Argument Drafts
Beginning Comments/Free Write on Argument
In research, section on plot and Victorian-era history. No more modern notes on places.
Dickens’ Oliver Twist is a valid social critique of Victorian-era London because he bases his fictional novel upon real events, people, and places of the time.
May initially think that the exaggeration is purely for effect, but these places that he mentions in the book did actually exist and were just as horrible as he had described.
The casual reader of Oliver Twist who knows nothing about London would not know this background (especially on the specific places he mentions) and would miss the connotation and depth that they bring to the novel.
Dickens’ Oliver Twist is a valid social critique of Victorian-era London because he bases his fictional novel upon real events, people, and places of the time.
May initially think that the exaggeration is purely for effect, but these places that he mentions in the book did actually exist and were just as horrible as he had described.
The casual reader of Oliver Twist who knows nothing about London would not know this background (especially on the specific places he mentions) and would miss the connotation and depth that they bring to the novel.
Introduction: First Drafts
~Dickens, in his novel Oliver Twist, mentions a plethora of towns, parishes, streets, and alleys that Oliver visits in an attempt to make the novel more “real” to his contemporaries. But, as we are Americans in the 21st century rather than Londonites in the 19th, there is that inevitable bit of detail that is lost in translation. We have compiled a map of Oliver’s journeys throughout London in hopes of filling in that gap caused by time and place so that our own contemporaries can grasp more fully Dickens’ true social critique in his infamous novel, Oliver Twist.
~In Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist, Dickens creates a social critique of Victorian-era London and the representations of the poor and the rich during this time. Throughout the novel, Dickens uses a multitude of actual locations, whether they are buildings, streets, villages, or public areas, to ground his critique in evidence and fact. As a modern-day reader of Oliver Twist, this aspect of the novel is often lost, which detracts from Dickens’ critique of his time. By mapping the paths of Dickens’ characters through London, we are able to once more see how Dickens commented on the reputation and stereotypes of different areas in London and how the people that came from those areas reflected those stereotypes and the accuracy of them.
~Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist has been one history’s best received novels, having endured more than one hundred and fifty years on the shelves of libraries and in the hearts of readers alike. The novel, which, on the surface, traces the journey of a young orphan as he ventures from the countryside to the urban metropolis of London, also serves a much deeper purpose that becomes strikingly clear to those who know what to look for. Dickens’ subtle (and at times, not-so-subtle) use of satire and exaggeration provide one of the most emphatic social critiques of the Victorian Era. This social critique is made relevant by Dickens’ devotion to accuracy and historical realism, which add an element to the novel that would be otherwise unattainable and that is often overlooked by the modern reader. With no information on the history or geography of London, it would be easy to neglect giving the finer details of the novel the attention they deserve.
This website explores the settings and characters in the novel to show the basis upon which Dickens approached the social critique evident in Oliver Twist. Many locations in the novel were thought to have been hyperbolic exaggerations used only to prove a point, however, this is not the case.
~In Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist, Dickens creates a social critique of Victorian-era London and the representations of the poor and the rich during this time. Throughout the novel, Dickens uses a multitude of actual locations, whether they are buildings, streets, villages, or public areas, to ground his critique in evidence and fact. As a modern-day reader of Oliver Twist, this aspect of the novel is often lost, which detracts from Dickens’ critique of his time. By mapping the paths of Dickens’ characters through London, we are able to once more see how Dickens commented on the reputation and stereotypes of different areas in London and how the people that came from those areas reflected those stereotypes and the accuracy of them.
~Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist has been one history’s best received novels, having endured more than one hundred and fifty years on the shelves of libraries and in the hearts of readers alike. The novel, which, on the surface, traces the journey of a young orphan as he ventures from the countryside to the urban metropolis of London, also serves a much deeper purpose that becomes strikingly clear to those who know what to look for. Dickens’ subtle (and at times, not-so-subtle) use of satire and exaggeration provide one of the most emphatic social critiques of the Victorian Era. This social critique is made relevant by Dickens’ devotion to accuracy and historical realism, which add an element to the novel that would be otherwise unattainable and that is often overlooked by the modern reader. With no information on the history or geography of London, it would be easy to neglect giving the finer details of the novel the attention they deserve.
This website explores the settings and characters in the novel to show the basis upon which Dickens approached the social critique evident in Oliver Twist. Many locations in the novel were thought to have been hyperbolic exaggerations used only to prove a point, however, this is not the case.
Introduction: Final Draft
Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist has been one history’s best received novels, having endured more than one hundred and fifty years on the shelves of libraries and in the hearts of readers alike. The novel, which, on the surface, traces the journey of a young orphan as he ventures from the countryside to the urban metropolis of London, also serves a much deeper purpose that becomes strikingly clear to those who know what to look for. Dickens’ subtle (and at times, not-so-subtle) use of satire and exaggeration provide one of the most emphatic social critiques of the Victorian Era. This social critique is made relevant by Dickens’ devotion to accuracy and historical realism, which add an element to the novel that would be otherwise unattainable and that is often overlooked by the modern reader. With no information on the history or geography of London, it would be easy to neglect giving the finer details of the novel the attention they deserve.
This website explores the settings and characters in the novel to show the basis upon which Dickens approached the social critique evident in Oliver Twist. Many locations in the novel were thought to have been hyperbolic exaggerations used only to prove a point, however, this is not the case. Dickens’ historical accuracy in reference to each of the places he mentions provides a base for his social commentary, giving it added weight and validity. Readers of the Victorian Era would have recognized the use of such locations and the reality of the setting of the novel because of their intimate knowledge of the city of London. Over time, this familiarity has been lost to modern readers of Oliver Twist because of the ever-changing face of London and the readers’ differing backgrounds. This resource once more reveals the reality of Dickens’ setting and brings back the full power of Dickens’ critique on Victorian London.
This website explores the settings and characters in the novel to show the basis upon which Dickens approached the social critique evident in Oliver Twist. Many locations in the novel were thought to have been hyperbolic exaggerations used only to prove a point, however, this is not the case. Dickens’ historical accuracy in reference to each of the places he mentions provides a base for his social commentary, giving it added weight and validity. Readers of the Victorian Era would have recognized the use of such locations and the reality of the setting of the novel because of their intimate knowledge of the city of London. Over time, this familiarity has been lost to modern readers of Oliver Twist because of the ever-changing face of London and the readers’ differing backgrounds. This resource once more reveals the reality of Dickens’ setting and brings back the full power of Dickens’ critique on Victorian London.