''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'',
Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a
serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a
workhouse, the orphan
Oliver Twist
''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...
is bound into apprenticeship with an
undertaker. After escaping, Oliver travels to London, where he meets the "
Artful Dodger", a member of a gang of juvenile pickpockets led by the elderly criminal
Fagin.
''Oliver Twist'' unromantically portrays the sordid lives of criminals, and exposes the cruel treatment of the many orphans in London in the mid-19th century. The alternative title, ''The Parish Boy's Progress'', alludes to
Bunyan's ''
The Pilgrim's Progress'', as well as the 18th-century caricature series by painter
William Hogarth, ''
A Rake's Progress'' and ''
A Harlot's Progress''.
In an early example of the
social novel
The social novel, also known as the social problem (or social protest) novel, is a "work of fiction in which a prevailing social problem, such as gender, race, or class prejudice, is dramatized through its effect on the characters of a novel". More ...
, Dickens satirises
child labour
Child labour refers to the exploitation of children through any form of work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and is mentally, physically, socially and morally harmful. Such e ...
,
domestic violence
Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...
, the recruitment of children as criminals, and the presence of
street children
Street children are poor or homeless children who live on the streets of a city, town, or village. Homeless youth are often called street kids or street child; the definition of street children is contested, but many practitioners and policym ...
. The novel may have been inspired by the story of
Robert Blincoe, an orphan whose account of working as a child labourer in a cotton mill was widely read in the 1830s. It is likely that Dickens' own experiences as a youth contributed as well, considering he spent two years of his life in the workhouse at the age of 12 and subsequently, missed out on some of his education.
''Oliver Twist'' has been the subject of numerous adaptations, including a highly successful musical, ''
Oliver!
''Oliver!'' is a coming-of-age stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel '' Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens.
It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre, southwest London in 1960 before op ...
'', the multiple
Academy Award-winning
1968 motion picture, Disney's animated film ''
Oliver & Company
''Oliver & Company'' is a 1988 American animated musical adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released on November 18, 1988, by Walt Disney Pictures. The 27th Disney animated feature film, it is loosely based on the Charl ...
'' in 1988 and the
1948 film, starring
Alec Guinness
Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. After an early career on the stage, Guinness was featured in several of the Ealing comedies, including ''Kind Hearts and Coronets'' (194 ...
as Fagin.
Publications
The novel was first published in monthly instalments, from February 1837 to April 1839, in the magazine ''
Bentley's Miscellany''. It was originally intended to form part of Dickens's serial, ''
The Mudfog Papers
''The Mudfog Papers'' are an anthology of stories written by Charles Dickens and published from 1837 to 1838 in the monthly literary journal ''Bentley's Miscellany'', which he was then editing.
Topics
''The Mudfog Papers'' relates the proceedings ...
''.
[''Bentley's Miscellany'', 1837.] George Cruikshank provided one steel etching per month to illustrate each instalment. The novel first appeared in book form six months before the initial serialisation was completed, in three volumes published by Richard Bentley, the owner of ''Bentley's Miscellany'', under the author's pseudonym, "Boz". It included 24 steel-engraved plates by Cruikshank.
The first edition was titled: ''Oliver Twist, or, The Parish Boy's Progress''.
![Twist serialcover](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Twist_serialcover.jpg)
Serial publication dates:
* I – February 1837 (chapters 1–2)
* II – March 1837 (chapters 3–4)
* III – April 1837 (chapters 5–6)
* IV – May 1837 (chapters 7–8)
* V – July 1837 (chapters 9–11)
* VI – August 1837 (chapters 12–13)
* VII – September 1837 (chapters 14–15)
* VIII – November 1837 (chapters 16–17)
* IX – December 1837 (chapters 18–19)
* X – January 1838 (chapters 20–22)
* XI – February 1838 (chapters 23–25)
* XII – March 1838 (chapters 26–27)
* XIII – April 1838 (chapters 28–30)
* XIV – May 1838 (chapters 31–32)
* XV – June 1838 (chapters 33–34)
* XVI – July 1838 (chapters 35–37)
* XVII – August 1838 (chapters 38–part of 39)
* XVIII – October 1838 (conclusion of chapter 39–41)
* XIX – November 1838 (chapters 42–43)
* XX – December 1838 (chapters 44–46)
* XXI – January 1839 (chapters 47–49)
* XXII – February 1839 (chapter 50)
* XXIII – March 1839 (chapter 51)
* XXIV – April 1839 (chapters 52–53)
Plot summary
Oliver Twist
''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...
