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NEGATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE VICTORIAN ERA

REFLECTED BY THE SETTING IN CHARLES DICKENS’

OLIVER TWIST

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

  Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters

  By

AZALIA NOVELA

  Student Number: 044214064

  

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

FACULTY OF LETTERS

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

YOGYAKARTA

  

Gr aduat i on af t er 14

s emes t er s wer e del ay ed

s uc c es s

  

DEDICATION PAGE

TH I S TH ESI S I S D ED I CATED

TO M Y BELOV ED PAREN TS

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  First of all the writer would like to thank to Jesus Christ, for giving me such a wonderful life, and for blessing me in everything the writer does. This thesis is dedicated to my beloved father in heaven: Lukas Roby Sardjana Tanto; my lovely mom: Inge Dewi; my beloved fiancé: Rendy Yoewono, thanks for directing, supporting and giving me inspirations; also my brother: Abednego Yanuar.

  My deepest gratitude goes to Ni Luh Putu Rosiandani S.S., M.Hum., my advisor for pointing my mistakes on writing this thesis, and showing the right way. Thank you for the patient in guiding me from beginning until the writer completed this thesis. My deepest gratitude also goes to my Co-advisor Linda Valentina Budiman S.S., M.Hum. who has read my thesis before the presentation day expressly, so that the writer’s presentation day right on time.

  Other deepest gratitude goes to Laurentia Christina Meme, my best sister who always supporting me in everything positive way. Finally yet importantly, my deepest gratitude goes to Bernad Setiadji, my best friend who always correcting my thesis and supporting me from the beginning of learning Literature until the end at Sanata Dharma Universty.

  

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  APPROVAL PAGE ................................................................................................. i ACCEPTANCE PAGE ........................................................................................... ii DEDICATION PAGE ............................................................................................ iii MOTTO PAGE ...................................................................................................... iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................... v STATEMENT PAGE ............................................................................................vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................................... vii ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................... viii ABSTRAK ............................................................................................................. ix

  CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ............................................................................1 A. Background of the Study ..........................................................................1 B. Problem Formulation ................................................................................4 C. Objectives of the Study .............................................................................4 D. Definition of Terms ..................................................................................5 CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW ............................................................ 7 A. Review of Related Studies ........................................................................7 B. Review of Related Theories ....................................................................13

  1. Settings in Literature ................................................................13

  2. The Victorian Era England ...............................................................15

  a. Positive Characteristics ................................................................16

  b. Negative Characteristics ..............................................................21

  C. Theoretical Framework ...........................................................................25

  CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY ......................................................................27 A. Object of the Study .................................................................................27 B. Approach of the Study ............................................................................29 C. Method of the Study ...............................................................................30 CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS ................................................................................ 32 A. The Victorian Era Settings Depicted in Oliver Twist .............................32 B. Negative Characteristics of the Victorian Era Reflected through the Settings in Oliver Twist .....................................................................59

  CHAPTER V CONCLUSION ............................................................................ 64 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................ 66 APPENDIX ...........................................................................................................68

  

ABSTRACT

  AZALIA NOVELA (2011). Negative Characteristics of the Victorian Era

  

Reflected by the Setting in Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist. Yogyakarta:

Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University.

  This study aims to analyze the negative characteristics of the Victorian Era which are reflected by the element of setting in Charles Dickens’ novel, Oliver

  

Twist . The topic is formulated into two problems, namely how the Victorian era

  settings are depicted in Oliver Twist and what negative characteristics of the Victorian era are reflected through the settings of the novel.

  This study uses theories of settings in literature by Abrams, Stanton, Holman and Harmon, Rohrberger and Woods as well as resources related to the condition of England in the Victorian era by Brown, Seaman and Pool.

  The results of the study can be divided into two parts to answer each formulated problem. Firstly, the elements of setting found in Oliver Twist can be divided into three types, namely the place setting, the time setting, and the social setting. The place setting of the novel is England, specifically London and other cities and towns in England. The scenes take place in various places, from the workhouse, the streets, the prison, to the residences or houses of many characters. The time setting of the novel is early 1830’s. The scenes take place during the whole year, including all the four seasons of winter, autumn, spring and summer, from mornings until nights. The social setting includes aspects of the workhouse and welfare system, the law and police system, the education system, as well as the lifestyle of various characters such as beadle, workhouse staff, police officers, law officers, businessmen or tradespeople, aristocrats, manual laborers, and last but not least, unemployed people.

