In 1837, the first segment of Oliver Twist was published in Richard Bentley’s literary magazine Bentley's Miscellany. The remaining serialized segments concluded in 1839 and were accompanied by etched illustrations by George Cruikshank. The novel, only Dickens' second, achieved instant popularity and was adapted for the stage even before the completion of the serialization.
Oliver Twist is notable for being a harsh social critique of poverty, treatment of orphans, industrialization, city life, and child labour. Though Dickens uses an ironic tone throughout, he does not shy away from the harsher details of an impoverished, crime-ridden life in London. The story of the orphan Oliver Twist...
