Abstract

   Oliver Twist is Charles Dickens’ first social novel, and it is also the representative of his early works. Because of the background of his time and his personal experience, Dickens, as a critical realist, filled the novel with his personal ideas and illusion while exposing the social reality. This paper aims to reveal limitations in Charles Dickens’ critical realism by analysing the idealized reality and the bourgeoisie messianic image created in the novel, along with the stereotype of the Jew.
 
Key words:  Oliver, idealism, Jew, limitation

摘 要

     《雾都孤儿》是查尔斯•狄更斯第一部社会小说，也是其早期作品的代表。由于其所处的时代背景和个人经历，狄更斯作为批判现实主义的大家在揭露社会现实的同时融入自己的个人思想和理想主义。本文通过分析小说中理想化的现实和资产阶级救世主形象，以及作者对犹太人的刻板印象，旨在揭示查尔斯•狄更斯批判现实主义的局限性。

关键词： 奥利弗；理想主义；犹太人；局限性

1. Introduction
During the 19th century, the whole British society was in the course of rapid economic development with serious social problems. For a time, Britain became the “workshop of the world”. It grew into the most advanced and prosperous country in the world. Large fortune was accumulated both from expanding its foreign trade markets and from exploiting its huge-sized colonies. So Britain with its colonies was said to be “the sun-never-setting empire”. However, the quick development of capitalism also created domestic social unrest. The conflict between the capitalists and proletariat in Britain began to occupy the dominant position in the social and political life.