  Secondly, the settings above demonstrate two main negative characteristics of the Victorian era. As the first negative trait, there was a sharp gap between the upper- as well as middle- classes and the lower classes in the Victorian era. This gap is reflected in the place setting and social setting of the upper- and middle- class characters described in the novel, compared to the place setting and social setting of the lower class characters. Finally, as the second negative trait, the lower class people in Victorian experience life with very low standards, which are even below the basic human rights. This condition is reflected in the place and social setting, namely the lifestyle, environment and general surroundings of the lower class characters in the novel.

  

ABSTRAK

  AZALIA NOVELA (2011). Negative Characteristics of the Victorian Era

  

Reflected by the Setting in Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist. Yogyakarta: Jurusan

Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma.

  Studi ini bertujuan meninjau sifat-sifat negatif dari jaman Victoria yang ditampilkan melalui unsur setting dalam novel karya Charles Dickens, Oliver

  

Twist . Topik ini diformulasikan menjadi dua rumusan masalah, yaitu bagaimana

  setting jaman Victoria ditampilkan dalam novel Oliver Twist dan sifat-sifat negatif apa saja yang ditampilkan melalui setting novel tersebut.

  Studi ini menggunakan teori setting dalam sastra oleh Abrams, Stanton, Holman dan Harmon, Rohrberger dan Woods serta sumber-sumber berkaitan dengan keadaan Inggris pada jaman Victoria oleh Brown, Seaman, dan Pool.

  Hasil studi ini dapat dibagi menjadi dua bagian yang menjawab masing- masing rumusan masalah. Pertama, unsur setting dalam novel Oliver Twist dapat dibagi ke dalam tiga macam, yakni setting tempat, setting waktu, dan setting sosial. Setting tempat pada novel tersebut ialah Inggris, khususnya London dan sejumlah kota lain di Inggris. Adegan-adegan dalam novel berlangsung di berbagai tempat, dari workhouse, jalan, penjara, sampai pada tempat tinggal beberapa tokoh. Setting waktu dalam novel tersebut ialah 1830an awal. Adegan- adegan dalam novel berlangsung sepanjang hari dan tahun, mencakup keempat musim (musim dingin, musim gugur, musim semi dan musim panas), dari pagi hingga malam. Setting sosial dalam novel tersebut mencakup aspek-aspek sistem

  

workhouse dan kesejahteraan masyarakat, sistem hukum dan polisi, sistem

  pendidikan, serta gaya hidup tokoh-tokoh seperti beadle, staf workhouse, petugas polisi dan hukum, pengusaha atau pedagang, aristokrat, pekerja kasar, dan juga pengangguran.

  Kedua, setting di atas menunjukkan dua sifat negatif yang utama dari jaman Victoria. Sifat negatif pertama ialah adanya kesenjangan yang besar antara masyarakat kelas atas dan menengah dengan masyarakat kelas bawah. Kesenjangan ini ditampilkan melalui setting tempat dan sosial dari tokoh-tokoh kelas atas dan menengah dalam novel, yang dibandingkan dengan setting tempat dan sosial dari tokoh-tokoh kelas bawah. Sedangkan sifat negatif kedua ialah rendahnya standar hidup masyarakat kelas bawah di jaman Victoria, yang bahkan berada jauh di bawah hak-hak asasi manusia. Keadaan ini ditampilkan melalui setting tempat dan sosial, yaitu gaya hidup, lingkungan dan keadaan di sekitar tokoh-tokoh kelas bawah dalam novel secara umum.

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study There have been numerous ideas that relate literature to the reality. Some examples are the ideas by Roger Webster, Rene Wellek and Austin Warren. Webster in Studying Literary Theory: An Introduction states that “Literature is as

  much a part and product of the world as any other signifying process and is as much a part of reality as a reflection on it” (1996: 55). As Webster regards literature as both a part of reality and a reflection of reality, Wellek and Warren in

  

Theory of Literature regard literature as the representation of human life,

including the human feelings and experience, as shown in the following quotation.

  Literature is the reflection of human feeling toward his life. It is closely related to human experience through which we can learn the image of human beings that is expressed in the written way. It can also be defined as the work of arts which represents human life (1956: 94).

