'Oliver Twist' by Charles Dickens

Genre: Fiction

One of the most classic and well-known lines in literature and film is arguably Oliver’s: “Please, sir, may I have some more?” “More?!”

Carol Reed’s 1968 cinematic interpretation of ‘Oliver Twist’ was a family favourite while I was growing up, characters such as the Artful Dodger and Fagan were comical and the songs were very catchy, making for an enjoyable watch. However, being young and naive, I never realised the nuances of anti-semitism, which are made even more apparent in the book, which in turn reflects the views and opinions of the time periods of the novels and film’s creation.

Charles Dickens’ novel, albeit very anti-semitic and borderline uncomfortable, is a lot more filled out narrative-wise and longer compared to the film that I grew up watching. The plot has a great deal more going on, both with Oliver and other secondary characters that we never get to meet in the film that adds more to Oliver’s background, misfortune, and happiness. While reading ‘Oliver Twist’, I found I couldn’t wait to read more. Perhaps this was because of how surprised I was at how different the novel was to the film, but it could also be because these surprise storylines and scenes made an already mysterious narrative even more captivating.

I never would have thought ‘Oliver Twist’ could be so intriguing to me, seeing as I thought I knew the plot so well, but I was thoroughly impressed and surprised by this novel. If you also think you know the plot of 'Oliver Twist' by only watching the film, or just love 'Oliver Twist' in general, I would highly recommend you to read the novel. It made for a wonderful and surprising read, and I would say I personally enjoyed it more than the film.

Rating: * * * *