Dickens's second novel was a far cry from THE PICKWICK PAPERS, his first. The story of an orphan who
flees the workhouse only to fall in with a gang of thieves and prostitutes in London's sleazy underworld,
it was a trenchant criticism of England's poor laws. Enacted in the 1830s, these laws provided assistance
for the poor only through workhouses, which were deliberately squalid and miserable to encourage the poor
who were considered lazy and immoral--to better themselves and get out. The inequities between rich and
poor were one of Dickens's constant themes, and with OLIVER TWIST he established himself as a staunch
champion of the downtrodden, particularly children. The novel also, however, has its cheerful moments,
and contains some of Dickens's most memorable characters, including Fagin, the Artful Dodger, the evil
Bill Sykes, and the unfortunate Nancy.
The story of the orphan Oliver, who runs away from the workhouse only to be taken in by a den of thieves,
shocked readers when it was first published. Dickens's tale of childhood innocence beset by evil depicts
the dark criminal underworld of a London peopled by vivid and memorable characters - the arch-villain
Fagin, the artful Dodger, the menacing Bill Sikes and the prostitute Nancy. Combining elements of Gothic
Romance, the Newgate Novel and popular melodrama, Dickens created an entirely new kind of fiction,
scathing in its indictment of a cruel society, and pervaded by an unforgettable sense of threat and
mystery.
About The Reader
A distinguished actor with a very long career, Martin Jarvis is probably best known for his radio work -
his voice is a staple of Radio 4. With his wife Rosalind Ayres, he runs Jarvis and Ayres Productions,
which produces dramas, readings and audiobooks. For this, and his other work, Martin was honoured with
an OBE for his services to drama in 2000.
Martin often steps behind the mike himself, and has narrated dozens of audiobooks and readings,
including versions of Richmal Crompton's William books, Kafka's Metamorphosis, P.G. Wodehouse's Carry
On Jeeves, and 101 Dalmations. Martin's TV debut was in Doctor Who in 1965, playing a giant butterfly in
The Web Planet. A couple of years later he played Jolyon Forsyte in The Forsyte Saga. Since then, his many
TV parts have included Oliver, the main lead, in 1978 sitcom Rings On Their Fingers, Uriah Heep in David
Copperfield, and Jeeves in the TV version of Alan Ayckbourn's musical By Jeeves!
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