  These ideas do not only come from the author of books about literature, but also from the authors of literary works themselves. Charles Dickens was one of the authors who was really aware of the connection between his literary works and the reality around him. Brown in A Reader's Guide to the Nineteenth Century

  

English Novel explains how Dickens was greatly and directly inspired by London,

  the city where he lived and also the city where many of his novels are based. Not only was he inspired by the reality around him, but he was also willing to research the reality around him thoroughly.

  Charles Dickens and George Eliot researched in depth the events and institutions of their day before writing. Dickens even confessed himself unable to work for long periods without the inspiration of the sights and sounds that the streets of London gave him on his long walks (Brown, 1985: xix). As shown in the quotation above, it is obvious that Dickens’ attitude in writing literary works is in line with Webster, Wellek and Warren’s ideas about literature. One of Dickens’ famous works is a novel by the title of Oliver Twist. It was originally published in the serial format, which was popular at that time, consisting of monthly installments from February 1837 to April 1839 (Brown, 1985: 110). Up until now, it has been adapted to various versions, from plays, films, to television shows (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Twist).

  The story is about an orphan boy named Oliver Twist, who grew up in poverty and extremely inhumane condition under the government’s custody. At the age of nine, he was sold from the workhouse to an undertaker to be an apprentice. He ran away to London due to ill treatment and was involved with a gang of criminals. He eventually discovered his upper-class parentage, got his inheritance, and was adopted by a sympathetic gentleman. This novel, which was set in 1830s England, is naturally inseparable from the reality or the real condition that surrounded both the novel and the author. In this case, since Dickens lived in an era known as the Victorian era and the novel is also set in the same era, this novel is inseparable from the condition in the Victorian era.

  As discussed by Seaman in Victorian England, the term Victorian literally refers to the reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901 in Britain, although in fact the Victorian era cannot be separated from the decades before and after Queen Victoria’s rule, from the 1780s until the first half of the twentieth century (1973: 5). This era is often regarded as a significant period because the British society experienced many significant developments in this era. As discussed in A Reader's Guide to the Nineteenth Century English Novel, the early and mid-nineteenth century was considered “the heyday of liberal, evangelical, industrial society,” in which there were great shifts “from agriculture to industry, from country to city, and from parish to central government” (Brown, 1985: xx).

  However, those developments also had some consequences. Behind the positive characteristics such as industrialization, modernism, and enlightenment, there were also negative characteristics such as overpopulation, poverty, and other problems. As discussed in the book Victorian England, people often associate the Victorian era with “the horrors of the factory system and the inadequacies of public health and hygiene”, “the exploitation of the working class and the evils of Imperialism”, and even “religious hypocrisy and cruelty to children” (Seaman, 1973: 1). Those are the things that Dickens expressed through the media of his novels, including Oliver Twist. It goes to show that literature does not only show the imaginary, beautiful, and impractical side of human life, but also the realistic side of human life, eventhough it might be negative or unfavourable.

  In this study, the writer analyzes Dickens’ Oliver Twist in order to discover how the settings of the novel reflect the negative characteristics of the Victorian era. The writer is interested in choosing this novel because eventhough the novel is actually a work of fiction, it also demonstrates Dickens’ efforts to the Victorian England. Negative characteristics are chosen as the topic because, as already discussed above, the Victorian era is often identified with positive characteristics such as industrialization, modernism, and enlightenment, but actually there are also negative characteristics behind those positive characteristics. It goes to show that development has its consequences, which are important to be considered. Furthermore, the writer chooses this topic to discover how an intrinsic element of a literary work, namely the settings, can reveal a real- life phenomenon, namely the negative characteristics of the Victorian era.

  B. Problem Formulation

  In order to guide and limit the discussion, the topic has been formulated into two questions below.

  1. How are the Victorian era setting depicted in Charles Dickens’ Oliver

  Twist ?

  2. What are the negative characteristics of the Victorian era reflected through the settings of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist?

  C. Objectives of the Study

  This study aims to answer the questions in the problem formulation. The first objective of the study is to discover how the Victorian era settings are depicted in Charles Dickens’ novel Oliver Twist. While the second objective of the study is to discover the negative characteristics of the Victorian era reflected through the settings of the novel.

