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Oliver Twist (version 3)

Oliver Twist was published in 1838 as a three volume book. The novel was the first of Dickens' works to realistically portray the degradation and impoverishment of the London underworld and its denizens. Dickens utilises the environment and characters to illustrate his belief that poverty leads to crime. The plot of this novel centres around and follows the journey of the parish boy "Oliver Twist." Oliver has been in the parish orphanage all his short life, a place overcrowded and constantly short of food. When Oliver has the temerity to ask for more after the evening meal of gruel he astonishes and horrifies the parish board and the parish beadle. They promptly sell him on to the local undertaker for the princely sum of 5 pounds. Oliver runs away and thus the journey begins! Oliver is drawn unwittingly into the London criminal underworld by a superbly characterised pickpocket; one known as 'The Artful Dodger' a streetwise, flamboyant boy who is a master at his craft. He is introduced to the unscrupulous Jew named 'Fagin' who controls the complete gang of pickpockets and ruffians. Oliver is uncomfortable in this den of iniquity and absconds, he is sheltered by a man who spots something about Oliver's demeanour and features which lead him to investigate his parentage. Before long Oliver is retaken by the bullying, insensitive criminal housebreaker 'Bill Sykes' and once more finds himself caught in Fagin's coils. As the plot unwinds we meet many finely drawn good and bad characters, and the vivid descriptions of the seamier side of London in that period are superlative. - Summary by Peter Keeble

