focuses in on the remorseful Nancy or the light he sheds on the inner workings of the shameless bandits hiding in London's shadows ...this creates some of the best reading available. Among the most touching of passages is the chapter exploring the meditations and lonesome experience of a criminal during the few nights preceding his execution.
A surprising development I have come to appreciate much is the balance between pessimism and optimism in Oliver Twist. It was fairly easy to perceive that Dickens would have his differences with the world of his day, like those he held against utilitarianism in Hard Times, and the specific target here were the Poor Laws of 1834. Sure, they meant well but when those who administered such policies did not possess the care and nobility which perhaps motivated the laws' coming into being there arose the most dubious of results. Dickens' misgivings with governmental machinery were however countered by the goodness of heart seen in those who were connected to Oliver by relations both close and distant. The shortcomings of the system found a worthy and determined opponent in those who dove headlong into the task of overturning the great fraud which pressed Oliver into a life of hardship and misfortune. While the presence of the world's plainly evident evils are not denied, the cause for hope is conjured against it.
The solidity of the novel is just a final indication of the balanced development executed by Dickens. There is the tragedy of the unfortunates but also their hope. There is the lurking evil but also the genuine care of benefactors. The reader is spared the nauseating onslaught of the forced fantastic land of unicorns, but he isn't shoved a greasy plate of nothing but gloom and doom. It is all of the world in one presented by one who unquestionably had an eye for the world and all that is in it.
slow-paced
This one isn't quite like the film version I know and love. Oliver isn't a cherub faced child with a golden halo of locks for hair. Fagin isn't the crusty yet warm-hearted old fellow who teaches the boys how to steal with a jolly old tune and Sykes definitely isn't a brooding shadow of a character that occasionally growls to provoke a slight gasp from our protagonists. Oliver Twist is a surprisingly dankly atmosphered book, with so much grime and bleakness to make you believe the soggy aired streets of 18th century London are right outside your door. There is so much in here to unsettle you, like Oliver assisting an undertaker and seeing a dead body strewn across a floor, and like the vicious row between Fagin and Sykes, where the softened characters from the musical pale drastically in comparison to these nasty, villainous creations. Dickens used to read extracts of his novels publicly and many audience members would faint due to his reading one particular scene in this book. It is that powerful.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I read this, a chapter a day, and I’m glad I set myself this challenge.
You can tell it was originally written in monthly instalments as some chapters digress and seem to be Dickens filling in a gap rather than being gripped by his own narrative.
The book is quite different from the more familiar adaptations. Some of the descriptions are, naturally, dated and either too sentimental or bluntly racist/classist but overall the writing is brilliant. There are descriptions that are so gorgeous, funny or totally unflinching and brutal that they appear as fresh and modern as if written today.
I’m glad I read this classic and will pick up another later this year.
You can tell it was originally written in monthly instalments as some chapters digress and seem to be Dickens filling in a gap rather than being gripped by his own narrative.
The book is quite different from the more familiar adaptations. Some of the descriptions are, naturally, dated and either too sentimental or bluntly racist/classist but overall the writing is brilliant. There are descriptions that are so gorgeous, funny or totally unflinching and brutal that they appear as fresh and modern as if written today.
I’m glad I read this classic and will pick up another later this year.
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No