'Look here! Here's a jolly life! What's the odds where it comes from?' Meet the Artful Dodger, as roistering and swaggering a young gentleman as ever stood four foot six. With him, you'll run down the dirty backstreets of London to be entertained by the Respectable Old Gentleman and his brood of thieves and pickpockets. Fagin will bring you to 'the trade', and make something of you, something profitable.But there's something about the young orphan Oliver that's too good for this dark and dangerous world - can he ever escape ...
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'Look here! Here's a jolly life! What's the odds where it comes from?' Meet the Artful Dodger, as roistering and swaggering a young gentleman as ever stood four foot six. With him, you'll run down the dirty backstreets of London to be entertained by the Respectable Old Gentleman and his brood of thieves and pickpockets. Fagin will bring you to 'the trade', and make something of you, something profitable.But there's something about the young orphan Oliver that's too good for this dark and dangerous world - can he ever escape its clutches? Includes exclusive material: In 'The Backstory' you can learn more about Oliver Twist's London! Vintage Children's Classics is a twenty-first century classics list aimed at 8-12 year olds and the adults in their lives. Discover timeless favourites from The Jungle Book and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to modern classics such as The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
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Prompt, well packaged, as offered, thank you.
Prompt, well packaged, as offered, thank you.
Angelina
Aug 9, 2007
"Please sir, I want some more"
Oliver Twist, a rich tapestry of English society in the 1830?s, is one of Charles Dickens' s best-known and well-loved works. In the first chapters, Dickens satirizes the hypocrisy and flaws of Victorian social institutions (under the Poor Laws of 1834) including the treatment of the poor, the exploitation of the innocent, the corruption of society´s government, its laws and criminal system. Oliver Twist journeys from innocence to experience without capitulating to the evil forces that hinder his progress and, thus addresses the pervasive problem of evil in society and human nature. Dickens uses Oliver's physical torment to evoke the reader's sympathy and incite his or her awareness of society's corruption. In doing so, he unearths the problem of evil as an ever-present force that dwells not only within the supernatural underworld of Fagin and Sikes but, ironically, looms in the most unsuspecting places, even in the very institutions established to aid society's poor. In Dickens?s descriptions, the words ?neglect? and ?decay? recur insistently. He uses irony, sarcasm and biting language. Interestingly, he doesn't suggest any solutions; he merely points out the suffering inflicted by these systems and their deep injustice. Readers, who appreciate a good read, would undoubtedly agree with Oliver's famous plea, "Please sir, I want some more"
