Charles John Huffam Dickens (Portsmouth, England 7 February 1812- Gads Hill Place, England, 9 June 1870, aged

58) Occupation: Writer Nationality:British His rests are in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey He was the second of eight children. As a child Charles dreamed of becoming a gentleman. He wanted to study. His parents had money just for the study of one of their children. Mr. and Mrs. Dickens considered the talents and qualifications of all their children. They wanted to use the money for the education of one child, the one who would do it the best. It was as if they were placing all their bets on one child; Charles was not that child. After that the darkest hours in Charles Dickenss life would come. When he was twelve years old, it looked like his dreams would never come true. John Dickens, his father, was arrested and sent to jail for failure to pay a debt. At that time the family sent Charles to work in a shoe-polish factory. (While he was working there he met Bob Fagin. Charles used this name in Oliver Twist.) Charles was deeply marked by these experiences. He rarely spoke of this time of his life.Charles spent time outdoors, but he also liked to read a lot, especially the picaresque novels of Tobias Smollett and Henry Fielding. Some of his works were: The Sketches by Boz, The Old Curiosity Shop, Oliver Nicholas Nickleby, Barnaby Rudge, A Christmas Carol, Chuzzlewit, A Tale of Two Cities, David Copperfield, Expectations, Bleak House, Little Dorrit, Hard Times, Our Friend, The Pickwick Papers. Twist, Martin Great Mutual

 Queen Victorias reign: Victorian Age: examples of some positive and negative aspects during this time Positive aspects: The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 to her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence for England. An important development during the Victorian era was the improvement of communication links. The period is characterized by the development of capitalism, the expansion of industrialization and the invention of machines. Negative aspects: In the late 1840s, major news organizations, clergymen, and single women became increasingly concerned about prostitution, which came to be known as "The Great Social Evil". Estimates of the number of prostitutes in London in the 1850s vary widely (in his landmark study, Prostitution, William Acton reported that the police estimated there were 8,600 in London alone in 1857). It was also children slavery. General place where the story happens and two important specific places The story goes in England. And one of the special places was the workhouse, where Oliver Twist was born. Important specific places: The important specific places were Workhouse and London. DESCRIPTION OF 3 IMPORTANT CHARACTERS IN THE STORY Oliver Twist: He is the main Character in the story. Oliver is an orphan who was born in a workhouse. His mother died in childbirth. When he was 12 years old he was a shy child but very confident and easily to be deceived. He was a poor child. He was nice, pale, and

short and he had many problems, but he was noble and sincere even though he was mistreated. Fagin: He was a sly old Jew man; he was a bearded man, thief and initially poor until he formed a band of robbers which joined Oliver, whom he also mistreated. Sr. Brownlow: He was an old man, who despite his poverty and he had tried to steal Oliver. He felt pity for the boy, and decided to welcome him to his home and feed him. He is one of the characters who give love to Oliver. MAIN IDEA OF EACH CHAPTER CHAPTER I The story goes in London. It tells about a poor woman, who was tired and pregnant. She arrived to a workhouse and there was where he child was birth. The mother was so sick that she died after giving birth. Before she died she called the baby boy, Oliver. Sr. Bumble, owner of the workhouse, was an old man who mistreated children. CHAPTER II Mr. Sowerberry was a tall, thin man who always wore black clothes. He was too bad with children. He had a coffin-maker shop. And there was where Sr. Bumble sent Oliver to work.

CHAPTER III Oliver met a band or thieves, lead by an old Jew man with a long beard called Fagin, who accepted him as a member in the band where he met Charles, Betsy, John Dawkins "Artful Dodger", etc. One day Oliver went out with the boys from the band and while they were stealing a man, the man catched them up and all the boys escaped except Oliver. He was so scared and nervous that he passed out.

CHAPTER IV After that Oliver met an old man called Sr. Brownlow. The old man and his wife were very polite with Oliver; they gave him new clothes and good food. One day Sr. Brownlow sent Oliver to give back some books and some money. At that moment Mr. Grimwig, a Mr. Brownlow friend, was telling him that the boy wouldnt come back. CHAPTER V When Fagin realized that Oliver was absent, he asked boys from the band about where the boy was. They told Fagin that the man who took Oliver was an old man who liked to read a lot, so he realized that they could find them in a bookstore, and sure enough there was him. And they took him again. Fagin was planning with Bill Sikes to use the boy for a robbery. CHAPTER VI Bill Sikes went to a friends house and they both, with Oliver went to the house they wanted to steal. When they were there Oliver didnt want to steal the house and they forced him to get into it. After that someone shot the boy in his arm. The thieves ran away and let him alone. When Oliver woke up he was feeling such a pain and he was covered with blood. He went to the house they had tried to steal and knocked on the door. There lived an old woman and a young lady, the young lady asked her mother for he to stay with them.

CHAPTER VII After that Oliver lived with Mrs. Maylie, the old lady and Rose the young girl. They were such a good family for him. He was too happy and he studied a lot. One day the young girl got sick and Mrs. Maylie asked Oliver to send two letters, one for the doctor and one for her son, Harry. While Oliver was sending the letters he bumped into a tall mysterious man. After that Dr. Losberne went to see the young girl and helped her to be better. Harry asked Rose to get marry with him but she regret him because of his future.

CHAPTER VIII A man who kept in touch with Mr. Bumble, who was now master of the workhouse, and asked him for Olivers mom and things she left to the child. The man offered money to Mr. Bumble so he gave the man things that Olivers mom gave his wife. The man was called Monks and he was Olivers half-brother so he wanted to disappear all the evidences to keep the heritance for himself. But a woman from the workhouse listened to Monks and his plans so she went to say Rose that Oliver was in danger. CHAPTER IX Fagin and Bill Sikes locked Nancy up and didnt let her go out at the hour she had to go out to meet Rose. Rose was followed by a child who told Fagin and Bill what she had done. Bill killed Nancy. CHAPTER X At the end Monks signed papers for giving Oliver, his half-brother, the part of the heritance and Bill was arrested after he tried to scape. FEELINGS AND VALUES IN THE STORY (GIVE SOME EXAMPLES) Life in the workhouse was very hard because the boys were always hungry, also Oliver walked very hungry on the streets of London, coldly he was lonely and then Fagin sends him to rob people. OPINIONS ABOUT THE STORY. DID YOU LIKE IT? YES/NO, WHY? I liked the book because it is a new story for me. The fact that Fagin is the closest relative to Oliver gives you a very happy ending, especially for him because he inherited the fortune of the old man who forced him to steal and mistreated him. Also Oliver is the most confident, funny and smart child, because once he escapes to go to London for a better life that he will live in the end of the story.