Oliver Twist

Charles Dickens

Description

”The greatest writer of his time.”-Edmund Wilson

“One of the great poets of the novel, a genius of his art”-Edgar Johnson

”In Oliver Twist …Dickens attacked English institutions with a ferocity that has never since been approached.”-George Orwell

With an incredible cast of characters, and an unvarnished portrayal of the early 1800’s criminal underbelly in Victorian London, Dicken’s second novel is an unforgettable masterpiece of the English language. Oliver Twist begins in a workhouse north of London where a young orphan named Oliver lives a brutal and impoverished life, and is subjected to a series of torments as he is handed off to an undertaker to work as a mourner at funerals. After a succession of maltreatments, Oliver runs away to London for a better life.

In London, Oliver unwittingly falls into company of a gang of juvenile pickpockets who are under the spell of the sinister criminal Fagin and makes his home with them. Oliver is mistakenly accused of pickpocketing an older gentleman named Mr. Brownlow and arrested. In the ensuing trial Mr. Brownlow recognizes that Oliver was indeed innocent of the crime and takes him into care at his residence. Just as it appears that his life has improved Oliver is accosted back into the world of Fagin and his band of young miscreants. In the ensuing twists of fate, a great mystery is revealed, and Oliver finally fulfills his retribution.

With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Oliver Twist is both modern and readable.

Sujets

• Charles Dickens
• Classics
• Fiction
• London

Informations

• Publié par: Mint Editions
• Date de parution: 28 juillet 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 17
• EAN13: 9781513265612
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Oliver Twist
Charles Dickens
 
Oliver Twist was first published in 1838.
This edition published by Mint Editions 2020.
ISBN 9781513264936 | E-ISBN 9781513265612
Published by Mint Editions®

minteditionbooks.com
Publishing Director: Jennifer Newens
Project Manager: Gabrielle Maudiere
Design & Production: Rachel Lopez Metzger
 
