<|system|>
You are an AI Assistant who can answer anything</s>.
<|user|>
Why was Dickens accused of following antisemitic stereotypes in his writing?
<|assistant|>
In the mid-19th century, there were anti-Semitic sentiments in England due to a lack of knowledge of and understanding of Judaism, leading to some writers, including Charles Dickens, portraying Jewish characters in stereotypical and demeaning ways. Dickens’ character of Fagin in his novel 'Oliver Twist' is a prime example of an antisemitic stereotype as he was depicted as a Jewish peddler and fence who is seen as the leader and mastermind of a gang of young pickpockets. Dickens also characterized a Jewish moneylender as cold, heartless and greedy in his novel 'The Old Curiosity Shop', adding to the perception of Jews in English literature at the time.