Oliver Twist The alternative title, "The Parish Boy's Progress", alludes to Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's Progress", as well as the 18th-century caricature series by William Hogarth, "A Rake's Progress" and "A Harlot's Progress". In this early example of the social novel, Dickens satirises the hypocrisies of his time, including child labour, the recruitment of children as criminals, and the presence of street children. The novel may have been inspired by the story of Robert Blincoe, an orphan whose account of working as a child labourer in a cotton mill was widely read in the 1830s. It is likely that Dickens's own youthful experiences
Boy Culture (novel) Theatre Productions. Boy Culture (novel) Boy Culture is a 1995 novel by Matthew Rettenmund. It centers on a call boy in the city of Chicago, Illinois and his two roommates. The protagonist goes by X throughout the book in order to maintain his anonymity. In 2006, it was adapted into a movie by filmmaker Q. Allan Brocka, starring Patrick Bauchau, Darryl Stephens, Emily Stiles, and newcomer Derek Magyar as "X". Award Nominated writers Craig Hepworth and Adele Stanhope are adapting the novel to the stage, Boy Culture the play will open August 2012 in Manchester, UK and will be produced