Magazine Day in the 1820’s is equivalent to us, today, waiting for the newest blockbuster film to come out (Star Wars, Harry Potter, Avengers, etc.). While we are in anticipation as to what will happen to our beloved characters and the dramatic shifts in the story lines, so were the people of England during the era of periodicals and magazines. Waiting for the monthly installment of magazines was regarded to be a wait of high anticipation. During this period, Charles Dickens was one of the authors who seemed to thrive while writing his novels in installments, instead of all at once. According to Michelle Allen Emerson, “it is unlikely, however, that Magazine Day would have become as culturally central as it did without Dickens’s unrivalled success with the monthly serial form”.

Oliver Twist, written by Dickens, was published in periodicals. You can see the ways that Dickens was able to captivate his audience and leave them in suspense. Throughout Oliver Twist, Oliver is put in many different situations, all of which leave the reader wondering what is going to end up happening to the poor boy: will he ever be able to leave behind the life of poverty and crime? By continuing with this writing style, Dickens is able to keep his readers coming back for more, with each new publication. While the prolonged anticipation not only brought about a greater excitement for the story line, it also brought about a greater pay check for the author.

Through these monthly installments, a literary culture emerged. Everyone had access to these stories thanks to the means of publication- the magazines were quite inexpensive. Not only was access great, but everyone was reading the same thing and at the same time due to publication. This brought about a unity. The themes and experiences inside Oliver Twist were explored by all. This makes the character of Fagin that much more interesting. The negativity associated with him being a Jew, reached everyone. Were prejudices even more integrated into peoples’ minds due to this pessimistic view of one person being a Jew? People didn’t uproar in disapproval of this portrayal, so obviously it was a stereotype that was already accepted by society. It also emphasizes the way Dickens portrayed the poor houses and the treatment of the poor. He satirically was criticizing all who allow this poor treatment to happen, knowing that it would reach the masses. Through this process of knowing everyone will be reading your writing, and all at the same time, an author can truly have an effect upon society through their readers. Or maybe, that is just me being insanely optimistic. However, I still feel it was possible.