Fagin
An etching by George Cruikshank titled Fagin in the condemned Cell, November 1838. George Cruikshank ( September 27, 1792 — February 1, 1878) was an English Caricaturist and book illustrator praised as
First appearance	Oliver Twist
Created by	Charles Dickens
Portrayed by	Lon Chaney, Sr. (1922), Alec Guinness (1948), Ron Moody (1968), Dom DeLuise (voice, 1988), Gary Farmer (2003), Ben Kingsley (2005), Timothy Spall (2007), Rowan Atkinson(2009)
Information
Gender	Male
Age	probably over 60 (claims to be an "old man")
Date of death	execution by hanging
Occupation	criminal
Address	London, England

Fagin (pronounced /ˈfeɪɡɪn/) is a fictional character who appears in the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist, referred to in the preface of the novel as "a receiver of stolen goods", but referred to more frequently within the actual story as "the merry old gentleman" or just "the Jew". Oliver Twist (1838 is Charles Dickens' second Novel. The book was originally published in Bentley's Miscellany as a serial Lon Chaney ( April 1 1883 &ndash August 26 1930) nicknamed " The Man of a Thousand Faces," was an American Sir Alec Guinness, CH, CBE (2 April 1914 &ndash 5 August 2000 was an English Actor. Ronald Moodnick, known as Ron Moody (born 8 January 1924) is a British Actor. Gary Dale Farmer (born June 12, 1953) is a Canadian actor Farmer was born in Ohsweken Ontario into the Cayuga nation and Wolf Sir Ben Kingsley, CBE (born 31 December, 1943) is an English Actor. Timothy Leonard Spall OBE (born 27 February 1957) is an English BAFTA award-nominated film stage and television Actor. Rowan Atkinson (born 6 January 1955 is an English Comedian, actor and writer famous for his title roles in the British television comedies Blackadder Oliver Twist (1838 is Charles Dickens' second Novel. The book was originally published in Bentley's Miscellany as a serial

Contents 1 Character 2 Historical basis 3 Antisemitism 4 Film and theatre 5 Popular culture 6 References 7 Footnotes 8 External links

Character

Described as "disgusting" to look at, Fagin is the leader of a group of children, the Artful Dodger among them, whom he teaches to make their livings by pickpocketing and other criminal activities in exchange for a roof over their heads. The Artful Dodger is a character in the Charles Dickens Novel Oliver Twist. This article is about the crime For the Robert Bresson film see Pickpocket (film. At the time of the novel, he is said by another character, Monks, to have already made criminals out of "scores" of children who grow up to live – or die – committing the same crimes as adults. "Twenty" redirects here For the village in England, see Twenty Lincolnshire. Bill Sikes, one of the major villains of the novel, is hinted to be one of Fagin's old pupils, and Nancy clearly was. William "Bill" Sikes is a Fictional character in the Novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens He is one of Dickens's Nancy is the sympathetic lover of Bill Sikes in the novel Oliver Twist, in its film versions and in the stage and film version of the musical Whilst portrayed as relatively humorous, he is nonetheless a self-confessed miser who, despite the amount he has acquired over the years from the work of others, does very little to improve the squalid lives of the children he takes in, allowing them to smoke pipes and drink gin "with the air of middle-aged men". A miser is a person who is reluctant to spend Money, sometimes to the point of forgoing even basic comforts A pipe is a tool used for Smoking. The designs of pipes vary considerably but for the most part they are reusable and consist of a chamber or bowl in which the substance to Gin is a spirit flavoured with Juniper berries. Distilled gin is made by redistilling white grain spirit which has been flavoured with juniper In the second chapter of his appearance, it is shown – albeit when talking to himself – that he cares less about those children who are eventually hanged for their crimes and more about the fact that they do not "peach" on him and the other children. Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death Still darker sides to the character's nature are shown in his attempted beating of Oliver for running away and allowing himself to be taken in by the kind man Mr. Brownlow, and in his own involvement with various plots and schemes throughout the story. Mr Brownlow is a character from the Novel, Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens. He could also be said to be indirectly responsible for Nancy's death, due to his informing Sikes – mistakenly – that she had betrayed him. Near the end of the book, Fagin is hanged following capture, in a chapter that portrays him as being pitiful in his anguish.

