Presentation on misrepresentation of jew in the novel Oliver Twist
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Misrepresentation of Jews in “Oliver Twist” Name: Riddhi Jani Roll No: 25 Paper: 6, The Victorian Literature Semester: 2 nd Submitted to: English Department, M.K.Bhavnagar University
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This is my presentation on "Misrepresentation of Jews" in the novel "Oliver Twist" by Charles Dickens.
Transcript of Presentation on misrepresentation of jew in the novel Oliver Twist
Misrepresentation of Jews in “Oliver Twist”
Name: Riddhi JaniRoll No: 25
Paper: 6, The Victorian LiteratureSemester: 2nd
Submitted to: English Department,
M.K.Bhavnagar University
About “Oliver Twist- The Parish Boy’s Progress”
• The second novel of Charles Dickens.• Subtitle “The Parish Boy’s Progress”- “The
Pilgrim’s Progress”• Evils of contemporary English society.• The reality of work houses.• Major themes: Poverty
Purity in corrupt city,
Praise of countryside
Christians v/s Jews
• Religion played main role.• Struggle for different
beliefs.• Numerous English works
with misrepresentation of Jews.
• Dickens was Christian.• The hidden issue in this
novel.• Not directly dealt with.
Misrepresentation of Jew Character
• Character of Fagin is Jew.
• Negative portrayal.
• Full of evility.
• Outer look is also ugly.
• In his work “The Old Clothes” also Dickens describes all Jews as "old-clothesmen in disguise“, and as lower class hawkers.
• …with a toasting-fork in his hand, was a very old shrivelled Jew, whose villainous-looking and repulsive face was obscured by a quantity of matted red hair. He was dressed in a greasy flannel gown, with his throat bare….
• Very much discussed issue.
• Addressed as “The Jew”.
• Racial stereotype is seen in his description.
• Deep hatred of Dickens.
• Fagin many times is not described even as a human.
• He "looked less like a man than some hideous phantom" .
• "hideous old man [who] seemed like some loathsome reptile".
• "more like that of a snared beast than the face of a man”.
Portrayed as a demon like.
• he’s miserly, has red hair, and is a corrupter of children.
Dickens’ Amendment
• Later on Dickens amended his mistakes.• In 1867th addition of “Oliver Twist” there are a lot
of changes.• To cover up his grudges, In 1865, he wrote his last
novel “Our Mutual Friend” with noble Jewish character.
• His justification about negative portrayal of Jews:• "It unfortunately was true of the time to which the
story refers that class of criminal, almost invariably, was a Jew."
