Twist in the tale: how Dickens found his Fagin in words of a crusading Scot

A PhD student has uncovered compelling evidence that parts of Oliver Twist were inspired by the work of a fellow Victorian writer

Disturbing scenes from the early life of Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens’s orphaned “item of mortality”, are among the most familiar in English literature. They have become the basis for popular films, television dramas and a much-loved musical.

But now a PhD student has identified a previously unknown source of inspiration for several of the most affecting elements in the novel, including the notorious underground world of Fagin, the seedy leader of a troop of young pickpockets.

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