Oliver Twist

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (1838)

"Please, sir, I want some more." The orphan boy who dared to ask for a second helping of gruel — and was thrust into London's criminal underworld of Fagin, the Artful Dodger, and the murderous Bill Sikes. Dickens' furious attack on the workhouse system and child exploitation.

Historical Significance:
Oliver Twist was Dickens' second novel, serialized in Bentley's Miscellany from February 1837 to April 1839. Dickens was just 25 when he began it. The novel was a direct assault on the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, which created the brutal workhouse system. Dickens had experienced poverty firsthand as a child, working in a boot-blacking factory at age 12 while his father was in debtors' prison.

The character of Fagin was based partly on the real criminal Ikey Solomon. The novel's depiction of Fagin has been controversial for its anti-Semitic stereotyping, though Dickens later expressed regret and created more sympathetic Jewish characters. The 1968 musical film Oliver! won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

This public domain classic was originally published in 1838. Free to read and share.