Oliver Twist is one of the greatest social novels, which occupies an important position in the historyof literature. It mainly reflects the bottom life of British society which had just passed the poor law.The novel Oliver Twist is notable for Dickens's unromantic portrayal of criminals and their sordidlives, as well as exposing the miserable reality of the many orphans in London in the mid–nineteenth century. The author draws a clear demarcation between whom or what to hate or loveand we can apparently find many vivid characters which have been embodied in this novel. Thosecharacters are with distinct personalities, which make the whole work strongly appealing. Whatimpressed readers most is the orphans ‘miserable life and the vivid characters such as the selfish,cruel, stupid and greedy characters like Mrs. Mann, Mr. and Mrs. Bumble, Fagin and other ParishOfficers. They have no human nature and sympathy for these poor children. Their worship to God ishypocritical. Only when they see the money and benefits will their eyes shine. This novel reflects the social welfare institutions of workhouse in early nineteenth century and has exposed the evils ofcapitalist society. What’s more, the novel criticizes the darkness and unfair of the industrial society,and exerts a great influence on the British society at that time.Charles Dickens (February 7, 1812 – June 9, 1870) is one of the most famous British Criticalrealism novelists in 19th century. He created some of the world's best-known fictional charactersand is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedentedpopularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognized himas a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity. In the eyes of the British,his position is only inferior to Shakespeare. Dickens, who was a very popular best-selling author atthat time, has also enjoyed the lofty honor in literary history after his death. He was respected forhis brilliant outstanding wok.Dickens was born in 1812, at Landport, Portsmouth.
His father was a clerk in the Navy Pay Office.When he was 4, his family moved to Chatham, where he spent the happiest five years of hischildhood. He liked to read fiction as a young boy. However, his careless childhood came to an endin 1822 when the family moved to London. Gradually the family fell heavily in debt and his fatherwas thrown into the prison. Dickens was sent to a London shoeshine field to work as an apprenticeto work 10 hours a day. Perhaps because of this experience, he has tasted hardships, humiliation, aswell as the fickleness of human nature. This experience has made Dickens's works more concernedabout the bottom of society and the life of working class people. The heavy labor, diligently writingand disappointment on the reform of the reality have led to serious harm to his health. He finallydied in 1870. (Freddie, John, 2009:104)

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