is born into a life of poverty and misfortune, raised in a
workhouse in the fictional town of
Mudfog
''The Mudfog Papers'' are an anthology of stories written by Charles Dickens and published from 1837 to 1838 in the monthly literary journal ''Bentley's Miscellany'', which he was then editing.
Topics
''The Mudfog Papers'' relates the proceedings ...
. Around the time of Oliver's ninth birthday,
Mr Bumble
Mr. Bumble is a fictional character and minor antagonist in the 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens.
Character
When the story was first serialised in ''Bentley's Miscellany'' in 1837 Mr. Bumble is the cruel and self-important bead ...
, the parish
beadle, removes Oliver from the
baby farm and puts him to work picking and weaving
oakum at the main workhouse. One day, the desperately hungry boys decide to draw lots; the loser must ask for another portion of
gruel. This task falls to Oliver, who at the next meal comes forward trembling, bowl in hand, and begs the master for gruel with his famous request: "Please, sir, I want some more".
A great uproar ensues. The board of gentlemen who administer the workhouse offer £5 to any person wishing to take on Oliver as an apprentice.
Mr Sowerberry
Mr Sowerberry is a fictional character who appears as a supporting antagonist in Charles Dickens' 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist''. He is an undertaker and coffin maker who owns and operates a small dark shop in a small town some from London. This s ...
, an undertaker employed by the parish, takes Oliver into his service. He treats Oliver better and, because of Oliver's sorrowful countenance, uses him as a
mute
Muteness is a speech disorder in which a person lacks the ability to speak.
Mute or the Mute may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Mute'' (2005 film), a short film by Melissa Joan Hart
* ''Mute'' (2018 film), a scien ...
at children's funerals. Oliver suffers torment at the hands of Noah Claypole, a fellow apprentice and "charity boy" who is jealous of Oliver's promotion, and Charlotte, the Sowerberrys' maidservant, who is in love with Noah. Oliver escapes from the Sowerberrys' house and later decides to run away to London to seek a better life.
![Dodger introduces Oliver to Fagin by Cruikshank (detail)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Dodger_introduces_Oliver_to_Fagin_by_Cruikshank_%28detail%29.jpg)
Oliver encounters Jack Dawkins, a
pickpocket known as the "
Artful Dodger", and his sidekick,
Charley Bates. The Dodger provides Oliver with a free meal and tells him of a gentleman in London who will "give him lodgings for nothing, and never ask for change". In this way, Oliver falls in with an infamous criminal known as
Fagin, who trains the boys as pickpockets.
The Dodger and Charley steal the handkerchief of an old gentleman named Mr Brownlow and promptly flee. Mr. Brownlow sees Oliver running away in fright, and pursues him, thinking he was the thief. Mr Brownlow has second thoughts about the boy. He takes Oliver home and cares for him. As Oliver recovers, Brownlow and his housekeeper notice that Oliver resembles a woman depicted in a portrait hanging in Brownlow's home.
Fagin, fearing Oliver might tell the police about his criminal gang, sends a young woman named
Nancy, and her abusive lover, the robber
Bill Sikes
William "Bill" Sikes is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the 1838 novel '' Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens. Sikes is a malicious criminal in Fagin's gang, and a vicious robber and murderer. Throughout much of the novel Sikes i ...
, to bring Oliver back to Fagin's lair. Fagin forces him to participate in a burglary. The robbery goes wrong, and the people in the house shoot Oliver in his left arm. After being abandoned by Sikes, the wounded Oliver makes it back to the house and ends up under the care of the people he was supposed to rob: Miss Rose and her guardian Mrs. Maylie, both of whom treat Oliver well, moved by the tragic stories he tells them.
