What the dickens! “Oliver Twist” a horror novel?

I’ve just started reading Charles Dickens’ classic Oliver Twist (yet again!) and an unworthy – nay, evil – thought soon entered my mind. We have always been told, or have believed, it is either mainstream or literary fiction, but is it really a disguised form of horror written with more intelligence and subtlety?

So let’s start with the basics. What exactly constitutes a horror novel?

First, and most obviously, fear. There’s certainly plenty of that in Oliver Twist, especially at the beginning: just consider (weak pun from the musical Oliver! intended) Oliver’s solitary confinement for the heinous crime of asking for more food; all the tribulations of his trek to London to seek his fortune; and the terror he feels when arrested for pickpocketing.

Secondly, sadness (especially loneliness) often pervades horror stories and Oliver certainly feels lonely at the beginning.

Thirdly, horror novels often have a strong dose of the disgusting about them, particularly those, in my experience, by Stephen King and James Herbert. Does Oliver Twist have this? Well, what about the squalor and decay of Fagin’s home: “The street was very narrow and muddy, and the air was impregnated with filthy odours”, “... the dark and broken stairs” and “The walls and ceiling were perfectly black with age and dirt.”?

Finally, horror novels often include nightmares, which poor Oliver experiences, and events that could be supernatural. For instance, Oliver dreams that he sees Fagin at the window (when the boy is living with Mrs Maylie), but Fagin vanishes with improbable speed and without leaving a trace of his presence.

So, to recap, Oliver Twist, contains many – if not all – of the elements of horror, but it just doesn’t feel like horror. Since, as so often in life, the whole is more than the sum of the parts, I’m going to risk cries of irritation and exasperation (if there’s anyone left in the class, that is!) and say that, after all, Oliver Twist is mainstream (or literary, if you prefer that term) fiction. It is a hybrid.

In fact, it’s something that can’t be pinned down – like the dreaded monster in many a horror film (or novel) that just won’t die, no matter how many times you shoot it or run it over or burn it with a flame-thrower. Rather appropriate, really.