Year of Publication: 1839Genres: Published 1800 -1900 , Literary Fiction

Running Time: 15 hours 49 minutes 09 seconds

#	Chapter Name
1	TREATS OF THE PLACE WHERE OLIVER TWIST WAS BORN AND OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES ATTENDING HIS BIRTH Peter John Keeble	7:00
2	TREATS OF OLIVER TWIST'S GROWTH, EDUCATION, AND BOARD Peter John Keeble	23:16
3	RELATES HOW OLIVER TWIST WAS VERY NEAR GETTING A PLACE WHICH WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN A SINECURE Peter John Keeble	18:45
4	OLIVER, BEING OFFERED ANOTHER PLACE, MAKES HIS FIRST ENTRY INTO PUBLIC LIFE Peter John Keeble	15:46
5	OLIVER MINGLES WITH NEW ASSOCIATES. GOING TO A FUNERAL FOR THE FIRST TIME, HE FORMS AN UNFAVOURABLE NOTION OF HIS MASTER'S BUSINESS Peter John Keeble	23:08
6	OLIVER, BEING GOADED BY THE TAUNTS OF NOAH, ROUSES INTO ACTION, AND RATHER ASTONISHES HIM Peter John Keeble	10:30
7	OLIVER CONTINUES REFRACTORY Peter John Keeble	11:11
8	OLIVER WALKS TO LONDON. HE ENCOUNTERS ON THE ROAD A STRANGE SORT OF YOUNG GENTLEMAN Peter John Keeble	18:55
9	CONTAINING FURTHER PARTICULARS CONCERNING THE PLEASANT OLD GENTLEMAN, AND HIS HOPEFUL PUPILS Peter John Keeble	13:17
10	OLIVER 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 HISTORY Peter John Keeble	11:08
11	TREATS OF MR. FANG THE POLICE MAGISTRATE; AND FURNISHES A SLIGHT SPECIMEN OF HIS MODE OF ADMINISTERING JUSTICE Peter John Keeble	15:08
12	IN 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 FRIENDS. Peter John Keeble	20:13
13	SOME NEW ACQUAINTANCES ARE INTRODUCED TO THE INTELLIGENT READER, CONNECTED WITH WHOM VARIOUS PLEASANT MATTERS ARE RELATED, APPERTAINING TO THIS HISTORY Peter John Keeble	16:46
14	COMPRISING 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 ERRAND Peter John Keeble	21:52
15	SHOWING HOW VERY FOND OF OLIVER TWIST, THE MERRY OLD JEW AND MISS NANCY WERE Peter John Keeble	14:15
16	RELATES WHAT BECAME OF OLIVER TWIST, AFTER HE HAD BEEN CLAIMED BY NANCY Peter John Keeble	20:39
17	OLIVER'S DESTINY CONTINUING UNPROPITIOUS, BRINGS A GREAT MAN TO LONDON TO INJURE HIS REPUTATION Peter John Keeble	20:02
18	HOW OLIVER PASSED HIS TIME IN THE IMPROVING SOCIETY OF HIS REPUTABLE FRIENDS Peter John Keeble	18:36
19	IN WHICH A NOTABLE PLAN IS DISCUSSED AND DETERMINED ON Peter John Keeble	20:17
20	WHEREIN OLIVER IS DELIVERED OVER TO MR. WILLIAM SIKES Peter John Keeble	18:34
21	THE EXPEDITION Peter John Keeble	13:44
22	THE BURGLARY Peter John Keeble	17:56
23	WHICH CONTAINS THE SUBSTANCE OF A PLEASANT CONVERSATION BETWEEN MR. BUMBLE AND A LADY; AND SHOWS THAT EVEN A BEADLE MAY BE SUSCEPTIBLE ON SOME POINTS Peter John Keeble	16:41
24	TREATS ON A VERY POOR SUBJECT. BUT IS A SHORT ONE, AND MAY BE FOUND OF IMPORTANCE IN THIS HISTORY Peter John Keeble	11:57
25	WHEREIN THIS HISTORY REVERTS TO MR. FAGIN AND COMPANY Peter John Keeble	13:50
26	IN WHICH A MYSTERIOUS CHARACTER APPEARS UPON THE SCENE; AND MANY THINGS, INSEPARABLE FROM THIS HISTORY, ARE DONE AND PERFORMED Peter John Keeble	27:11
27	ATONES FOR THE UNPOLITENESS OF A FORMER CHAPTER; WHICH DESERTED A LADY, MOST UNCEREMONIOUSLY Peter John Keeble	15:52
28	LOOKS AFTER OLIVER, AND PROCEEDS WITH HIS ADVENTURES Peter John Keeble	20:37
29	HAS AN INTRODUCTORY ACCOUNT OF THE INMATES OF THE HOUSE, TO WHICH OLIVER RESORTED Peter John Keeble	8:18
30	RELATES WHAT OLIVER'S NEW VISITORS THOUGHT OF HIM Peter John Keeble	14:08
31	INVOLVES A CRITICAL POSITION Peter John Keeble	22:50
32	OF THE HAPPY LIFE OLIVER BEGAN TO LEAD WITH HIS KIND FRIENDS Peter John Keeble	19:51
33	WHEREIN THE HAPPINESS OF OLIVER AND HIS FRIENDS, EXPERIENCES A SUDDEN CHECK Peter John Keeble	19:33
34	CONTAINS SOME INTRODUCTORY PARTICULARS RELATIVE TO A YOUNG GENTLEMAN WHO NOW ARRIVES UPON THE SCENE; AND A NEW ADVENTURE WHICH HAPPENED TO OLIVER Peter John Keeble	22:08
35	CONTAINING THE UNSATISFACTORY RESULT OF OLIVER'S ADVENTURE; AND A CONVERSATION OF SOME IMPORTANCE BETWEEN HARRY MAYLIE AND ROSE Peter John Keeble	17:32
36	IS A VERY SHORT ONE, AND MAY APPEAR OF NO GREAT IMPORTANCE IN ITS PLACE, BUT IT SHOULD BE READ NOTWITHSTANDING, AS A SEQUEL TO THE LAST, AND A KEY TO ONE THAT WILL FOLLOW WHEN ITS TIME ARRIVES Peter John Keeble	6:07
37	IN WHICH THE READER MAY PERCEIVE A CONTRAST, NOT UNCOMMON IN MATRIMONIAL CASES Peter John Keeble	22:44
38	CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF WHAT PASSED BETWEEN MR. AND MRS. BUMBLE, AND MR. MONKS, AT THEIR NOCTURNAL INTERVIEW Peter John Keeble	22:14
39	INTRODUCES SOME RESPECTABLE CHARACTERS WITH WHOM THE READER IS ALREADY ACQUAINTED, AND SHOWS HOW MONKS AND THE JEW LAID THEIR WORTHY HEADS TOGETHER Peter John Keeble	31:02
40	STRANGE INTERVIEW, WHICH IS A SEQUEL TO THE LAST CHAPTER Peter John Keeble	14:44
41	CONTAINING FRESH DISCOVERIES, AND SHOWING THAT SUPRISES, LIKE MISFORTUNES, SELDOM COME ALONE Peter John Keeble	21:20
42	AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE OF OLIVER'S, EXHIBITING DECIDED MARKS OF GENIUS, BECOMES A PUBLIC CHARACTER IN THE METROPOLIS Peter John Keeble	20:59
43	WHEREIN IS SHOWN HOW THE ARTFUL DODGER GOT INTO TROUBLE Peter John Keeble	22:02
44	THE TIME ARRIVES FOR NANCY TO REDEEM HER PLEDGE TO ROSE MAYLIE. SHE FAILS. Peter John Keeble	13:46
45	NOAH CLAYPOLE IS EMPLOYED BY FAGIN ON A SECRET MISSION Peter John Keeble	7:14
46	THE APPOINTMENT KEPT Peter John Keeble	20:55
47	FATAL CONSEQUENCES Peter John Keeble	15:05
48	THE FLIGHT OF SIKES Peter John Keeble	20:17
49	MONKS AND MR. BROWNLOW AT LENGTH MEET. THEIR CONVERSATION, AND THE INTELLIGENCE THAT INTERRUPTS IT Peter John Keeble	21:37
50	THE PURSUIT AND ESCAPE Peter John Keeble	25:35
51	AFFORDING AN EXPLANATION OF MORE MYSTERIES THAN ONE, AND COMPREHENDING A PROPOSAL OF MARRIAGE WITH NO WORD OF SETTLEMENT OR PIN-MONEY Peter John Keeble	29:57
52	FAGIN'S LAST NIGHT ALIVE Peter John Keeble	20:56
53	AND LAST Peter John Keeble	11:09