C ONTENTS   I.  T REATS OF THE P LACE W HERE O LIVER T WIST WAS B ORN AND OF THE C IRCUMSTANCES A TTENDING HIS B IRTH   II.  T REATS OF O LIVER T WIST ’ S G ROWTH , E DUCATION , AND B OARD   III.  R ELATES H OW O LIVER T WIST WAS V ERY N EAR G ETTING A P LACE W HICH WOULD NOT H AVE B EEN A S INECURE   IV.  O LIVER , B EING O FFERED ANOTHER P LACE , M AKES HIS F IRST E NTRY INTO P UBLIC L IFE   V.  O LIVER M INGLES WITH N EW A SSOCIATES . G OING TO A F UNERAL FOR THE F IRST T IME , H E F ORMS AN U NFAVOURABLE N OTION OF H IS M ASTER ’ S B USINESS   VI.  O LIVER , B EING G OADED BY THE T AUNTS OF N OAH , R OUSES INTO A CTION , AND R ATHER A STONISHES H IM   VII.  O LIVER C ONTINUES R EFRACTORY   VIII.  O LIVER W ALKS TO L ONDON . H E E NCOUNTERS ON THE R OAD A S TRANGE S ORT OF Y OUNG G ENTLEMAN   IX.  C ONTAINING F URTHER P ARTICULARS C ONCERNING THE P LEASANT O LD G ENTLEMAN , AND HIS H OPEFUL P UPILS   X.  O LIVER B ECOMES B ETTER A CQUAINTED WITH THE C HARACTERS OF H IS N EW A SSOCIATES ; AND P URCHASES E XPERIENCE AT A H IGH P RICE . B EING A S HORT , B UT V ERY I MPORTANT C HAPTER , IN THIS H ISTORY   XI.  T REATS OF M R . F ANG THE P OLICE M AGISTRATE ; AND F URNISHES A S LIGHT S PECIMEN OF H IS M ODE OF A DMINISTERING J USTICE   XII.  I N W HICH O LIVER IS T AKEN B ETTER C ARE OF THAN HE EVER WAS BEFORE . A ND IN W HICH THE N ARRATIVE R EVERTS TO T HE M ERRY O LD G ENTLEMAN AND HIS Y OUTHFUL F RIENDS   XIII.  S OME N EW A CQUAINTANCES ARE I NTRODUCED TO THE I NTELLIGENT R EADER , C ONNECTED WITH W HOM V ARIOUS P LEASANT M ATTERS ARE R ELATED , A PPERTAINING TO THIS H ISTORY   XIV.  C OMPRISING F URTHER P ARTICULARS OF O LIVER ’ S S TAY AT M R . B ROWNLOW ’ S , WITH THE R EMARKABLE P REDICTION W HICH ONE M R . G RIMWIG U TTERED C ONCERNING HIM , W HEN HE WENT OUT ON AN E RRAND   XV.  S HOWING H OW V ERY F OND OF O LIVER T WIST , T HE M ERRY O LD J EW AND M ISS N ANCY W ERE   XVI.  R ELATES W HAT B ECAME OF O LIVER T WIST , AFTER HE HAD BEEN C LAIMED BY N ANCY   XVII.  O LIVER ’ S D ESTINY C ONTINUING U NPROPITIOUS , B RINGS A G REAT M AN TO L ONDON TO I NJURE HIS R EPUTATION   XVIII.  H OW O LIVER P ASSED HIS T IME IN THE I MPROVING S OCIETY OF HIS R EPUTABLE F RIENDS   XIX.  I N W HICH A N OTABLE P LAN IS D ISCUSSED AND D ETERMINED ON   XX.  W HEREIN O LIVER IS D ELIVERED O VER TO M R . W ILLIAM S IKES   XXI.  T HE E XPEDITION   XXII.  T HE B URGLARY   XXIII.  W HICH C ONTAINS THE S UBSTANCE OF A P LEASANT C ONVERSATION B ETWEEN M R . B UMBLE AND A L ADY ; AND S HOWS THAT E VEN A B EADLE M AY BE S USCEPTIBLE ON S OME P OINTS   XXIV.  T REATS ON A V ERY P OOR S UBJECT . B UT IS A S HORT O NE , AND M AY BE F OUND OF I MPORTANCE IN THIS H ISTORY   XXV.  W HEREIN T HIS H ISTORY R EVERTS TO M R . F AGIN AND C OMPANY   XXVI.  I N W HICH A M YSTERIOUS C HARACTER A PPEARS UPON THE S CENE ; AND M ANY T HINGS , I NSEPARABLE FROM THIS H ISTORY , ARE DONE AND P ERFORMED   XXVII.  A TONES FOR THE U NPOLITENESS OF A F ORMER C HAPTER ; W HICH D ESERTED A L ADY , M OST U NCEREMONIOUSLY   XXVIII.  L OOKS AFTER O LIVER , AND P ROCEEDS WITH HIS A DVENTURES   XXIX.  H AS AN I NTRODUCTORY A CCOUNT OF THE I NMATES OF THE H OUSE , TO W HICH O LIVER R ESORTED   XXX.  R ELATES W HAT O LIVER ’ S N EW V ISITORS T HOUGHT OF H IM   XXXI.  I NVOLVES A C RITICAL P OSITION   XXXII.  O F THE H APPY L IFE O LIVER B EGAN TO L EAD WITH HIS K IND F RIENDS   XXXIII.  W HEREIN THE H APPINESS OF O LIVER AND HIS F RIENDS , E XPERIENCES A S UDDEN C HECK   XXXIV.  C ONTAINS S OME I NTRODUCTORY P ARTICULARS R ELATIVE TO A Y OUNG G ENTLEMAN W HO NOW A RRIVES U PON THE S CENE ; AND A N EW A DVENTURE W HICH H APPENED TO O LIVER   XXXV.  C ONTAINING THE U NSATISFACTORY R ESULT OF O LIVER ’ S A DVENTURE ; AND A C ONVERSATION OF S OME I MPORTANCE BETWEEN H ARRY M AYLIE AND R OSE   XXXVI.  I S A V ERY S HORT O NE , AND M AY A PPEAR OF NO G REAT I MPORTANCE IN ITS P LACE , BUT IT S HOULD BE R EAD N OTWITHSTANDING , AS A S EQUEL TO THE L AST , AND A K EY TO ONE THAT WILL F OLLOW W HEN ITS T IME A RRIVES   XXXVII.  I N W HICH THE R EADER M AY P ERCEIVE A C ONTRAST , N OT U NCOMMON IN M ATRIMONIAL C ASES   XXXVIII.  C ONTAINING AN A CCOUNT OF W HAT P ASSED B ETWEEN M R . AND M RS . B UMBLE , AND M R . M ONKS , AT THEIR N OCTURNAL I NTERVIEW   XXXIX.  I NTRODUCES S OME R ESPECTABLE C HARACTERS WITH W HOM THE R EADER IS ALREADY A CQUAINTED , AND SHOWS H OW M ONKS AND THE J EW L AID THEIR W ORTHY H EADS T OGETHER   XL.  A S TRANGE I NTERVIEW , W HICH IS A S EQUEL TO THE L AST C HAMBER   XLI.  C ONTAINING F RESH D ISCOVERIES , AND S HOWING THAT S UPRISES , L IKE M ISFORTUNES , S ELDOM C OME A LONE   XLII.  A N O LD A CQUAINTANCE OF O LIVER ’ S , E XHIBITING D ECIDED M ARKS OF G ENIUS , B ECOMES A P UBLIC C HARACTER IN THE M ETROPOLIS   XLIII.  W HEREIN IS S HOWN H OW THE A RTFUL D ODGER G OT INTO T ROUBLE   XLIV.  T HE T IME A RRIVES FOR N ANCY TO R EDEEM H ER P LEDGE TO R OSE M AYLIE . S HE F AILS   XLV.  N OAH C LAYPOLE IS E MPLOYED BY F AGIN ON A S ECRET M ISSION   XLVI.  T HE A PPOINTMENT K EPT   XLVII.  F ATAL C ONSEQUENCES   XLVIII.  T HE F LIGHT OF S IKES   XLIX.  M ONKS AND M R . B ROWNLOW AT L ENGTH M EET . T HEIR C ONVERSATION , AND THE I NTELLIGENCE THAT I NTERRUPTS IT   L.  T HE P URSUIT AND E SCAPE   LI.  A FFORDING AN E XPLANATION OF MORE M YSTERIES T HAN O NE , AND C OMPREHENDING A P ROPOSAL OF M ARRIAGE WITH NO W ORD OF S ETTLEMENT OR P IN -M ONEY   LII.  F AGIN ’ S L AST N IGHT A LIVE   LIII.  A ND L AST
 
