‘Oliver Twist’, in full ‘Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy’s Progress’, novel by Charles Dickens, published serially under the pseudonym “Boz” from 1837 to 1839 in Bentley’s Miscellany and in a three-volume book in 1838. The novel was the first of the author’s works to realistically depict the impoverished London underworld and to illustrate his belief that poverty leads to crime.
The novel unfolds the story of an unfortunate boy, Oliver Twist, who spends most of his early years at a child farm located north of London, having almost no amenities of life. His mother, whose name no one knows, is found on the street and dies just after Oliver’s birth. After nine years in a badly run home for young orphans, Oliver is transferred to a workhouse for adults, where he is starved and bullied. Eventually, Oliver escapes and heads to London, where he discovers the truth about his birth and parents.
