Oliver Twist (Masterplots, Revised Second Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Charles Dickens
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Social realism
- Time of Work: Early nineteenth century
- Setting: England, especially London
- Principal Characters: Oliver Twist, Mr. Brownlow, Mrs. Maylie, Rose Maylie, Fagin, Bill Sikes, Nancy, Monks (Edward Leeford), Bumble
- Genres: Long fiction, Social realism, Bildungsroman
- Subjects: Maturation or coming of age, Love or romance, Crime or criminals, Murder or homicide, Nineteenth century, Gangs, youth, Poverty or poor people, Child abuse, Inner cities or inner-city life, England or English people, Robbery or robbers, Adoption or adopted children, London, Corruption, Theft, Orphans or orphanages, Labor, Boys
- Locales: London, England
The Story:
Oliver Twist was born in the lying-in room of a parochial workhouse about seventy-five miles north of London. His mother, whose name was unknown, had been found unconscious by the roadside, exhausted by a long journey on foot; she died leaving a locket and a ring as the only tokens of her child’s identity. These were stolen by old Sally, a pauper present at her death.
Oliver owed his name to Bumble, the parish beadle and a bullying official of the workhouse, who always named his unknown orphans in the order of an alphabetical system he had devised. Twist was...
[The entire page is 3231 words long]
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