![Fagin by Kyd 1889](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Fagin_by_Kyd_1889.jpg)
Fagin plots with a mysterious man called "Monks" to find and destroy evidence of Oliver's true parentage. Now ashamed of her role in Oliver's kidnapping and worried for his safety, Nancy tells Rose Maylie, who tells Mr Brownlow. Fagin realizes that Nancy is up to something and sends Noah Claypole, who has joined Fagin's gang, to find out more. Noah discovers Nancy's meeting with Rose Maylie and Mr Brownlow. Fagin passes the information on to Sikes, who beats Nancy to death in a fit of rage. The police and a mob pursue Sikes onto a roof and he dies in a failed attempt to escape.
![Cruikshank - Fagin in the condemned Cell (Oliver Twist)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Cruikshank_-_Fagin_in_the_condemned_Cell_%28Oliver_Twist%29.png)
It is revealed that Monks and Oliver are half-brothers and Monks has been attempting to have Oliver killed so that Monks may inherit their father's fortune. Brownlow asks Oliver to give half his inheritance to Monks to give him a second chance; Oliver is more than happy to comply. Monks moves to "the new world", where he squanders his money, reverts to crime, and dies in prison. Fagin is arrested, tried and condemned to the gallows. On the eve of Fagin's hanging, Oliver, accompanied by Mr Brownlow in an emotional scene, visits Fagin in
Newgate Prison
Newgate Prison was a prison at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey Street just inside the City of London, England, originally at the site of Newgate, a gate in the Roman London Wall. Built in the 12th century and demolished in 1904, t ...
, in hope of retrieving papers from Monks. Fagin is lost in a world of his own fear of impending death.
Oliver lives with Mr Brownlow, who adopts him. The Bumbles lose their positions and are reduced to poverty, ending up in the workhouse themselves. All the members of Fagin's gang suffer unhappy endings, except for Charley Bates, who turns against Fagin and becomes an honest citizen, moves to the country, and eventually becomes prosperous.
Characters
*
Oliver Twist
''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...
– an orphan child whose mother died at his birth; father is dead when Oliver's paternity is revealed.
*
Mr Bumble
Mr. Bumble is a fictional character and minor antagonist in the 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens.
Character
When the story was first serialised in ''Bentley's Miscellany'' in 1837 Mr. Bumble is the cruel and self-important bead ...
– a
beadle in the parish workhouse where Oliver was born
* Mrs Mann – superintendent where the infant Oliver is placed until age 9 who is not capable of caring for the "culprits" as she is self-centered and greedy.
*
Mr Sowerberry
Mr Sowerberry is a fictional character who appears as a supporting antagonist in Charles Dickens' 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist''. He is an undertaker and coffin maker who owns and operates a small dark shop in a small town some from London. This s ...
– an
undertaker who took Oliver as apprentice
* Mrs Sowerberry – Mr Sowerberry's wife
* Noah Claypole – a cowardly bully, Sowerberry's apprentice
* Charlotte – the Sowerberrys' maid, lover of Noah
* Mr Gamfield – a
chimney sweep in the town where Oliver was born
*
Mr Brownlow
Mr Brownlow is a character from the 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens. Brownlow is a bookish and kindly middle-aged bachelor who helps Oliver escape the clutches of Fagin. He later adopts Oliver Twist by the end of the novel.
The ...
– a kindly gentleman who takes Oliver in, his first benefactor
* Mr Grimwig – a friend of Mr Brownlow
* Mrs Bedwin – Mr Brownlow's housekeeper
*
Rose Maylie
Rose Fleming Maylie is a fictional character in Charles Dickens' 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist'' who is eventually discovered to be the title character's maternal aunt. Though she plays a significant role in the novel, she is often omitted from dramat ...
