Our understanding of the contemporary reception of Oliver Twist derives from its early press reviews, the frequency with which extracts from it appeared in public journals, and the speed with which imitations and stage adaptations of it emerged (Tillotson 398–400; Chittick 107–21; Paroissien (Bibliography) 51–54, 97–109; Kaplan 399–415; John 51–62). Scattered references to it in letters, diaries and other literary works are also indications of the interest it generated (Tillotson 399–400, Paroissien (Bibliography) 121–24). An additional manifestation of its early impact, however, has gone largely unnoticed. Gratuitous references to the novel and its characters began appearing in newspaper stories. These allusions, disparate, slight and ephemeral in themselves, suggest the rapid assimilation of images contained in Oliver into the public psyche. Dickens’s work was published as a serial in Bentley’s Miscellany between February 1837 and April 1839, and the earliest editions of the completed novel appeared in November and December 1838, October 1839 and March 1840 (Tillotson xlviii–li). The allusions presented here appeared between 1837 and 1840, at a time when its earliest readers were encountering the novel.1

中文翻译：

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Oliver Twist 的早期比喻

我们对奥利弗·特威斯特 (Oliver Twist) 的当代接受程度的理解源于其早期的新闻评论、其摘录出现在公共期刊上的频率以及模仿和舞台改编出现的速度 (Tillotson 398-400; Chittick 107-21 ；Paroissien（参考书目）51-54、97-109；卡普兰 399-415；约翰 51-62）。信件、日记和其他文学作品中对它的零散引用也表明它引起了人们的兴趣（Tillotson 399-400，Paroissien（参考书目）121-24）。然而，其早期影响的另一种表现在很大程度上没有引起人们的注意。对小说及其人物的无端提及开始出现在报纸故事中。这些不同的、轻微的和短暂的典故本身表明，奥利弗所包含的形象正在迅速融入公众的心理。狄更斯的作品在 1837 年 2 月至 1839 年 4 月间作为连载在本特利的《杂记》中出版，已完成小说的最早版本出现在 1838 年 11 月和 12 月、1839 年 10 月和 1840 年 3 月（Tillotson xlviii-li）。这里展示的典故出现在 1837 年至 1840 年之间，当时最早的读者接触到这部小说。 1