I avoided writing a review of "Oliver Twist" until I read a few critical analyses of it vis-a-vis the character of Fagin and in particular, how scholars view Dickens' obvious anti-semitism. Without citing any of these scholarly essays in particular, generally it is acknowledged that while Dickens, for all of his progressive campaigning through his art for social reforms, the standard stereotypes of Jews especially as were evidently accepted in Victorian Society were part of his mindset. Additionally, Dickens also wrote essays in which he supported the legal marginalizing of Jews in English society. For all of Dickens genius at pointing out the hypocrisy of human institutions, he himself missed the fact that if a Jew was prohibited from engaging in commerce, going to university, or sitting at the bar of law, then he was forced into making a living in the city in unsavory ways. And these underworld ways, inflicted upon them became, for Dickens, and his society became what it meant to be a Jew.



I was relieved to learn that later in Dickens' career he changed these ideas, which is more than we can say about many of todays worse demagogues ultimately worked for Jewish social reform. So that by the time he wrote "Our Mutual Friend" he was then portraying Jews as "good" characters as opposed to evil ones.



Even to know this now, to read "Oliver Twist" and be confronted with the character of Fagin in which "Jew" is a descriptor as strong as any evil adjective Dickens could concoct, is jarring for a modern reader. Indeed Fagin is evil, but his "religion" which he does not practice, has no more influence on his depravity as does say the presumption that an even worse character, Bill Sikes, a Christian is the abusive murderer that he is because is he an Englishman and a Christian



Dickens was too smart to not change his sensibilities. For me the mark of a great writer is one who creates characters who change throughout the narrative. We certainly see even Fagin vulnerable and attempting to be kind, but always self-serving. Therefore, we have to say yes Dickens was a anti-semite at one time in his career and like a character he created, he himself reformed himself and became a better human.



Oh yes, this novel is genius.