D. Definition of Terms

  1. Setting

  Quinn in A Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Terms defines the setting as “the time and place of a narrative and drama and, by extension, the social and political context of the action” (2006: 384). While Abrams in A Glossary of

  

Literary Terms classifies setting into two, namely overall setting and single scene

  setting. He defines the overall setting of a literary work as “the general locale, historical time, and social circumstances in which its action occurs,” and he defines the single scene setting within a literary work as “the particular physical location in which it takes place” (1999: 284-285).

  2. The Victorian era

  Literally, the Victorian era can be defined as the era of Queen Victoria’s reign from 1837 to 1901 in Britain, but the characteristics of the Victorian era are strongly related to developments since 1780 and could be seen until the first half of the twentieth century (Seaman, 1973: 5). On the other hand, Brown in A

  

Reader's Guide to the Nineteenth Century English Novel further defines the

  Victorian era as an era that “extends over a period of about one hundred years and is bounded by two great wars: the French wars that ended in 1815 and the First World War of 1914” (1985: xix-xx).

  3. Positive and negative characteristics

  The word positive is defined as “having a helpful and constructive attitude” or “showing a pleasing increase or improvement” (Hornby, 1995: 899),

  “harmful” (1995: 778). The word characteristic is defined as “a typical feature or quality” (Hornby, 1995: 186). Therefore, the meaning of “positive characteristics” of a particular era is the helpful and constructive features or qualities found in that era, while the meaning of “negative characteristics” of a particular era is the unhelpful and harmful features or qualities found in that era.

CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW A. Review of Related Studies As one of the classic novels in English literature, many studies about Oliver Twist have been conducted and published, whether in the form of thesis,

  journals, or even as part of books. This section reviews some of the related studies about Oliver Twist. Those studies were taken from a section in Reading the

  

Victorian Novel: Detail into Form by Gregor, The Victorian Novel by Bloom, A

Companion to the Victorian Novel by Brantlinger and Thesing, and What Jane

Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist—the Facts of

Daily Life in Nineteenth-Century England by Pool.

  It is interesting that the studies above discuss two similar points about

  

Oliver Twist , namely the illogical characterization in Oliver Twist and the novel as

  Dickens’ statement about the failure of the Poor Law. Because of that, the review of related studies here is grouped by topic instead of by study as usual.

  Firstly, Gregor, Bloom, Brantlinger and Thesing’s studies all mentioned about the illogical characterization in Oliver Twist. According to Gregor, besides a fictional work, Oliver Twist also serves a purpose as social criticism, namely “to dramatise the doings of the uneducated, the crushed, the taciturn, the physically unattractive” (Gregor, 1980: 21). This idea is supported by Bloom’s idea in The

  

Victorian Novel , “As a crusader for the oppressed, Dickens first attacked the stony purpose, the characterization process and consequently the characters of Oliver

  

Twist tend to be stereotypical, dramatized, and even illogical. For instance, the

  character Oliver Twist is described as an orphan. Since he was born, he was raised in extreme poverty with other children in a workhouse. He never got enough attention or education. He started working at very early age, surrounded by badly behaved people who did not care about him. Then he ran away and made friends with London criminals. In brief, Oliver never had any positive role model or received positive teachings in his life. With such background, it is absurd that Oliver behaved and spoke perfectly like a child with strict upper-class upbringing would do, as shown in the quotations below.

  Oliver Twist addresses Sikes with an eloquence and religious fervour which would seem to constitute an unlikely tribute to his own upbringing: ‘Oh! pray have mercy on me, and do not make me steal. For the love of all the bright Angels that rest in Heaven, have mercy upon me!’ (Gregor, 1980: 21). The child-pilgrim Oliver, although born in a workhouse, speaks improbably in an upper-class English accent (Brantlinger and Thesing, 2002: 94). Another example is found in the four antagonist characters. Dickens tried to use these characters to direct the readers’ sympathy toward Oliver, but even the antagonist characters are presented through stereotypical characterization process. The character of Fagin is described as extremely evil and despicable, with negative stereotypes of a Jew which Brantlinger and Thesing describe as “a controversial portrait of the quintessential stereotype in Victorian fiction: the Jew” (2002: 94).

