the adventures of oliver twist abridged charles dickens

Here he meets the Artful Dodger, who with the offer of food and lodging lures Oliver to the lair of Fagin, head of a band of pickpockets. It satirises the social inequalities of the day, raising awareness amongst its readers of issues such as child exploitation and the living standards of the poor.Įxpelled from the workhouse for having had the temerity to ask for more gruel, Oliver is placed as an apprentice to an undertaker, but is mistreated and runs away to London. It follows its central character, an orphan, from the workhouse via temptations of a life of crime to eventual salvation. Published in instalments between 18, Oliver Twist was Dickens’s second novel. He died at the age of 58 after suffering a stroke, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. He lobbied for reforms in education, the treatment of children, and other elements of social policy. He was also well-known for his philanthropy, (for example in his support for Great Ormond Street hospital), and for his social commentary about the issues of the day. Dickens went on to be one of the most celebrated and influential writers of the Victorian period, travelling widely giving readings of his work. Oliver Twist was one of his earliest novels. From these sketches he progressed to writing short stories, and later novels – these tended to be published in instalments via the periodicals, which allowed him to adjust the plot as he went along, based on the reaction of readers.

On reaching adulthood Dickens worked as a legal clerk, and later as a journalist writing political “sketches” for newspapers and periodicals. His experience of the poor conditions endured there by the child labourers was to inform his later writings such as Oliver Twist. However, at the age of 11, his father’s spiralling debts meant that young Charles was sent to work in a London factory. His family moved to Chatham in Kent when he was 4 and he enjoyed a comfortable childhood. Charles Dickens was born in Hampshire, the son of a clerk.

The adventures of oliver twist abridged charles dickens