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A review by katiedurow
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
2.0
It’s a classic… and i’m not sure why I quite need to waste my time with these anymore.
It all started well. Until Oliver Twist meets the character Fagin, who Dickens continues to remind us that he is of Jewish faith throughout the rest of the text. Throughout the text, all characters are named. Except Fagin, who is consistently referred to merely as “the Jew”.
Over and over and over again. And it’s clear that he’s doing this, not because he wants to introduce readers to a new culture. Rather it is because Dickens wants to portray that this character is inherently less human due to his idealist and religion.
I would have hoped that someone like Dickens, who seems to have some sort of empathy for the oppressed classes, would have left abhorrent antisemitism out of this text.
Also.. Sikes is such a horrible man. I cannot believe he would have just killed his dog like that!!!! AND THEN DICKENS KILLING THE DOG ANYWAYS ????? aghh!!! And Sikes was also the most stupid. Why would he go right back to the place where he committed the murder?
Overall, there definitely was a sense of whimsy in this book, particularly as I read it while traveling in London. but, i think this “classic” was a bit… outdated.
It all started well. Until Oliver Twist meets the character Fagin, who Dickens continues to remind us that he is of Jewish faith throughout the rest of the text. Throughout the text, all characters are named. Except Fagin, who is consistently referred to merely as “the Jew”.
Over and over and over again. And it’s clear that he’s doing this, not because he wants to introduce readers to a new culture. Rather it is because Dickens wants to portray that this character is inherently less human due to his idealist and religion.
I would have hoped that someone like Dickens, who seems to have some sort of empathy for the oppressed classes, would have left abhorrent antisemitism out of this text.
Also.. Sikes is such a horrible man. I cannot believe he would have just killed his dog like that!!!! AND THEN DICKENS KILLING THE DOG ANYWAYS ????? aghh!!! And Sikes was also the most stupid. Why would he go right back to the place where he committed the murder?
Overall, there definitely was a sense of whimsy in this book, particularly as I read it while traveling in London. but, i think this “classic” was a bit… outdated.