– Oliver's second benefactor, later found to be his aunt
* Mrs Lindsay Maylie – Harry Maylie's mother. Rose Maylie's adoptive aunt
* Harry Maylie – Mrs Maylie's son
* Mr Losberne – Mrs Maylie's family doctor
* Mr Giles – Mrs Maylie's
butler
A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some a ...
* Mr Brittles – Mrs Maylie's
handyman
* Duff and Blathers – two incompetent policemen
*
Fagin – fence and boss of a criminal gang of young boys and girls
*
Bill Sikes
William "Bill" Sikes is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the 1838 novel '' Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens. Sikes is a malicious criminal in Fagin's gang, and a vicious robber and murderer. Throughout much of the novel Sikes i ...
– a professional
burglar
* Bull's Eye – Bill Sikes' vicious dog
* The
Artful Dodger – Fagin's most adept ''pickpocket''
*
Charley Bates – a pickpocket in Fagin's gang
* Toby Crackit – an associate of Fagin and Sikes, a house-breaker
*
Nancy – one of Fagin's gang, now living with Bill Sikes
* Bet – a girl in Fagin's gang, sometime friend to Nancy
* Barney – a criminal cohort of Fagin
* Agnes Fleming – Oliver's mother
* Mr Leeford – father of Oliver and Monks
* Old Sally – a nurse who attended Oliver's birth
* Mrs Corney – matron for the women's workhouse
*
Monks – a sickly criminal, an associate of Fagin's, and long-lost half-brother of Oliver
* Monks' mother – an heiress who did not love her husband
* Mr Fang – a magistrate
* Tom Chitling – one of Fagin's gang members, returned from abroad at the time of the murder
Major themes and symbols
In ''Oliver Twist'', Dickens mixes grim realism with merciless satire to describe the effects of industrialism on 19th-century England and to criticise the harsh new
Poor Laws
In English and British history, poor relief refers to government and ecclesiastical action to relieve poverty. Over the centuries, various authorities have needed to decide whose poverty deserves relief and also who should bear the cost of hel ...
. Oliver, an innocent child, is trapped in a world where his only options seem to be the workhouse, a life of crime symbolised by Fagin's gang, a prison, or an early grave. From this unpromising industrial/institutional setting, however, a
fairy tale
A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic (paranormal), magic, incantation, enchantments, and mythical ...
also emerges. In the midst of corruption and degradation, the essentially passive Oliver remains pure-hearted; he steers away from evil when those around him give in to it, and in proper fairy-tale fashion, he eventually receives his reward – leaving for a peaceful life in the country, surrounded by kind friends. On the way to this
happy ending, Dickens explores the kind of life an outcast, orphan boy could expect to lead in 1830s London.
Poverty and social class
Poverty is a prominent concern in ''Oliver Twist''. Throughout the novel, Dickens enlarged on this theme, describing slums so decrepit that whole rows of houses are on the point of ruin. In an early chapter, Oliver attends a pauper's funeral with Mr Sowerberry and sees a whole family crowded together in one miserable room. This prevalent misery makes Oliver's encounters with charity and love more poignant. Oliver owes his life several times over to kindness both large and small.
Symbolism
Dickens makes considerable use of symbolism. The "merry old gentleman" Fagin, for example, has satanic characteristics: he is a veteran corrupter of young boys who presides over his own corner of the criminal world; he makes his first appearance standing over a fire holding a
toasting fork, and he refuses to pray on the night before his execution.
Characters
In the tradition of
Restoration Comedy and
Henry Fielding, Dickens fits his characters with appropriate names. Oliver himself, though "badged and ticketed" as a lowly orphan and named according to an alphabetical system, is, in fact, "all of a twist." However, Oliver and his name may have been based on a young workhouse boy named Peter Tolliver whom Dickens knew while growing up.
Bill Sikes's dog, Bull's-eye, has "faults of temper in common with his owner" and is an emblem of his owner's character. The dog's viciousness represents Sikes's animal-like brutality while Sikes's self-destructiveness is evident in the dog's many scars. The dog, with its willingness to harm anyone on Sikes's whim, shows the mindless brutality of the master. This is also illustrated when Sikes dies and the dog immediately dies as well.