Historical basis

Dickens took Fagin's name from a friend he had known in his youth while working in a boot-blacking factory.

Fagin's character was based on the criminal Ikey Solomon, who was a fence at the center of a highly-publicised arrest, escape, recapture, and trial. Isaac (Ikey Solomon (1785-1850 was an English criminal who became an extremely successful receiver of stolen property In law enforcement a fence is an individual who knowingly buys stolen property for later resale in a (usually legitimate market Some accounts of Solomon also describe him as a London underworld "kidsman". London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. In the study of Mythology and Religion, the underworld (gr κάτω κόσμος) is a generic term approximately equivalent to the lay term Afterlife A kidsman was an adult who recruited children and trained them as pickpockets, exchanging food and shelter for goods the children stole.

Antisemitism

Fagin is noted for being one of the few Jewish characters of 19th century literature, let alone any of Dickens' pieces. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Fagin has been the subject of much debate over antisemitism. Antisemitism (alternatively spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism; also rarely known as judeophobia) is the Prejudice against or hostility In an introduction to a 1981 Bantam Books reissue of Oliver Twist, for example, Irving Howe wrote that Fagin was considered an "archetypical Jewish villain. Irving Howe ( June 11, 1920 &ndash May 5, 1993) was an American literary and social critic "

In later editions of the book printed during his lifetime, Dickens excised many (but not all) of the references to Fagin's Jewishness. ^[1] In his last completed novel, Our Mutual Friend, he included a favourable Jewish character, Mr. Our Mutual Friend (written in the years 1864–65 is the last novel completed by Charles Dickens and is in many ways one of his most sophisticated works combining Riah.

Dickens sold his London home to a Jewish banker, James Davis in 1860. "The purchaser of Tavistock House will be a Jew Money-Lender," he told a friend. Later he wrote "I must say that in all things the purchaser has behaved thoroughly well, and that I cannot call to mind any occasion when I have had moneydealings with anyone that has been so satisfactory, considerate and trusting. " Dickens was rather attached to his wife, Eliza Davis, who reproached him in a letter of 1863 for the "great wrong" he had committed in Oliver Twist. Two years later, Dickens created, in Our Mutual Friend, the noble character of Riah, an elderly Jew who finds jobs for downcast young women in Jewish-owned factories. "I think there cannot be kinder people in the world," exclaims one of the girls. "There is nothing but good will left between me and a People for whom I have a real regard and to whom I would not willfully have given an offence," wrote Dickens to Mrs Davis. He set about revising Oliver Twist in the light of her criticisms, removing almost all mention of "the Jew" from the last 15 chapters. In one of his final public readings in 1869, a year before his death, Dickens cleansed Fagin of stereotypical caricature. A contemporary report observed: "There is no nasal intonation; a bent back but no shoulder-shrug: the conventional attributes are omitted. "

The comic book creator Will Eisner, disturbed by the antisemitism in the typical depiction of the character, created a graphic novel in 2003 titled Fagin the Jew. A comic book (often shortened to simply comic and sometimes called a comic paper or comic magazine) is a Magazine or Book of narrative William Erwin Eisner ( March 6, 1917 – January 3, 2005) was an acclaimed American Comics Writer, Artist and Antisemitism (alternatively spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism; also rarely known as judeophobia) is the Prejudice against or hostility A Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Fagin the Jew is the title of a Graphic novel by Will Eisner (ISBN 0-385-51009-8 In this book, the back story of the character and events of Oliver Twist are depicted from his point of view. In Narratology, a back-story (also back story or backstory) is the history behind the situation extant at the start of the main story

