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Oliver Twist

Charles Dickens (1812–1870)

53 chapters and parts · about 13 hours to read

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What the book is about

"Oliver Twist" by Charles Dickens is a novel originally published as a serial from 1837 to 1839. The story follows orphan Oliver Twist, who escapes a workhouse and finds himself in London among a gang of juvenile pickpockets led by the criminal Fagin. As Oliver navigates this dangerous underworld, mysteries surrounding his parentage begin to surface. Dickens exposes the cruel treatment of orphans and the sordid lives of criminals in mid-19th century England, creating an early social novel that satirizes child labor and exploitation.

This summary comes from the Project Gutenberg catalogue, where it was written automatically.

  • Bildungsromans
  • Boys
  • Criminals
  • Kidnapping victims
  • London (England)

Chapters

  1. Opening pagesabout 4 minutes
  2. Chapter ITreats of the Place Where Oliver Twist Was Born and of the Circumstances Attending His Birthabout 5 minutes
  3. Chapter IITreats of Oliver Twist’s Growth, Education, and Boardabout 20 minutes
  4. Chapter IIIRelates How Oliver Twist Was Very Near Getting a Place Which Would Not Have Been a Sinecureabout 15 minutes
  5. Chapter IVOliver, Being Offered Another Place, Makes His First Entry into Public Lifeabout 13 minutes
  6. Chapter VOliver Mingles with New Associates. Going to a Funeral for the First Time, He Forms an Unfavourable Notion of His Master’s Businessabout 20 minutes
  7. Chapter VIOliver, Being Goaded by the Taunts of Noah, Rouses into Action, and Rather Astonishes Himabout 9 minutes
  8. Chapter VIIOliver Continues Refractoryabout 12 minutes
  9. Chapter VIIIOliver Walks to London. He Encounters on the Road a Strange Sort of Young Gentlemanabout 16 minutes
  10. Chapter IXContaining Further Particulars Concerning the Pleasant Old Gentleman, and His Hopeful Pupilsabout 12 minutes
  11. Chapter XOliver Becomes Better Acquainted with the Characters of His New Associates; and Purchases Experience at a High Price. Being a Short, but Very Important Chapter, in This Historyabout 9 minutes
  12. Chapter XITreats of Mr. Fang the Police Magistrate; and Furnishes a Slight Specimen of His Mode of Administering Justiceabout 13 minutes
  13. Chapter XIIIn Which Oliver Is Taken Better Care of Than He Ever Was Before. and in Which the Narrative Reverts to the Merry Old Gentleman and His Youthful Friendsabout 17 minutes
  14. Chapter XIIISome New Acquaintances Are Introduced to the Intelligent Reader, Connected with Whom Various Pleasant Matters Are Related, Appertaining to This Historyabout 14 minutes
  15. Chapter XIVComprising Further Particulars of Oliver’s Stay at Mr. Brownlow’s, with the Remarkable Prediction Which One Mr. Grimwig Uttered Concerning Him, When He Went Out on an Errandabout 20 minutes
  16. Chapter XVShowing How Very Fond of Oliver Twist, the Merry Old Jew and Miss Nancy Wereabout 12 minutes
  17. Chapter XVIRelates What Became of Oliver Twist, After He Had Been Claimed by Nancyabout 18 minutes
  18. Chapter XVIIOliver’s Destiny Continuing Unpropitious, Brings a Great Man to London to Injure His Reputationabout 16 minutes
  19. Chapter XVIIIHow Oliver Passed His Time in the Improving Society of His Reputable Friendsabout 15 minutes
  20. Chapter XIXIn Which a Notable Plan Is Discussed and Determined onabout 17 minutes
  21. Chapter XXWherein Oliver Is Delivered Over to Mr. William Sikesabout 15 minutes
  22. Chapter XXIThe Expeditionabout 11 minutes
  23. Chapter XXIIThe Burglaryabout 12 minutes
