Perspectives
Realism and social commentary
Charles Dickens’ novel Oliver Twist blends genres including realism and satire to create a depiction of early 19th century England and its social systems. Dickens was determined to show poverty in England in a realistic and authentic way, giving readers an insight into the lives of poor people in a way that had rarely been seen in popular literature before.
Dickens partly does this through setting the novel in a believable context, accurately describing the experience of living in a workhouse and also giving precise descriptions of Fagin’s London, naming specific streets as well as giving atmospheric details to show the poverty of many areas. A similar effect can be found in Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Stevenson paints a similarly grim picture of Victorian London, showing how the very rich lived alongside the very poor and demonstrating how crime – from stealing to murder to prostitution – was widespread.
However, Dickens also uses satire and comedy to criticize the workhouse system and to draw attention to the heartlessness and cruelty of the authorities who ran the workhouses. This combination of realism and satire can be found in many other works by Dickens, including A Christmas Carol, Bleak House, and Great Expectations.
