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Oliver Twist
Charles Dickens

Oliver Twist

Charles Dickens
1837 London, England 53 chapters
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About This Book

Young Oliver Twist, born in a workhouse and raised in poverty, escapes to London where he falls into the hands of a gang of criminals. A powerful indictment of the Poor Laws and the treatment of children in Victorian England.

About the Author

Charles Dickens (1812–1870) drew on his own childhood experiences of poverty and hardship to create Oliver Twist, one of literature's most enduring portraits of innocence struggling against a cruel world.

Time & Place

Period: Early 19th century
Setting: London, England

✦ CHAPTERS
1 TREATS OF THE PLACE WHERE OLIVER TWIST WAS BORN AND OF THE 2 TREATS OF OLIVER TWIST’S GROWTH, EDUCATION, AND BOARD 3 RELATES HOW OLIVER TWIST WAS VERY NEAR GETTING A PLACE WHICH WOULD NOT 4 OLIVER, BEING OFFERED ANOTHER PLACE, MAKES HIS FIRST ENTRY INTO PUBLIC 5 OLIVER MINGLES WITH NEW ASSOCIATES. GOING TO A FUNERAL FOR THE FIRST 6 OLIVER, BEING GOADED BY THE TAUNTS OF NOAH, ROUSES INTO ACTION, AND 7 OLIVER CONTINUES REFRACTORY 8 OLIVER WALKS TO LONDON. HE ENCOUNTERS ON THE ROAD A STRANGE SORT OF 9 CONTAINING FURTHER PARTICULARS CONCERNING THE PLEASANT OLD GENTLEMAN, 10 OLIVER BECOMES BETTER ACQUAINTED WITH THE CHARACTERS OF HIS NEW 11 TREATS OF MR. FANG THE POLICE MAGISTRATE; AND FURNISHES A SLIGHT 12 IN WHICH OLIVER IS TAKEN BETTER CARE OF THAN HE EVER WAS BEFORE. AND IN 13 SOME NEW ACQUAINTANCES ARE INTRODUCED TO THE INTELLIGENT READER, 14 COMPRISING FURTHER PARTICULARS OF OLIVER’S STAY AT MR. BROWNLOW’S, WITH 15 SHOWING HOW VERY FOND OF OLIVER TWIST, THE MERRY OLD JEW AND MISS NANCY 16 RELATES WHAT BECAME OF OLIVER TWIST, AFTER HE HAD BEEN CLAIMED BY NANCY 17 OLIVER’S DESTINY CONTINUING UNPROPITIOUS, BRINGS A GREAT MAN TO LONDON 18 HOW OLIVER PASSED HIS TIME IN THE IMPROVING SOCIETY OF HIS REPUTABLE 19 IN WHICH A NOTABLE PLAN IS DISCUSSED AND DETERMINED ON 20 WHEREIN OLIVER IS DELIVERED OVER TO MR. WILLIAM SIKES 21 THE EXPEDITION 22 THE BURGLARY 23 WHICH CONTAINS THE SUBSTANCE OF A PLEASANT CONVERSATION BETWEEN MR. 24 TREATS ON A VERY POOR SUBJECT, BUT IS A SHORT ONE, AND MAY BE FOUND OF 25 WHEREIN THIS HISTORY REVERTS TO MR. FAGIN AND COMPANY 26 IN WHICH A MYSTERIOUS CHARACTER APPEARS UPON THE SCENE; AND MANY 27 ATONES FOR THE UNPOLITENESS OF A FORMER CHAPTER; WHICH DESERTED A LADY, 28 LOOKS AFTER OLIVER, AND PROCEEDS WITH HIS ADVENTURES 29 HAS AN INTRODUCTORY ACCOUNT OF THE INMATES OF THE HOUSE, TO WHICH 30 RELATES WHAT OLIVER’S NEW VISITORS THOUGHT OF HIM 31 INVOLVES A CRITICAL POSITION 32 OF THE HAPPY LIFE OLIVER BEGAN TO LEAD WITH HIS KIND FRIENDS 33 WHEREIN THE HAPPINESS OF OLIVER AND HIS FRIENDS, EXPERIENCES A SUDDEN 34 CONTAINS SOME INTRODUCTORY PARTICULARS RELATIVE TO A YOUNG GENTLEMAN 35 CONTAINING THE UNSATISFACTORY RESULT OF OLIVER’S ADVENTURE; AND A 36 IS A VERY SHORT ONE, AND MAY APPEAR OF NO GREAT IMPORTANCE IN ITS 37 IN WHICH THE READER MAY PERCEIVE A CONTRAST, NOT UNCOMMON IN 38 CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF WHAT PASSED BETWEEN MR. AND MRS. BUMBLE, AND 39 INTRODUCES SOME RESPECTABLE CHARACTERS WITH WHOM THE READER IS ALREADY 40 A STRANGE INTERVIEW, WHICH IS A SEQUEL TO THE LAST CHAMBER 41 CONTAINING FRESH DISCOVERIES, AND SHOWING THAT SUPRISES, LIKE 42 AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE OF OLIVER’S, EXHIBITING DECIDED MARKS OF GENIUS, 43 WHEREIN IS SHOWN HOW THE ARTFUL DODGER GOT INTO TROUBLE 44 THE TIME ARRIVES FOR NANCY TO REDEEM HER PLEDGE TO ROSE MAYLIE. SHE 45 NOAH CLAYPOLE IS EMPLOYED BY FAGIN ON A SECRET MISSION 46 THE APPOINTMENT KEPT 47 FATAL CONSEQUENCES 48 THE FLIGHT OF SIKES 49 MONKS AND MR. BROWNLOW AT LENGTH MEET. THEIR CONVERSATION, AND THE 50 THE PURSUIT AND ESCAPE 51 AFFORDING AN EXPLANATION OF MORE MYSTERIES THAN ONE, AND COMPREHENDING 52 FAGIN’S LAST NIGHT ALIVE 53 AND LAST