Romanticism In Oliver Twist

During the 19th century, several literary movements had shaped the archetype of heroes that existed in the literature around the world. This includes Romanticism which puts emphasis on the deep emotions and feelings of the characters, instead of placing high regard on rational thinking and systematized thoughts. Some of the most notable authors that utilized Romanticism on their masterpieces where Victor Hugo, Mary Shelley, Camillo Castelo, Branco, and Lord Byron ("The Nineteenth Century, Romanticism"). Furthermore, Dark- Romanticism, which focused on the negative side of men, which is vile and sinful, was also upheld during the 1880’s. Significantly, it arose from the Transcendental Philosophical Movement that was widespread in the 19th century

There are a handful of examples of novellas primarily utilizes the Dark Romanticism as its central theme. One of this is the novel Oliver Twist which was authored by Charles Dickens. In detail, Dickens featured protagonists who were prostitutes, murderers, pick- pockets, and house breakers. In other words, it presented the rawness of the human nature with emphasis to the sinister side of humanity (Horne). Notably, Dickens had written in the 1841 edition of the Oliver Twist

Indeed, Dicken’s stories were just one facet of the 19th century public’s inclination to the literary pieces that were centralized on lynching, bloodshed, and felony. Actually, the 1842 edition of the Punch Magazine jokingly stated that “Murder is, doubtless, a very shocking offence; nevertheless, as what is done is not to be undone, let us make our money out of it”. Despite its purpose to evoke humor amongst its readers, the fact still remains that the 19th century readers and audiences enjoyed the dire and malevolent aspect of humanity. With attention to that, it was normal for people at that time to write stories and to conduct plays that were based on real- life murders and crimes. An example was the case of Maria Marten. Her lifeless body was found in a grave in Polstead, Suffolk. Her story spread like wildfire in the local residents. In fact, broadsides and ballads with gruesome details of her death were being sold by street peddlers. Similarly, figures that were made of clay depicting her death were made available in Staffordshire. Additionally, people were captivated in peepshows that featured the gloomy life of Maria Marten. On the other hand, the notorious mass murderer in London in the 1880’s named Greenacre was also highlighted in the broadside issues. Greenacre was