Nancy, by contrast, redeems herself at the cost of her own life and dies in a prayerful pose. She is one of the few characters in ''Oliver Twist'' to display much ambivalence. Her storyline in the novel strongly reflects themes of
domestic violence
Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...
and
psychological abuse
Psychological abuse, often called emotional abuse, is a form of abuse characterized by a person subjecting or exposing another person to a behavior that may result in psychological trauma, including anxiety, chronic depression, or post-traumatic ...
at the hands of Bill. Although Nancy is a full-fledged criminal, indoctrinated and trained by Fagin since childhood, she retains enough empathy to repent her role in Oliver's kidnapping, and to take steps to try to atone. As one of Fagin's victims, corrupted but not yet morally dead, she gives eloquent voice to the horrors of the old man's little criminal empire. She wants to save Oliver from a similar fate; at the same time, she recoils from the idea of turning traitor, especially to Bill Sikes, whom she loves. When Dickens was later criticised for giving to a "thieving, whoring slut of the streets" such an unaccountable reversal of character, he ascribed her change of heart to "the last fair drop of water at the bottom of a dried-up, weed-choked well".
Allegations of antisemitism
Dickens has been accused of portraying
antisemitic
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
stereotypes because of his portrayal of the Jewish character Fagin in ''Oliver Twist''.
Paul Vallely writes that Fagin is widely seen as one of the most grotesque Jews in English literature, and one of the most vivid of Dickens's 989 characters.
Nadia Valman, in ''Antisemitism: A Historical Encyclopedia of Prejudice and Persecution'', argues that Fagin's representation was drawn from the image of the Jew as inherently evil, that the imagery associated him with the Devil, and with beasts.
The novel refers to Fagin 274 times in the first 38 chapters as "the Jew", while the ethnicity or religion of the other characters is rarely mentioned.
[ In 1854, '' The Jewish Chronicle'' asked why "Jews alone should be excluded from the 'sympathizing heart' of this great author and powerful friend of the oppressed." Dickens (who had extensive knowledge of London street life and child exploitation) explained that he had made Fagin Jewish because "it unfortunately was true, of the time to which the story refers, that that class of criminal almost invariably was a Jew."] It is widely believed that Fagin was based on a specific Jewish criminal of the era, Ikey Solomon
Isaac "Ikey" Solomon (1787? – 1850) was a British criminal who acted as a receiver of stolen property. His well-publicised crimes, escape from arrest, recapture and trial led to his transportation to the Australian penal colony of Van Diemen's ...
. Dickens commented that by calling Fagin a Jew he had meant no imputation against the Jewish people, saying in a letter, "I have no feeling towards the Jews but a friendly one. I always speak well of them, whether in public or private, and bear my testimony (as I ought to do) to their perfect good faith in such transactions as I have ever had with them." Eliza Davis, whose husband had purchased Dickens's home in 1860 when he had put it up for sale, wrote to Dickens in protest at his portrayal of Fagin, arguing that he had "encouraged a vile prejudice against the despised Hebrew", and that he had done a great wrong to the Jewish people. While Dickens first reacted defensively upon receiving Davis's letter, he then halted the printing of ''Oliver Twist'', and changed the text for the parts of the book that had not been set, which explains why after the first 38 chapters Fagin is barely called "the Jew" at all in the next 179 references to him. Later, we see a shift in his perspective as he redeems the image of Jews in ''Our Mutual Friend
''Our Mutual Friend'', written in 1864–1865, is the last novel completed by Charles Dickens and is one of his most sophisticated works, combining savage satire with social analysis. It centres on, in the words of critic J. Hillis Miller, quo ...
''[
]
Film, television and theatrical adaptations
Film
*''Oliver Twist
''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...
'' (1909), the first adaptation of Dickens's novel, a silent film starring Edith Storey
Edith Storey (March 18, 1892 – October 9, 1967) was an American actress during the silent film era.
Early life
Storey was born on March 18, 1892, in New York City to William Chase Storey and Minnie Storey (née Thorn). Her younger brother, R ...
and Elita Proctor Otis.
