Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (Book Analysis) E-Book

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• Herausgeber: BrightSummaries.com
• Kategorie: Bildung
• Serie: BrightSummaries.com
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 18

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Beschreibung

Unlock the more straightforward side of Oliver Twist with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!

This engaging summary presents an analysis of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, which is still a classic of English literature today. This gripping novel tells the story of a good-hearted orphan whose fate is in the hands of untrustworthy people and he has to quickly learn how to survive in London, dodging criminals and police alike. The novel is renowned for its truthful portrayal of the cruel treatment of orphans during the mid-19th century and Dickens criticises child labour and describes the plight of street children. Oliver Twist has since been turned into a musical, which has been performed on Broadway and in the West End, as well as a multi-Academy Award winning film starring Ron Moody. 

Find out everything you need to know about Oliver Twist in a fraction of the time!

This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you:
• A complete plot summary
• Character studies
• Key themes and symbols
• Questions for further reflection

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Leseprobe

Charles Dickens

British novelist

Born in Portsmouth (England) in 1812Died near Rochester in 1872Notable works:A Christmas Carol (1843), novelDavid Copperfield (1849), novelGreat Expectations (1861), novel

Born in 1812, Charles Dickens was a British author. His novels, which belong to canonical literature, often depict the society of his time and denounce the injustices undergone by the poor and vulnerable people. They often focus on a character who had a sad childhood and who, through his courage and tenacity, manages to escape his miserable condition and become a respectable adult, like in David Copperfield (1849) and Great Expectations (1861).

Oliver Twist

A classic of British literature

Genre: novelReference edition: Dickens, C. (2008) Oliver Twist. Oxford: Oxford University Press.First edition: 1837Themes: orphancy, delinquency, injustice, irony, poverty, London

First released as a serial in a magazine, Oliver Twist was published in 1837. It was Dickens’ second novel and tells the adventures of the eponymous hero who, an orphan at birth and mistreated during his childhood, joins a group of young pickpockets in London. The story slowly takes the form of an investigation, as it gradually becomes clear that Oliver is being kept in poverty by a group of ill-intentioned people who want to deprive him of his inheritance.

Nowadays, Oliver Twist is considered a classic of British literature and is read all over the world.

Summary

The author’s preface

Charles Dickens explains his intentions: he wishes the novel to “be a service to society” and to tell the “stern and plain truth”: in showing the horror of the life of a thief, he wants to bypass appearances and show that this kind of existence is not the result of the people’s nature, but rather of the way society treats the weakest people.

The novel is divided into 53 chapters, which have been regrouped in this summary according to the stages of Oliver’s life, in order to be as clear as possible.