Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress, is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. It was originally published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. The story follows the titular orphan, who, after being raised in a workhouse, escapes to London, where he meets a gang of juvenile pickpockets led by the elderly criminal Fagin, discovers the secrets of his parentage, and reconnects with his remaining family. Oliver Twist unromantically portrays the sordid lives of criminals, and exposes the cruel treatment of the many orphans in London in the mid-19th century.[2] 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 painter William Hogarth, A Rake's Progress and A Harlot's Progress. In an early example of the social novel, Dickens satirises child labour, domestic violence, 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
Themes & atmosphere
What you might want to know about Oliver Twist
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Born in a workhouse and raised on gruel, Oliver Twist runs away to London and falls in with the Artful Dodger, who introduces him to Fagin and his band of child pickpockets. The novel walks Oliver through the city's underside.
Yes. Oliver Twist was serialized from 1837 to 1839 and is in the public domain. Free editions are available legally through Project Gutenberg, Standard Ebooks, and similar archives.
Yes, many times. Notable adaptations include David Lean's 1948 film, the 1968 Oliver! musical (which won the Academy Award for Best Picture), Roman Polanski's 2005 film, and a BBC miniseries. Each takes a different approach.
Oliver Twist is 414 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Oliver Twist takes most readers 6 to 9 hours to finish.
Oliver Twist is a standalone novel by an unknown author, not part of a series.
Oliver Twist is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.