*''Oliver Twist
''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...
'' (1912), a British silent film adaptation, directed by Thomas Bentley
Thomas Bentley (23 February 1884 – 23 December 1966) was a British film director. He directed 68 films between 1912 and 1941. He directed three films in the early DeForest Phonofilm sound-on-film process, ''The Man in the Street'' (1926), '' ...
.
*''Oliver Twist
''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...
'' (1912), an American silent film adaptation starring Nat C. Goodwin
Nathaniel Carl "Nat" Goodwin (July 25, 1857 – January 31, 1919) was an American actor and vaudevillian born in Boston.
Life and career
While clerk in a large shop Goodwin studied for the stage and made his first appearance in 1874 at the Howa ...
.
*''Oliver Twist
''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...
'' (1916), a silent film adaptation, starring Marie Doro
Marie Doro (born Marie Katherine Stewart; May 25, 1882 – October 9, 1956) was an American stage and film actress of the early silent film era.
She was first noticed as a chorus-girl by impresario Charles Frohman, who took her to Broadway, whe ...
and Tully Marshall.
*''Oliver Twist
''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...
'' (1919), a silent Hungarian film adaptation.
*''Oliver Twist
''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...
'' (1922), silent film adaptation featuring Lon Chaney and Jackie Coogan
John Leslie Coogan (October 26, 1914 – March 1, 1984) was an American actor and comedian who began his film career as a child actor in silent films.
Charlie Chaplin's film classic ''The Kid'' (1921) made him one of the first child stars in the ...
.
*''Oliver Twist
''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...
'' (1933), the first sound production of Dickens's novel.
*''Oliver Twist
''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...
'' (1948), David Lean
Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Widely considered one of the most important figures in British cinema, Lean directed the large-scale epics ''The Bridge on the River ...
film adaptation starring Alec Guinness
Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. After an early career on the stage, Guinness was featured in several of the Ealing comedies, including ''Kind Hearts and Coronets'' (194 ...
as Fagin.
*'' Manik'' (1961), Bengali film directed by Bijalibaran Sen which was based on this novel. The film stars Pahari Sanyal, Chhabi Biswas
Chhabi Biswas (''Chabi Biśbās'') (13 July 1900 – 11 June 1962) was an Indian actor, primarily known for his performances in Tapan Sinha's '' Kabuliwala'' and Satyajit Ray's films '' Jalshaghar'' (''The Music Room'', 1958), '' Devi'' ( ...
, Sombhu Mitra
Sombhu Mitra (22 August 1915 – 19 May 1997) was an Indian film and stage actor, director, playwright, reciter and an Indian theatre personality, known especially for his involvement in Bengali theatre, where he is considered a pioneer. H ...
and Tripti Mitra.
*''Oliver!
''Oliver!'' is a coming-of-age stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel '' Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens.
It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre, southwest London in 1960 before op ...
'' (1968), British musical adaptation, winner in the Best Picture category at the 41st Academy Awards
The 41st Academy Awards were presented on April 14, 1969, the first to be staged at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. For the first time since the 11th Academy Awards, there was no host.
''Oliver!'' is the only Best Picture winner ...
.
*''Oliver Twist
''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...
'' (1974), an animated film co-written by Ben Starr
Benjamin Starr (October 18, 1921 – January 19, 2014) was an American television producer, creator, writer and playwright.
Biography
Born in Manhattan, New York, to Jewish Russian immigrants, Starr grew up in Brooklyn and worked in his pare ...
.
*''Oliver Twist
''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...
'' (1982), an Australian animated film.
*''Oliver & Company
''Oliver & Company'' is a 1988 American animated musical adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released on November 18, 1988, by Walt Disney Pictures. The 27th Disney animated feature film, it is loosely based on the Charl ...
'' (1988), Disney full-length animated feature inspired by the story of Oliver Twist. The story takes place in modern-day New York City, with Oliver (voiced by Joey Lawrence
Joseph Lawrence Mignogna Jr. (born April 20, 1976) is an American actor, musician, singer-songwriter, record producer, and game show host. He got his start as a child star in the early 1980s and is best known for his role as Joey Russo in '' Bl ...