  In Oliver Twist, to be sure, one finds a regular array of stereotypical haired devil Fagin, whom Dickens characterizes as ‘a crafty old Jew, a receiver of stolen goods.’ ... As Steven Marcus observes, he ‘flourishes in darkness and dissimulation” (1965: 75); gliding, creeping, and crawling, he is the devil, the serpent, the dirty Jew’ (Brantlinger and Thesing, 2002: 94). On the other hand, the middle-class beadle, Mr. Bumble, is only described as a foolish character. In fact Bumble is more responsible for Oliver’s and other poor people’s hardships, but he was presented as less antagonistic than Fagin, who is actually also a victim of social injustice, the phenomenon that Dickens wanted to criticize through this novel. Therefore, the novel has failed to express this social criticism, as shown in the quotation below.

  Oliver Twist is a more comprehensive failure of this kind. The violent

  indignation that Dickens arouses on Oliver's behalf, and on behalf of poor children generally, demands a target, someone the reader can blame. Dickens offers not one villain but four: Bumble, Fagin, Sikes and Monks. Of these Bumble bears by far the greatest responsibility for the wretchedness of Oliver's childhood—but he is allowed to decline into a figure of comedy. The reader is encouraged to direct his resentment against Fagin and Sikes despite the fact that on Dickens's own showing they must themselves have been victims of social injustice (Gregor, 1980: 27).

  Gregor’s study concludes that the stereotypes and lack of logic in the characterization make the novel Oliver Twist less successful in delivering its message, namely as a social criticism. As Gregor states, “The novel that began with bitter social criticism ends with random sensationalism” (1980: 28).

  Secondly, Bloom and Pool’s studies both mentioned about Oliver Twist as the Dickens’ way to make a statement about the Poor Law. The Poor Law was an actual regulation issued in England in 1834. This novel has often been described as a protest against the Poor Law of 1834, which is supported by

  As a crusader for the oppressed, Dickens first attacked the stony heartedness of organized charity. In Oliver Twist (1838) he showed that the Poor Law Reform Act had only strengthened institutionalism by giving authority to unkindness (Bloom, 2004: 179).

  The Poor Law regulated the government support on the poor people. Based on the law, all public charity was channeled through an institution under the responsibility of every local government, which was called the workhouse.

  People who do not have a job or cannot work because they are sick, too old or too young to work will be put in the workhouse. The workhouse occupants are given the minimum amount of food and shelter and must work there. The occupants also include babies and children who are orphaned or abandoned by their parents just like Oliver (http://www.sparknotes.com). In real life, there were indeed many orphans because of the poor quality of life among the lower class at that era.

  In 1870 the rate of death in childbirth was 1 in 204. Given the Victorian penchant for large families, the chance of a mother dying in childbirth sooner or later was therefore fairly good. Fathers could be carried off at an early age, too, given the rather poor state of medicine and sanitation. In 1839 the average age at death was twenty-six and a half years in rural counties like Rutland, and in cities like Leeds or Manchester or Liverpool it was only nineteen. ... Once you became an orphan there was no official apparatus to take care of you except the workhouse (Pool, 1993: 234- 235). The novel Oliver Twist shows that the Poor Law actually harms the poor people the most. Pool in What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From

  

Fox Hunting to Whist—the Facts of Daily Life in Nineteenth-Century England

  explains how the Poor Law enables the stronger people to repress the weaker people through another example. The government officials can give away the workhouse children to any people to be apprenticed although actually they are still the workhouse children, so the children no longer become the workhouse’s burden. It means the children can be taken away by anyone, including people who treat or exploit them cruelly.

  For the very poor, things were grimmer. If you were a pauper like Oliver Twist, the overseers of the poor could apprentice you— without your consent—once you turned nine until such time as you turned twenty-one.

  This is what happens to Oliver when he makes his famous request for “more” ... By not having to meet the requirement that the child consent, parishes could more easily sneak him into the hands of a thug like the brutal chimney sweep Gamfield. As Dickens suggests, if the master lived in a parish other than the pauper's, there was a financial incentive for the pauper's parish authorities to place him with the master, for after the child spent forty days in another parish, he was no longer the financial responsibility of the parish that had bound him out (Pool, 1993: 241).