Chapter I
T REATS OF THE P LACE W HERE O LIVER T WIST WAS B ORN AND OF THE C IRCUMSTANCES A TTENDING HIS B IRTH
Among other public buildings in a certain town, which for many reasons it will be prudent to refrain from mentioning, and to which I will assign no fictitious name, there is one anciently common to most towns, great or small: to wit, a workhouse; and in this workhouse was born; on a day and date which I need not trouble myself to repeat, inasmuch as it can be of no possible consequence to the reader, in this stage of the business at all events; the item of mortality whose name is prefixed to the head of this chapter.
For a long time after it was ushered into this world of sorrow and trouble, by the parish surgeon, it remained a matter of considerable doubt whether the child would survive to bear any name at all; in which case it is somewhat more than probable that these memoirs would never have appeared; or, if they had, that being comprised within a couple of pages, they would have possessed the inestimable merit of being the most concise and faithful specimen of biography, extant in the literature of any age or country.
Although I am not disposed to maintain that the being born in a workhouse, is in itself the most fortunate and enviable circumstance that can possibly befall a human being, I do mean to say that in this particular instance, it was the best thing for Oliver Twist that could by possibility have occurred. The fact is, that there was considerable difficulty in inducing Oliver to take upon himself the office of respiration,—a troublesome practice, but one which custom has rendered necessary to our easy existence; and for some time he lay gasping on a little flock mattress, rather unequally poised between this world and the next: the balance being decidedly in favour of the latter. Now, if, during this brief period, Oliver had been surrounded by careful grandmothers, anxious aunts, experienced nurses, and doctors of profound wisdom, he would most inevitably and indubitably have been killed in no time. There being nobody by, however, but a pauper old woman, who was rendered rather misty by an unwonted allowance of beer; and a parish surgeon who did such matters by contract; Oliver and Nature fought out the point between them. The result was, that, after a few struggles, Oliver breathed, sneezed, and proceeded to advertise to the inmates of the workhouse the fact of a new burden having been imposed upon the parish, by setting up as loud a cry as could reasonably have been expected from a male infant who had not been possessed of that very useful appendage, a voice, for a much longer space of time than three minutes and a quarter.
As Oliver gav