) portrayed as an orphaned kitten, the Dodger as a street-wise mongrel with a mix of terrier (voiced by Billy Joel
William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man (song), Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo ...
), and Fagin (voiced by Dom DeLuise) as a homeless bum who lives on the docks with his pack of stray dogs that he trains to steal so he can survive and repay his debt to loan shark Sykes (voiced by Robert Loggia).
*''Twisted Twisted may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Twisted'' (1986 film), a horror film by Adam Holender starring Christian Slater
* ''Twisted'' (1996 film), a modern retelling of ''Oliver Twist''
* ''Twisted'', a 2011 Singapore Chinese film directed ...
'' (1996), an independent film based on Charles Dickens's novel ''Oliver Twist'' set in the gay underground sub-culture of New York City in the 1990s and starring Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
, Tony Award, Grammy Award winner Billy Porter and Academy Award nominee William Hickey (actor) directed by Seth Michael Donsky
Seth Michael Donsky is an American filmmaker, producer/screenwriter and former journalist.
Biography
As of 2023 Mr. Donsky's feature screenplay ''Stardusk'', about the life of transgender Andy Warhol Superstar Candy Darling is in pre-productio ...
.
*''Oliver Twist
''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...
'' (1997), directed by Tony Bill
Gerard Anthony Bill (born August 23, 1940) is an American actor, producer, and director. He produced the 1973 movie ''The Sting'', for which he shared the Academy Award for Best Picture with Michael Phillips and Julia Phillips. As an actor, Bi ...
and starring Richard Dreyfuss
Richard Stephen Dreyfuss (; born Dreyfus; October 29, 1947) is an American actor. He is known for starring in popular films during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, including ''American Graffiti'' (1973), ''Jaws'' (1975), ''Close Encounters of the T ...
and Elijah Wood.
*''Twist
Twist may refer to:
In arts and entertainment Film, television, and stage
* ''Twist'' (2003 film), a 2003 independent film loosely based on Charles Dickens's novel ''Oliver Twist''
* ''Twist'' (2021 film), a 2021 modern rendition of ''Olive ...
'' (2003), an independent film loosely based on Charles Dickens's novel ''Oliver Twist''
*'' Boy Called Twist'' (2004), a South African film which resets the story in modern-day Cape Town and turns Fagin into an Ethiopian Rastafari
Rastafari, sometimes called Rastafarianism, is a religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. There is no central authority in control of ...
an.
*''Oliver Twist
''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...
'' (2005), directed by Roman Polanski and starring Barney Clark and Ben Kingsley.
*''Twist
Twist may refer to:
In arts and entertainment Film, television, and stage
* ''Twist'' (2003 film), a 2003 independent film loosely based on Charles Dickens's novel ''Oliver Twist''
* ''Twist'' (2021 film), a 2021 modern rendition of ''Olive ...
'' (2021), modern day version directed by Martion Owen, and starring Michael Caine as Fagin.
Television
* ''Oliver Twist
''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...
'', a 13 episode 1962 BBC serial directed by Eric Tayler, starring Max Adrian as Fagin and Peter Vaughan as Bill Sikes.
*''Oliver Twist
''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...
'', a 1982 TV movie directed by Clive Donner
Clive Stanley Donner (21 January 1926 – 6 September 2010)Ronald Bergan]Obituary: Clive Donner ''The Guardian'', 7 September 2010 was a British film Film director, director who was part of the British New Wave, directing films such as ''Th ...
, starring George C. Scott as Fagin and Tim Curry as Bill Sikes.
* ''Oliver Twist
''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...
'', a 12 episode 1985 BBC One drama directed by Gareth Davies, starring Eric Porter and Michael Attwell.
* ''Oliver Twist'', 1999 ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
drama adaptation starring Andy Serkis and Keira Knightley.
* ''Oliver Twist
''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...
