Oliver Twist begins serial publication in Bentley's Miscellany (1837)

Charles Dickens began serializing Oliver Twist in Bentley's Miscellany in February 1837. He had accepted the editorship in November 1836, writing the novel's opening instalments while managing the magazine. The serial ran until April 1839, marking a significant phase in Dickens's literary career and the magazine's early history.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. Bentley's Miscellany was an English literary magazine started by Richard Bentley in 1836. Bentley invited Charles Dickens to be its first editor, a position Dickens accepted in November 1836. This role established the platform for Dickens's second novel, Oliver Twist, which he began writing in 1836 while finishing The Pickwick Papers.

Publication. Oliver Twist was originally published as a serial from February 1837 to April 1839 in Bentley's Miscellany. Dickens wrote as many as 90 pages a month during this period. The novel was later published as a three-volume book in 1838, becoming one of Dickens's better-known stories.

Reception. The novel shocked readers with its images of poverty and crime, challenging middle-class polemics about criminals. It was the first Victorian novel with a child protagonist. Dickens's work in the magazine defined a new form of entertainment, though he eventually fell out with Bentley over editorial control.

People involved

Sources

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