Oliver Twist (version 3)
Charles Dickens
Play
Length 15 h 49 min
Chapters 53
First published 1839
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
Chapters
1
TREATS OF THE PLACE WHERE OLIVER TWIST WAS BORN AND OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES ATTENDING HIS BIRTH Read by Peter John Keeble 7:00
2
TREATS OF OLIVER TWIST'S GROWTH, EDUCATION, AND BOARD Read by Peter John Keeble 23:16
3
RELATES HOW OLIVER TWIST WAS VERY NEAR GETTING A PLACE WHICH WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN A SINECURE Read by Peter John Keeble 18:45
4
OLIVER, BEING OFFERED ANOTHER PLACE, MAKES HIS FIRST ENTRY INTO PUBLIC LIFE Read by 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 Read by Peter John Keeble 23:08
6
OLIVER, BEING GOADED BY THE TAUNTS OF NOAH, ROUSES INTO ACTION, AND RATHER ASTONISHES HIM Read by Peter John Keeble 10:30
7
OLIVER CONTINUES REFRACTORY Read by Peter John Keeble 11:11
8
OLIVER WALKS TO LONDON. HE ENCOUNTERS ON THE ROAD A STRANGE SORT OF YOUNG GENTLEMAN Read by Peter John Keeble 18:55
9
CONTAINING FURTHER PARTICULARS CONCERNING THE PLEASANT OLD GENTLEMAN, AND HIS HOPEFUL PUPILS Read by 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 Read by Peter John Keeble 11:08
11
TREATS OF MR. FANG THE POLICE MAGISTRATE; AND FURNISHES A SLIGHT SPECIMEN OF HIS MODE OF ADMINISTERING JUSTICE Read by 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. Read by 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 Read by 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 Read by Peter John Keeble 21:52
15
SHOWING HOW VERY FOND OF OLIVER TWIST, THE MERRY OLD JEW AND MISS NANCY WERE Read by Peter John Keeble 14:15
16
RELATES WHAT BECAME OF OLIVER TWIST, AFTER HE HAD BEEN CLAIMED BY NANCY Read by Peter John Keeble 20:39
17
OLIVER'S DESTINY CONTINUING UNPROPITIOUS, BRINGS A GREAT MAN TO LONDON TO INJURE HIS REPUTATION Read by Peter John Keeble 20:02
18
HOW OLIVER PASSED HIS TIME IN THE IMPROVING SOCIETY OF HIS REPUTABLE FRIENDS Read by Peter John Keeble 18:36
19
IN WHICH A NOTABLE PLAN IS DISCUSSED AND DETERMINED ON Read by Peter John Keeble 20:17
20
WHEREIN OLIVER IS DELIVERED OVER TO MR. WILLIAM SIKES Read by Peter John Keeble 18:34
21
THE EXPEDITION Read by Peter John Keeble 13:44
22
THE BURGLARY Read by 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 Read by 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 Read by Peter John Keeble 11:57
25
WHEREIN THIS HISTORY REVERTS TO MR. FAGIN AND COMPANY Read by 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 Read by Peter John Keeble 27:11
27
ATONES FOR THE UNPOLITENESS OF A FORMER CHAPTER; WHICH DESERTED A LADY, MOST UNCEREMONIOUSLY Read by Peter John Keeble 15:52
28
LOOKS AFTER OLIVER, AND PROCEEDS WITH HIS ADVENTURES Read by Peter John Keeble 20:37
29
HAS AN INTRODUCTORY ACCOUNT OF THE INMATES OF THE HOUSE, TO WHICH OLIVER RESORTED Read by Peter John Keeble 8:18
30
RELATES WHAT OLIVER'S NEW VISITORS THOUGHT OF HIM Read by Peter John Keeble 14:08
31
INVOLVES A CRITICAL POSITION Read by Peter John Keeble 22:50
32
OF THE HAPPY LIFE OLIVER BEGAN TO LEAD WITH HIS KIND FRIENDS Read by Peter John Keeble 19:51
33
WHEREIN THE HAPPINESS OF OLIVER AND HIS FRIENDS, EXPERIENCES A SUDDEN CHECK Read by 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 Read by 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 Read by 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 Read by Peter John Keeble 6:07
37
IN WHICH THE READER MAY PERCEIVE A CONTRAST, NOT UNCOMMON IN MATRIMONIAL CASES Read by Peter John Keeble 22:44
38
CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF WHAT PASSED BETWEEN MR. AND MRS. BUMBLE, AND MR. MONKS, AT THEIR NOCTURNAL INTERVIEW Read by 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 Read by Peter John Keeble 31:02
40
STRANGE INTERVIEW, WHICH IS A SEQUEL TO THE LAST CHAPTER Read by Peter John Keeble 14:44
41
CONTAINING FRESH DISCOVERIES, AND SHOWING THAT SUPRISES, LIKE MISFORTUNES, SELDOM COME ALONE Read by Peter John Keeble 21:20
42
AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE OF OLIVER'S, EXHIBITING DECIDED MARKS OF GENIUS, BECOMES A PUBLIC CHARACTER IN THE METROPOLIS Read by Peter John Keeble 20:59
43
WHEREIN IS SHOWN HOW THE ARTFUL DODGER GOT INTO TROUBLE Read by Peter John Keeble 22:02
44
THE TIME ARRIVES FOR NANCY TO REDEEM HER PLEDGE TO ROSE MAYLIE. SHE FAILS. Read by Peter John Keeble 13:46
45
NOAH CLAYPOLE IS EMPLOYED BY FAGIN ON A SECRET MISSION Read by Peter John Keeble 7:14
46
THE APPOINTMENT KEPT Read by Peter John Keeble 20:55
47
FATAL CONSEQUENCES Read by Peter John Keeble 15:05
48
THE FLIGHT OF SIKES Read by Peter John Keeble 20:17
49
MONKS AND MR. BROWNLOW AT LENGTH MEET. THEIR CONVERSATION, AND THE INTELLIGENCE THAT INTERRUPTS IT Read by Peter John Keeble 21:37
50
THE PURSUIT AND ESCAPE Read by 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 Read by Peter John Keeble 29:57
52
FAGIN'S LAST NIGHT ALIVE Read by Peter John Keeble 20:56
53
AND LAST Read by Peter John Keeble 11:09
From LibriVox, read by volunteers and in the public domain. LibriVox page (opens librivox.org) , the text (opens gutenberg.org) , all files on the Internet Archive (opens archive.org) .
