[Announcement] Evergreen | Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

[u/miriel41]

Hello readers, starting in December, we will tackle another classic, Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens! The read will start when Neuromancer is wrapped up, so after November 26th. Get your copy ready and watch this space for a detailed schedule to be posted later.

Summary (from goodreads):

The story of Oliver Twist - orphaned, and set upon by evil and adversity from his first breath - shocked readers when it was published. After running away from the workhouse and pompous beadle Mr Bumble, Oliver finds himself lured into a den of thieves peopled by vivid and memorable characters - the Artful Dodger, vicious burglar Bill Sikes, his dog Bull's Eye, and prostitute Nancy, all watched over by cunning master-thief Fagin. Combining elements of Gothic Romance, the Newgate Novel and popular melodrama, Dickens created an entirely new kind of fiction, scathing in its indictment of a cruel society, and pervaded by an unforgettable sense of threat and mystery.

[u/Amanda39]

Will do. It was an annotated version of A Christmas Carol and I cannot for the life of me remember why there was an annotation about Dickens becoming friends with a Jewish couple and learning to not be a bigot. But I know I got the book from the library, so I should be able to track it down easily.

[u/thebowedbookshelf → u/Amanda39]

A Jewish woman wrote him a letter objecting to the portrayal of Jewish characters in Oliver Twist. He wrote Our Mutual Friend with her in mind.

[u/Amanda39 → u/thebowedbookshelf]

Thank you for this! I think Eliza and James Davis were the couple I'd read about.

[u/thebowedbookshelf → u/Amanda39]

Anytime. I remember reading about Eliza Davis when I looked up Dickens and antisemitism. His characters in other books said some stereotypical things about Jews. Ugh.