'', a five episode 2007 BBC One drama directed by Coky Giedroyc, starring Timothy Spall and Tom Hardy.
* ''Saban's Adventures of Oliver Twist
''Saban's Adventures of Oliver Twist'' ((french: Les Nouvelles Aventures d'Oliver Twist, lit. "The New Adventures of Oliver Twist", also known as ''Oliver Twist'') is an animated series created by Saban Entertainment. The series first aired in th ...
'', a 52 episode animated American-French co-production that aired between 1996 and 1997, where the story is downplayed for younger viewers, where Oliver loses his mother in a crowd rather than being dead and the characters are represented by anthropomorphic animals. Oliver in this version is a young dog.
* '' Escape of the Artful Dodger'', an Australian TV series set as a sequel, where Dodger and Oliver are sent to the colony of Australia.
* The 2020 revival to '' Animaniacs'' featured a two-part parody of the story titled "Wakkiver Twist" in season 2, featuring Yakko, Wakko, and Dot Warner playing the roles of a trio version of Oliver while Fagin is played by the Warners' usual foil, Dr. Otto von Scratchansniff.
Theatre
*In 1838 Charles Zachary Barnett
Charles Zachary Barnett (c1813 – 1849) was an English librettist and playwright of Jewish descent notable for writing the libretti for two operas by his brother the composer John Barnett as well as for his early theatrical adaptations of th ...
's adaptation, the three-act burletta ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'' opened at the Marylebone Theatre in London.
* ''Oliver!
''Oliver!'' is a coming-of-age stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel '' Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens.
It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre, southwest London in 1960 before op ...
'', a 1960 West End theatre stage musical adaptation by Lionel Bart. The original cast featured Ron Moody as Fagin (he would reprise the role for the film adaptation), and boys who alternated in the juvenile lead of the Artful Dodger included Phil Collins
Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis and also has a career as a solo performer. Between 1982 and ...
and Davy Jones. Many songs are well known to the public, such as "Food, Glorious Food
"Food, Glorious Food", written by Lionel Bart, is the opening song from the 1960s West End theatre, West End and Broadway theatre, Broadway musical (and 1968 film) ''Oliver!''
Musical theme
The song is sung from the point of view of the children ...
", " Consider Yourself" and " I'd Do Anything".
*''Oliver Twist'' is a 2017 stage adaptation of the novel written by Anya Reiss
Anya Reiss (born in 1991) is a British playwright and screenwriter.
Career
The youngest writer to have a play staged in London, a graduate of the Royal Court's Young Writers Programme, she had her first play '' Spur of the Moment'' staged there ...
which premiered at the Regent's Park Theatre. The show was directed by Caroline Byrne.
See also
*
*
* Charles Dickens bibliography
The bibliography of Charles Dickens (1812–1870) includes more than a dozen major novels, many short stories (including Christmas-themed stories and ghost stories), several plays, several non-fiction books, and individual essays and articles. Di ...
* Child labor
References
External links
; Online versions
Oliver Twist to read online at Bookwise
*
Manuscript material and articles relating to ''Oliver Twist''
from the British Library's Discovering Literature website.
''Oliver Twist''
at Internet Archive
*
''Oliver Twist''
in PDF, epub, Kindle formats at Global Grey ebooks
*
''Oliver Twist, or, The Parish Boy's Progress''
Typeset PDF version, including the illustrations of James Mahoney (1871 Household Edition by Chapman & Hall).
; Critical analysis
When Is a Book Not a Book? ''Oliver Twist'' in Context, a seminar by Robert Patten
from the New York Public Library
The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...
Background information and plot summary for ''Oliver Twist'', with links to other resources
Article in ''British Medical Journal'' on Oliver Twist's diet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oliver Twist
1838 British novels
Antisemitic novels
Antisemitism in England
Art by George Cruikshank
British novels adapted into films
British novels adapted into plays
English novels
Novels about orphans
Novels adapted into comics
Novels by Charles Dickens
Novels first published in serial form
Novels set in London
Novels set in the 19th century
Victorian novels
Works originally published in Bentley's Miscellany