  24. Chapter XXIIIWhich Contains the Substance of a Pleasant Conversation Between Mr. Bumble and a Lady; and Shows That Even a Beadle May Be Susceptible on Some Pointsabout 13 minutes
  25. Chapter XXIVTreats on a Very Poor Subject, but Is a Short One, and May Be Found of Importance in This Historyabout 10 minutes
  26. Chapter XXVWherein This History Reverts to Mr. Fagin and Companyabout 11 minutes
  27. Chapter XXVIIn Which a Mysterious Character Appears upon the Scene; and Many Things, Inseparable from This History, Are Done and Performedabout 22 minutes
  28. Chapter XXVIIAtones for the Unpoliteness of a Former Chapter; Which Deserted a Lady, Most Unceremoniouslyabout 12 minutes
  29. Chapter XXVIIILooks After Oliver, and Proceeds with His Adventuresabout 17 minutes
  30. Chapter XXIXHas an Introductory Account of the Inmates of the House, to Which Oliver Resortedabout 7 minutes
Show all 53 chapters and parts
  1. Chapter XXXRelates What Oliver’s New Visitors Thought of Himabout 12 minutes
  2. Chapter XXXIInvolves a Critical Positionabout 20 minutes
  3. Chapter XXXIIOf the Happy Life Oliver Began to Lead with His Kind Friendsabout 17 minutes
  4. Chapter XXXIIIWherein the Happiness of Oliver and His Friends, Experiences a Sudden Checkabout 16 minutes
  5. Chapter XXXIVContains Some Introductory Particulars Relative to a Young Gentleman Who Now Arrives upon the Scene; and a New Adventure Which Happened to Oliverabout 18 minutes
  6. Chapter XXXVContaining the Unsatisfactory Result of Oliver’s Adventure; and a Conversation of Some Importance Between Harry Maylie and Roseabout 19 minutes
  7. Chapter XXXVIIIn Which the Reader May Perceive a Contrast, Not Uncommon in Matrimonial Casesabout 18 minutes
  8. Chapter XXXVIIIContaining an Account of What Passed Between Mr. and Mrs. Bumble, and Mr. Monks, at Their Nocturnal Interviewabout 18 minutes
  9. Chapter XXXIXIntroduces Some Respectable Characters with Whom the Reader Is Already Acquainted, and Shows How Monks and the Jew Laid Their Worthy Heads Togetherabout 26 minutes
  10. Chapter XLA Strange Interview, Which Is a Sequel to the Last Chamberabout 13 minutes
  11. Chapter XLIContaining Fresh Discoveries, and Showing That Suprises, Like Misfortunes, Seldom Come Aloneabout 18 minutes
  12. Chapter XLIIAn Old Acquaintance of Oliver’s, Exhibiting Decided Marks of Genius, Becomes a Public Character in the Metropolisabout 18 minutes
  13. Chapter XLIIIWherein Is Shown How the Artful Dodger Got into Troubleabout 19 minutes
  14. Chapter XLIVThe Time Arrives for Nancy to Redeem Her Pledge to Rose Maylie. She Failsabout 12 minutes
  15. Chapter XLVNoah Claypole Is Employed by Fagin on a Secret Missionabout 6 minutes
  16. Chapter XLVIThe Appointment Keptabout 18 minutes
  17. Chapter XLVIIFatal Consequencesabout 12 minutes
  18. Chapter XLVIIIThe Flight of Sikesabout 17 minutes
  19. Chapter XLIXMonks and Mr. Brownlow at Length Meet. Their Conversation, and the Intelligence That Interrupts Itabout 18 minutes
  20. Chapter LThe Pursuit and Escapeabout 21 minutes
  21. Chapter LIAffording an Explanation of More Mysteries Than One, and Comprehending a Proposal of Marriage with No Word of Settlement or Pin-Moneyabout 24 minutes
  22. Chapter LIIFagin’s Last Night Aliveabout 16 minutes
  23. Chapter LIIIAnd Lastabout 8 minutes

Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens, is in the public domain in the United States. Text from Project Gutenberg, eBook #730, with thanks. Sureno removed Project Gutenberg's header and licence and set the text in large print; this is not an official Project Gutenberg edition. Outside the United States, check your own country's copyright rules before copying it.

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