  This phenomenon is related to the division of social classes in England. The upper-class consists of aristocratic or high-ranked people who are very rich, so they do not have to work (Bloom, 2004: 73). Meanwhile, the middle-class consists of people who have money to fulfill all their needs, but they still have to work to earn money. Although some of them are educated and rich, they are still regarded inferior by the upper-class because they still have to work. To keep their prestige, the middle-class people promote the value that stresses the importance of work in order to get wealth and position. They accuse the lower-class people, who are jobless or only have low-paying jobs, as lazy people. As the proof, the lower- class people cannot make themselves rich. The ideas above are supported by Bloom’s idea that the Poor Law and the workhouse as government’s institution victimize the poor people while the people who have the position as authority figures are dominated by unkindness.

  In Oliver Twist (1838) he showed that the Poor Law Reform Act had

  Mr. Bumble all selfish dispensers of public charity stand condemned, and in Oliver Twist their helpless victims find an eternal symbol (Bloom, 2004: 179). In other words, there was a social disparity between the upper and middle classes against the lower class, and as a product of such middle-class value, the

  Poor Law victimized the lower-class people even more and worsened that social disparity.

  Concerning the position of this current study, this study develops the previous studies above as well as discovers something new. Just like the studies about Dickens’ characterization, this study is concerned with an intrinsic element. However, this study focuses on the element of setting, which has not been much discussed compared to other elements such as characterization and plot. Just like the studies about Oliver Twist as Dickens’ way to address the failure of the Poor Law, this study is also concerned with that era’s social phenomena. However, while each previous study discusses a specific phenomenon of the time and place depicted in the novel, this study uses a more viewpoint and discusses a set of related phenomena, namely the negative characteristics of the Victorian era. In conclusion, this study develops existing studies by connecting intrinsic and extrinsic elements as the topic, and also discovers something new by exploring a combination of topics which has not been discussed much.

B. Review of Related Theories

1. Setting in Literature There have been a number of definitions of setting in literary works.

  Quinn in A Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Terms defines setting as “the time and place of a narrative and drama and, by extension, the social and political context of the action” (2006: 384). Stanton in An Introduction to Fiction defines setting as “the environment of its events, the immediate world in which the occurring part of the setting as the visible background such as river, jungle, the time of the day or year, the climate, the historical period, even the people in the background” (1965: 18).

  In relation to Quinn and Stanton’s ideas above, Holman and Harmon in A

  

Handbook of Literature states that setting in literature consists of three elements,

  namely the place setting, the time setting, and the social setting (1986: 465). The first element, the place setting, is the “actual geographical location” (1986: 465) in which the story takes place, which may include the topography, the scenery, and even the physical arrangement of furniture, windows and doors in the indoor location. The second element, the time setting, is the “time or period when the action takes place” (1986: 465), such as the epoch in history, season, or year. The third element, the social setting, is the general environment of the characters through which they move, which may include many things such as the characters' religious background, their mental, moral, social and emotional conditions, their occupations, and their daily manner of living (1986: 465).

  It can be observed that Holman and Harmon’s first element, the place setting, corresponds to Quinn’s definition of setting as the “place of a narrative and drama” (2006: 384) and Stanton’s definition of setting as the “the environment of its events, the immediate world in which the occurring part of the setting as the visible background such as river, jungle” (1965: 18). Holman and Harmon’s second element, the time setting, corresponds to Quinn’s “the time ... of a narrative and drama” (2006: 384) and Stanton’s “the time of the day or year, the climate, the historical period” (1965: 18). Holman and Harmon’s third element, the social setting, corresponds to Quinn’s “the social and political context of the action” (2006: 384) and Stanton’s “the people in the background” (1965: 18).

  Meanwhile, Abrams in A Glossary of Literary Terms classifies setting into two types, namely the overall setting and the single scene setting. The overall setting of a literary work is “the general locale, historical time, and social circumstances in which its action occurs” (Abrams, 1999: 284-285). For instance, Abrams gave an example that the overall setting of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is medieval Scotland (1999: 284-285). On the other hand, the single scene setting of a literary work is “the particular physical location in which it takes place” (1999: 285). For instance, the single scene setting of the scene where Macbeth encounters the witches, one of the scenes in Macbeth, is a blasted heath (1999: 285). Thus, a literary work normally has one overall setting, but has many single scene settings.

  As one of the elements in literature, setting has an important role just like the other elements. Rohrberger and Woods in Reading and Writing about Further, Stanton also adds that setting may imply the theme (1965: 18), while Abrams states that the overall and individual settings “are important elements in generating the atmosphere” of a literary work (1999: 285). Lastly, Van de Laar and Schoonderwoerd state that the setting should “contribute something towards the reader's knowledge of the plot of the story” (1968: 72). In brief, all the theories above show that setting as an element of literature is not only about the place name or the digits of years, but is also strongly related to the story itself.

