《雾都孤儿》以雾都伦敦为背景,讲述了一个孤儿悲惨的身世及遭遇,主人公奥立弗在孤儿院长大,经历学徒生涯,艰苦逃难,误入贼窝,又被迫与狠毒的凶徒为伍,历尽无数辛酸,最后在善良人的帮助下查明身世并获得了幸福。小说描写了善与恶、美与丑、正义与邪恶的斗争,赞扬了人们天性中的正直和善良,也揭露抨击了当时英国慈善机构的虚伪和治安警察的专横。本书为英文版,同时提供配套英文朗读免费下载,在品读精彩故事的同时,亦能提升英语阅读水平,下载方式详见图书封底博客链接。
Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens's second novel, was first published as a serial that began in February of 1837 and ended in April of 1839. The story is about a child, whose mother had died, that was sent to a workhouse. Oliver was an innocent and pure boy. When he was eleven, he was tried to be sold from the workhouse as an apprentice, but he escaped from there. In his way to London, he met a boy called Artful Dodger and then ended up with Fagin, the leader of a gang of thieves, who taught children how to steal.
Oliver Twist is notable for its unromantic portrayal by Dickens of criminals and their sordid lives, as well as for exposing the cruel treatment of the many orphans in London in the mid-19th century. In this early example of the social novel, Dickens satirizes the hypocrisies of his time, including child labor, the recruitment of children as criminals, and the presence of street children. It is likely that Dickens's own youthful experiences contributed.
Oliver Twist has been the subject of numerous adaptations for various media, including a highly successful musical play, Oliver!, and the multiple Academy Award-winning 1968 motion picture. Disney also put its spin on the novel with the animated film in 1988.