Film and theatre

Numerous prominent actors have portrayed Fagin. In the 1922 film, Lon Chaney, Sr. played Fagin, while Alec Guinness performed the role in the 1948 film version directed by David Lean. Oliver Twist is a 1922 silent film adaptation of Charles Dickens ' Oliver Twist featuring Lon Chaney as Fagin Lon Chaney ( April 1 1883 &ndash August 26 1930) nicknamed " The Man of a Thousand Faces," was an American Sir Alec Guinness, CH, CBE (2 April 1914 &ndash 5 August 2000 was an English Actor. Oliver Twist ( 1948) is the second of David Lean 's two film adaptations of Charles Dickens novels Sir David Lean KBE ( 25 March, 1908 &ndash 16 April, 1991) was an English Film director and producer Ron Moody's portrayal in the musical Oliver! is recognisably influenced by Guinness' portrayal, as was Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley portrayal of Fagin in Roman Polanski's 2005 screen adaptation. Ronald Moodnick, known as Ron Moody (born 8 January 1924) is a British Actor. Oliver! is a British musical, with music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. Sir Ben Kingsley, CBE (born 31 December, 1943) is an English Actor. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In the 1985 miniseries, Fagin was portrayed by Eric Porter. In Disney's version, Oliver & Company (1988), Fagin is voiced by Dom DeLuise. Oliver & Company is a 1988 Animated feature Film in which a homeless kitten named Oliver joins a gang of dogs to survive on the 1980s New In the 2003 film Twist (a film loosely based on Dickens' Oliver Twist) Fagin is played by actor Gary Farmer. Twist is a film released in 2003 and is a retelling of Charles Dickens ' classic Novel. Oliver Twist (1838 is Charles Dickens' second Novel. The book was originally published in Bentley's Miscellany as a serial Gary Dale Farmer (born June 12, 1953) is a Canadian actor Farmer was born in Ohsweken Ontario into the Cayuga nation and Wolf In the 2007 BBC Television adaptation Fagin is played by Timothy Spall. Timothy Leonard Spall OBE (born 27 February 1957) is an English BAFTA award-nominated film stage and television Actor. In the musical, Fagin is portrayed much more favourably by Ron Moody, and escapes with the Artful Dodger at the end. Ronald Moodnick, known as Ron Moody (born 8 January 1924) is a British Actor.

On May 30th 2008, it was announced by Andrew Lloyd Weber and John Barrowman on Friday Night with Jonathon Ross that in the upcoming theatre production of Oliver!, Rowan Atkinson will play the character of Fagin. Andrew Lloyd Webber Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948 is a British Composer of Musical theatre, the elder son of William Lloyd Webber John Scot Barrowman (b 11 March 1967 is a Scottish Actor, musical performer, Dancer, Singer and Television presenter Jonathan Stephen Ross OBE (born 17 November 1960 in London, England) is a triple BAFTA -winning British Oliver! is a British musical, with music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. Rowan Atkinson (born 6 January 1955 is an English Comedian, actor and writer famous for his title roles in the British television comedies Blackadder

Popular culture

• In his Little Fuzzy novels, H. Beam Piper makes reference to the crime of "faginy": using minors or incompetents (in this case the Fuzzies themselves, extraterrestrials with no understanding that what they are doing is wrong) to commit crimes. Little Fuzzy is the name of a 1962 Science fiction novel by H Henry Beam Piper ( March 23, 1904 – c November 6, 1964) was an American Science fiction author The punishment for faginy is the same as for enslavement: death.

• In slang used largely among American criminals and gangsters, "fagin" became a commonly accepted label for an adult who teaches minors to steal and keeps a major portion of the loot.

References

• Howe, Irving. Selected Writings, 1950–1990. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, San Diego, New York, London, 1990

Footnotes

External links

• Fagin at the Internet Movie Database

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