Charles Dickens riassunto in inglese
CHARLES DICKENS
Life:
Born in Portsmouth, England, on 7 Febrary 1812.
When he was 12 years old his father went to prison for money problem, Charles had to leave
school and went to work in a factory, where he worcked long hours in bad conditions, he never
forgot this terrible experience. When he was 19 Dickens became a newspaper report; soon he
began writing short story for magazine, who, in his times, were published in parts every week or
month. A lot of people want read his story.
In April 1836 Charles married Chatherine Hogarth, and they had 10 children.
The “Pickwick Paper” was his first novel, published in monthly parts, and it
was great success. Dickens wrote about all the many people he met in his
life in his novels.
He lived during the Victorian Age and in his books wrote about this society, talk about poverty and
social problems of time. He wrote 14 major novels: “Oliver Twist” (1837-38), “A Christmas Carol”
(1843), “David Capperfield” (1849- 50), “Nicholas Nickleby” (1854) and “Great Expectations”
(1860-61).
Charles travelled so much in his life: to Italy, Switzeland, France, United States, and also New York
and Boston, where he was very succesfull.
He died at the age of 58 and was buried in Poet’s Corner in London.
OLIVER TWIST
Oliver was born in a workhouse and his mother died immediately after his’s birth. He was orphan,
he doesn’t have any parents or relatives, so he was put in a children’s home where he had no love.
At nine years old he was sent to the workhouse, accompanied by the policeman Mr. Bumble. He
had to work so much and had scarce food, one time he asked for more food and the board
decided to punish Oliver and send him to work to Mr. Sowerberry, the local undertaker.
He have to sleep in the shop full of coffins and stay with Noah, and other boy. One time Oliver and
Noah started to beat, so Mr. Sowerberry start to beat him. The next morning he left silently the
house and escaped away. He walked to London and after seventh day he arrived near it. He met a
strange boy that promised to help him to live in London. The boy’s name was Dawkins but
everyone called him “The Artful Dodger”. Dodger took him into a very dirty house where an old
man, Mr. Fagin, live with other little boys. Fagin taught to boys to steal. Oliver, the Dodger and
another boy tried to steal the purse from a man, but Oliver was discovered and was kept and
accused of theft. But the owner of the bookshop declared that the other two boys were the
thieves. Oliver was declared innocent and Mr. Brownlow took he to his beautiful home and give
him a education.
While Oliver was at Mr. Brownlow’s home, Fagin and a bad guy, Billy Sikes, decided to catch Oliver
before he could say anything to the police. Thanks to Nancy’s collaboration, who was the lover of
Sikes, partner in crime of Fagin, they discover where Oliver was and ordered to Dodger to bring
him back.
One day Oliver was sent to the bookshop and there he was taken again by Nancy and Sikes and
brought again to Fagin. Some days later Mr. Bumble saw in the newspaper that Mr. Brownlow was
offering five pounds to get any information about Oliver Twist. Immediately, he went to Mr.
Brownlow’s home and gave him all the information about Oliver’s past.
Fagin, Sikes and Nancy planned to make a robbery in Mayle’s rich house with Oliver, but they
failled, Oliver was abandoned in a field near that house. Oliver was helped by Mrs. Mayle and
Rose, the girls who lived in the house. Monks, Fagin and Sikes friend’s, discovered that Oliver is his
brother and illegitimate son of a sister of Mrs. Maylie, and that he will therefore inherit an
interesting heritage.
However, Nancy, who is kind-hearted and eavesdropped on Fagin and Monks’ criminal plans, warns
Ms. Maylie and Lord Brownlow, who has since returned to watch over the protagonist.
Discovered, Nancy is brutally killed by Bill Sikes. Monks, in an attempt to eliminate forever clues
that observe Oliver’s true identity and thus take part of the inheritance from him, gets hold of a
medallion and a ring that Oliver’s mother had given to old Sally who had it assisted at the point of
death. Mr. Brownlow catched Monks on whose tracks had been put by Nancy; thus, the criminal
plan of the Fagin gang begins to fall: the gang leader is arrested and sentenced to the whole
hanging, while Sikes, fleeing on the roofs of London, is also killed.
Oliver thus discovers his true identity: he is the son of that Agnes Fleming and Mr. Leeford and
Monks is his half-brother. Furthermore, Ms. Maylie is Oliver’s aunt. Having received his part of his
paternal inheritance (which Monks squanders in America, ending his days in prison) Oliver is
adopted by Mr. Brownlow, and can thus begin his life as a bourgeois well integrated in society.