topics: |  graphic-novel | history | uk | dickens | anti-semitism

Jews in Nineteenth century London

This elegantly executed graphic novel focuses on the life of Fagin, the
fence in Dickens' Oliver Twist.  While depicting Fagin's childhood, Eisner
draws a fascinating portrait of the stereotypical life of a down-and-out
Jew in mid-19th century London. As a Middle-European Ashkienazim Jew, Fagin
grows up in the impoverished London streets, skirting the edge of the law.
The earlier waves of Jews who had come to London (after being expelled from
Portugal and Spain), the Sephardim, were of higher status and attended
English schools, while the Ashkenazim bought old clothes and junk and did
odd trades and went to Rabbinic schools.  Some of them were also
moneylenders.

It is revealed at the end that as a child, Fagin was like an adopted son to
a rich Jewish man who was running a school for poor Jewish children in
partnership with a gentile landlord.  However, he was expelled after he had
the temerity to fall in love with the landlord's daughter.  It was then
that he starts his tortuous trajectory to become a fence and lead a gang of
thieves and pickpockets.

Beyond Oliver Twist

After recounting the salient plot of Oliver Twist, the storyline moves
beyond it. Fagin is on death row after being sentenced, and Oliver comes
there to meet him, ande seek his help in recovering a locket that will
establish his legacy.  It turns out that Oliver is the illegitimate son of
a wealthy man, and is now an heir to a his estate.  In the epilogue, he
grows up to become a lawyer.

Will Eisner is a comic-book pioneer and has been widely praised for his
Spirit series; one of the leading Graphics novel prizes is named after
him. This book was born while he was researching Dickensian London for a
graphic version of Oliver Twist, when he felt sucked into that
world, especially the Jewish situation, which gave rise to widespread
prejudice (throughout, Dickens calls him "Fagin the Jew").  Eisner paints
him more sympathetically, and as a kind-hearted man at heart, willing to
help Oliver even on his last day on earth.  Fagin redeems himself in this
dialogue with Dickens about the latter's prejudice:

Fagin: Truth? Is referring to a man only by his race the Truth? or is "Jew"
as a word for criminal true?  Are there no gentile money lenders or sly
resceivers of suspect goods in London?  ... Artists and writers are
responsible for the endurance of bias... in this case against Jews.
Dickens: That is only an ARGUABLE case, Fagin!
Fagin: Hah! When you do describe a kind of criminal as a Jew, it makes my
case inarguable!  - AM Jan 09