2. The Victorian Era England

  This part contains relevant information about the actual condition of England in the Victorian era, with both the positive and the negative characteristics, which were taken from several nonfictional sources. This part serves as the foundation to support the discussion in the analysis, proofing that the settings in the novel Oliver Twist discussed there were not only the product of the author’s imagination, but referred and were related to an actual condition at that time instead.

  Regarding the definition, the Victorian era cannot be defined strictly. As discussed by Seaman in Victorian England – Aspects of English and Imperial

  

History 1837-1901 , the literal definition of the Victorian era is the period when

  Queen Victoria reigned in Britain from 1837 to 1901 (1973: 5). However, Seaman also states that the characteristics of the Victorian era could not be separated from the developments since 1780 and could be seen up until the first half of the

  

English Novel further defines the Victorian era as an era that “extends over a

  period of about one hundred years and is bounded by two great wars: the French wars that ended in 1815 and the First World War of 1914” (1985: xix-xx). Based on the two explanations, roughly the Victorian era can be said to extend from early nineteenth century to early twentieth century.

  During that period of more than one century, many changes had happened and created new ideas, new lifestyles, new conditions, new phenomenon, and so on. Indeed, the Victorian era is well-known as an era which was full of progress or changes. Brown states that “English government was essentially modernized in the nineteenth century” (1985 : 78). Some of the things that had happened in the Victorian era could be considered positive, or in other words, brought improvement for the people in general. However, some other things that had happened in the Victorian era could be considered negative, or in other words, were detrimental for the people in general. Indeed, when discussing the topic of the Victorian era’s positive or negative characteristics, authors cited below did not directly mention the words “positive” or “negative”, but the nature of the characteristics can be seen from their description of the impact on the people in general, as discussed above.

a. Positive Characteristics of the Victorian Era England

  The positive characteristics of the Victorian era could be found in the government system, welfare system, political condition, and economic condition.

  The first positive characteristic could be found in the government system, namely system in the Victorian era consists of three elements. The first element was the Queen, who only had the rights to "confer peerages, insist on consultation about all issues, and dismiss ministers" (Brown, 1985: 83). The second element, the House of Lords, was comprised of bishops and “peers”, or aristocrats with hereditary titles. They were appointed because of their status instead of elected and they were "the most powerful men in the country in terms of wealth, social position, and political influence" (1985: 83). The third element, the House of Commons, was also comprised of aristocrats and their descendants (1985: 85).

  The Great Reform Act of 1832, which was described as “the single most compelling political event in the first half of the century” (Brown, 1985: 78), brought an important change in the government system. Before this act, common people did not have any right to vote. After the act, people with certain income had the right to vote for members in the House of Commons. This act resulted in the decreasing power of the aristocracy and the increasing participation of the middle class in the English government. Additionally, smaller areas would get few or no representatives while larger areas would get more representatives in the House of Commons, as explained in the quotation below.

  This act established that the vote would be given to householders in boroughs with premises rated (taxed) at £10 a year, to £-10 copyholders and long leaseholders, and to £50 leaseholders and tenants-at-will (who held land solely at the pleasure of the lessor) in the counties. … The act proposed that boroughs with a population of fewer than 2,000 households would lose both representatives; those with fewer than 4,000 would lose one or two representatives. (Brown, 1985: 87). Not only voting, but people from non-aristocrat background also started to gain access into the government, namely the House of Commons, during the Victorian era. As described by Brown, many businessmen were given titles that gave them equal level of status as the peers and many others gained titled through marriage with aristocrats’ descendants. Therefore, they could be elected to the House of Commons (1985: 17). Brown stated that “in 1865, three-quarters of the seats were taken up by landlords; by 1910, it had dropped to one-seventh” (1985: 17). It means that the six-seventh of the House of Commons was filled by people from non-aristocratic background.

  This condition can be considered positive because the government was no longer entirely exclusive, but started to be more inclusive to the general public.

  Power was no longer monopolized by the small group of the Royal Family and aristocrats. On the contrary, people outside the aristocracy could also now participate in electing part of the government.

