Charles Dickens

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instalments: so, this new way of publishing a weekly chapter of the novel in a newspaper or magazine was revolutionary, as it gave the opportunity to anyone to buy and read them. In addiction read novels in family, especially after dinner, was one of the main forms of entertainment (such as today's TV series). As a consquence, novels becames a powerful instrument for social and political propaganda; indeed, Dickens dealt with social and humanitarian themes. This is due to Charles's childhood poverty, which given him acute sensitivity towards his environment and the goal was to describe in his novels the darker face of the Victorian Age by exposing the inhumanities of his day. However, as much as the author may criticize this period, he was not a revolutionary because he was, after all, a true Victorian; but, in his works, Dickens proposed a moral solution because good would overcome evil. FEATURES DICKEN'S NOVELS Regarding the features of his novels, they are rich in pathos (emotions), sentimentality, melodrama and wit humourism. The characters in his novels are many and each of them embodies a specific human feature, such as avidity (represented by Mr Scrooge in A Christmas Carol), pride (represented by Mr Bounderby in Hard Times), evil (represented by Bill Sikes in Oliver Twist) or good (represented by Little Nell in the Old Curiosity Shop). In addiction Dickens often chose names for his character in order to tell something about their character or their physical appearance. For example, in Oliver Twist, the beadle's name is Mr Bumble which describes both his character and appearance as it is the name of an insect. As a result of all this Dickens characters are "flat", because they never develop (like in Oliver Twist, except for Mr Scrooge that from bad became good) and they can be either all bad or all good, there is no middle way. DICKENS MOST FAMOUS NOVELS So, the most popular works of Charles Dickens are "A Christmas Carol", "Hard Times" and "Oliver Twist". A Christmas Carol: on Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by a series of ghosts, starting with his old business partner, Jacob Marley. The three spirits which follow, the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come, show Scrooge how his mean behaviour has affected those around him. At the end of the story he is relieved to discover that there is still time for him to change and we see him transformed into a generous and kind-hearted human being. Hard Times, novel set in a fictitious industrial town called "Coketown", (coke was like coal -carbone); it focuses in the oppressive effect that factory-life has on the characters in the novel and the central figure of the story is the unscrupulous factory owner, Mr Bounderby. OLIVER TWIST Oliver Twist first appeared in instalments in 1837 and was later published as a book. The novel reflects the economic insecurity and humiliation Dickens experienced as a child; indeed, this work was one of the first in English language to focus on a child protagonist. This story is set in the backstreets and slums of London in order to expose the terrible conditions of the workhouses and the exploitation of children as a cheap form of labour and as criminals. (As a consequence, major elements are poverty, hunger, murder and blackmail; but there are also moments of comic relief.) Childhood in the Victorian age was generally a cruel experience. A lot of children from poor and working-class backgrounds who escaped an early death were obliged to work in factories and mines, or as domestic servants and chimneysweeps. Others became criminals. Some government acts, like the Ten Hours Act 1847), tried to improve children's working conditions by limiting the hours worked by women and children to ten per day. Victorian literature played an important role in the sentimental portrayal of childhood. Dickens was obsessed with children, whom he presented as either innocent or corrupted by adults. At the beginning, they live through a negative situation but later rise to happy endings. The writer's nostalgia for the innocence of childhood is a critique of the oppressions associated with the world of adults. LONDON LIFE The most important setting of the novel is London, which is depicted at three different social levels. First social level was the parochial world of the workhouse. The inhabitants of this world are calculating and insensible to the feelings of the poor. Second social level described was the criminal world characterized pickpockets and murderers. Poverty drives them to crime and the weapon they use to achieve their end is violence. They live in dirty, squalid slums in a permanent state of fear and a miserable death. Finally, there was the world of the Victorian middle class, in which live respectable people who show a regard for moral values and believe in the principle of human dignity. attacked THE WORLD OF THE WORKHOUSE the social evils of his Dickens times, such as poor houses, unjust courts and the underworld. During this period poverty increased so much, many people were left homeless and without a job. As a result, working houses spread throughout the country, often managed by the parishes. Here the rules were very strict as it was claimed that poverty was a consequence of laziness, so it was obligatory to work in order to pay for their own food and the roof under which they lived; food was rationed and clothes were not provided often. The terrible and appalling conditions should have pushed people to improve their situation, but the result was nothing more than greater impoverishment and mistreatment of those living in working houses. This has brought only trauma and suffering, even useless because the increase in poverty does not result from laziness, but from the mechanization of industry that which took away jobs. PLOT Oliver Twist is a poor boy of unknown parents, as a result form the age of nine he lives parish orphanage, but at the same time he is brought up in a workhouse and forced to work for his food. However, one day Oliver did something never done before by any other child in the workhouses, he asked for more food (he said: "Please, sir, I want some more"). This act upset everyone and for this he was sold for 5 pounds to work as an apprentice at an undertaker's (imprenditore di pompe funebri), but even here the conditions were bad so he decided to run away from London. There he falls into the hands of a gang of young pick-pockets, led by the Artful Dodger and trained by the elderly (anziano) Fagin, who try to make a thief out of him. So, Fagin forced Oliver to work as a thief and one-night Oliver went to steal in the house of a rich family, he was discovered by the lady of the house, Mrs Maylie, who understood that he was just a child and decided to take care of him. At the end, thanks to an old gentleman, Mr. Brownlow, Oliver discovered his true identity, in fact was of noble origins, and was adopted by Mr. Brownlow. The gang of pickpockets and Oliver's half- brother, who paid the thieves in order to ruin Oliver and have their father's property all for himself, are arrested in the end. EXCERPT FROM THE NOVEL OLIVER TWIST This short excerpt encloses one of the most famous scenes of the novel titled "Oliver Twist", that is to say the moment in which Oliver rebel against the workhouse. It was evening (1.1) and for dinner was served the soup which finished immediately; indeed, it says: (1.3) "the gruel was served out"; (1.4) "the gruel disappeared". At this point all the boys signalled to Oliver to ask more, by whispering, winking and elbowing him: (1.4-5) "boys whispered to each other and winked at Oliver, while his next neighbours nudged him." So, Oliver got up from the table, went to the master with his basin and spoon and he asked for some more (food). (1.6-8) Upon hearing this, the master (Mr. Bumble), who was in good health, became pale. The rest of the people were also shocked: indeed, the assistants were paralyzed by wonder and the boys by fear. (1.10-12) After a break the master said "What!" (1.13) and Oliver repeats again: "Please, sir, I want some more" (1.14) as a consequences Mr Bumble hit Oliver on the head with his ladle (1.15) and ran to the board to tell what Oliver had done and they were upset, in particular, Mr Limbkins, head of the parish board, could not believe it and was so angry that he said, (1.25) "that boy will be hung". 10.9 Charles Dickens and children Oliver Twist (1837-39) Childhood in the Victorian age was generally a cruel experience. A lot of children from poor and working-class backgrounds who escaped an early death were obliged either to work in factories and mines, or as domestic servants and chimneysweeps. Others became criminals. Some government acts, like the Ten Hours Act (1847), tried to improve children's working conditions by limiting the hours worked by women and children to ten per day. Victorian literature played an important role in the sentimental portrayal of childhood. Dickens was obsessed with children, whom he presented as either innocent or corrupted by adults. At the beginning, they live through a negative situation but later rise to happy endings. The writer's nostalgia for the innocence of childhood is a critique of the oppressions associated with the world of adults. London life The most important setting of the novel is London, which is depicted at three different social levels. First, the parochial world of the workhouse is revealed. The inhabitants of this world, belonging to the lower-middle-class strata of society, are calculating and insensible to the feelings of the poor. Second, the criminal world is described, with pickpockets and murderers. Poverty drives them to crime and the weapon they use to achieve their end is violence. They live in dirty, squalid slums in a permanent state of fear and generally die a miserable death. Finally, the world of the Victorian middle class is presented. In this world, there live respectable people who show a regard for moral values and believe in the principle of human dignity. The story Oliver Twist first appeared in instalments in 1837 and was later published as a book. The novel reflects the economic insecurity and humiliation Dickens experienced as a child. The name "Twist', though it is given to the protagonist by accident, represents the outrageous reversals of fortune that he will experience. Oliver Twist is a poor boy of unknown parents; he is brought up in a workhouse in an inhuman way. He is later sold to an undertaker as an apprentice, but the cruelty and the unhappiness he experiences with his new master cause him to run away to London. There he falls into the hands of a gang of young pickpockets, led by the Artful Dodger and trained by the elderly Fagin, who try to make a thief out of him, but the boy is helped by an old gentleman. Oliver is eventually kidnapped by the gang and forced to commit burglary; during job, he is shot and wounded. It is a middle-class family that adopts Oliver and shows kindness and affection towards him at last. Investigations are made about who the boy is and it is discovered he has noble origins. The gang of pickpockets and Oliver's half-brother, who paid the thieves in order to ruin Oliver and have their father's property all for himself, are arrested in the end. 302 Specification 10 | Coming of Age 1-2 Scenes from 'Oliver Twist', a film directed by Roman Polanski in 2005 The world of the workhouse clothing Dickens attacked the s cial evils of his times, such as poor houses, unjust courts and the underworld. With the rise in the level of poverty, workhouses run by parishes spread all over England to give relief to the poor. However, the conditions prevailing in the workhouses were appalling. Their residents were subject to hard regulations: labour was required, families were almost always separated and rations of food and were small and poor. The idea upon which the workhouses were founded was that poverty was the consequence of laziness and that the terrible conditions in the workhouse would inspire the poor to improve their own conditions. Yet the economic dislocation of the Industrial Revolution made it impossible for many to do so, and the workhouses did not provide any means for social or economic advances. Furthermore, as Dickens points out, instead of alleviating the suffering of the poor, the officials who ran workhouses abused their rights as individuals and caused them further misery. 2 ANSWER these questions about Oliver Twist. 1 What was childhood like in the Victorian age? 2 What does Dickens's nostalgia for an innocent childhood stand for? 3 What does Oliver Twist fictionalise? 4 Where is Oliver brought up? 5 Who eventually kidnaps Oliver? 6 Who adopts Oliver? 7 What is discovered at the end of the novel? 8 What is the setting of the novel? Which social classes are depicted? 9 What were Victorian workhouses like? 10 What did Dickens criticise about this social institution? GLOSSARY undertaker becchino pickpockets borseggiatori kidnapped rapito burglary furto con scasso half-brother fratellastro 302-303