Portrayal Of Society In Oliver Twist

Portrayal of Society in Oliver Twist Introduction Chapter I Literature is a term derived from the Latin word litteratura which means writings. It is an art used to describe the written or sometimes spoken materials. Literature mostly refers to works of the creative imagination, poetry, drama, fiction, essay and nonfiction. The books written by Charles Dickens are an example of literature. Oscar Wilde says “Literature always anticipates life. It does not copy it but moulds it to its purpose” in his work The Decay of Lying (1891). Victorian literature is a literature written in England in the period of Queen Victoria or the Victorian era (1837-1901). It is mainly characterised by the struggle of working people and the conflict of right over wrong. A novelist like Charles Dickens (1812-70) and Elizabeth Gaskell (1810-65) revealed the sufferings of the underprivileged but they particularly focused on the working class. The social novel is also known as the social problem novel. It is a work of fiction in which prevailing social problems such as gender, race or class prejudices are discussed. Specific examples of social problems are poverty, the condition in factories and mines, the conditions of child labour, violence against women, rising criminality and poor sanitation in cities. The other terms used to describe this type of novels are propaganda novel, industrial novel, working class novel and problem novel. It is