  Another positive characteristic of the Victorian era, although very small, was found in the welfare system, namely the issuance of several laws related to welfare system, such as The Factory Act of 1833, which restricted children's working hours and assigned full time inspectors in factories, The Mines Act of 1842, which prohibited women and children from working in mines, Ten Hour Bill in 1847 that reduced children's working hours, and a law in 1870 that enforced the previous rules (Brown, 1985: 89) as well as the Public Health Act of 1848, which permitted local governments to act to improve unhealthy conditions, the law in 1866, which compelled local goverments to improve unhealthy conditions, and the founding of the Local Government Board that manages public applied universally in 1880 and all school fees were abolished in 1891, enabling poor children to receive education (Brantlinger and Thesing, 2002: 33-34).

  Indeed, the working class people’s condition remain mostly bad in this era. However, the emergence of these welfare-related laws could be considered positive because they became the foundation of better welfare support in the upcoming eras.

  The next positive characteristic of the Victorian era was found in the political condition at that time, namely in the phenomenon of Pax Britannica. Pax Britannica was a period of British Empire supremacy based on its naval power, which started after the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 (Seaman, 1973: 5). In that period, England was regarded as "the world’s unchallenged superpower" and London was gradually regarded "as Europe’s, and the world’s, most important city" (Bloom, 2004: 94).

  The phenomenon of Pax Britannica was strongly related to British imperialism. Because of its superpower status and its strong navy, Britain was able to get many colonies, and with the money from the colonies, Britain was able to get more and more colonies around the world. As stated by Seaman, “between 1871 and 1900 there were added to the British Colonial Empire around 66 million people and 4¼ million square miles” (1973: 332) and "one of the distinguishing features of Victoria’s reign was the ever-increasing scope of Empire" (1973: 3). As a result, British Empire grew at an impressive rate and enjoyed its prime during the Victorian era, as shown in the following quotations.

  English could state proudly that the sun never set on the British Empire. Add to this the dazzling technological progress and enormous wealth achieved during the Victorian period and the almost uninterrupted peace it enjoyed (disturbed by the Crimean War against Russia in 1854–56 and the Boer War in South Africa at the end of the century) and one can see why the idea of progress took hold of the Victorian mind (Bloom, 2004: 94).

  Although the act of colonialism itself was not positive from the moral point of view, England’s political condition at this era can be considered positive because not only were the people’s minds inspired with “the idea of progress” (2004: 94), but they were also able to gain much more money, power, resources, and prestige among other countries in the world.

  Lastly, another positive characteristic of the Victorian era was found in the economic condition, which was increasing significantly during the Victorian era. This increase was related to the industrialization process in that era, which Brown described as “the heyday of … industrial society” (Brown, 1985: xx). The society also changed “from agriculture to industry, from country to city” (1985: xx). It means that the society, which previously had been dominated by farming activities in the villages, started to adopt industrial activities and moved to the cities, as shown in the quotation below.

  At the end of the eighteenth century, the proportion of agricultural workers in the total labor force was two-fifths; in 1851, it was one-fifth; in 1881, it was one-eighth. Agriculture's share in the gross national product fell from 20% around 1850 to 6% around 1900 (Brown, 1985: 17). With more factories and more industrial activities, the production also increased. This increase was also related to urbanization, which made competition to get employment very harsh, as well as the negative characteristic of welfare system, which forced working-class labourers to accept any working condition in fear of being unemployed. With high production and low labour cost, the general result was an increase in the rich people’s income, as described below.

  The upper class was by no means impoverished by this decline, however, since its members long held investments in industry; as noted previously, they owned resources, like coal mines, whose cash value was determined by the new economy. From 1803 to 1867, the total income of the upper class went from £33 to £180 million as a result of investment and infiltration from the rich middle class (Brown, 1985: 17-18).

  This increase in economy was also related to the political condition. The British colonial governments were able to gain profit from commercial activities in all the colonies, such as trading, using resources in the colonies for the industry, exporting products from the new factories and importing goods from the colonies. Some colonies, such as India and the United States, became the sources of profit for Britain in the Victorian era. Seaman argued that "throughout the Victorian era it was the Indians who bore the cost of the British occupation and the British, militarily and financially, who benefited most from it" (1973: 348-349). This economic condition be considered positive because people felt that they were achieving so much progress and achievement during this era, as described below.