Setting
Oliver Twist
by Charles Dickens

Oliver Twist: Setting 1 key example

Definition of Setting

Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or it can be an imagined... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the... read full definition
Chapter 8
Explanation and Analysis—City and Country:

The setting for the novel is Victorian England, but Dickens subscribes to the idea, popular at the time, that England can be divided into two halves: the city and the country. The country is preferable by far to the city, which is crowded, dirty, and dangerous. When Oliver first reaches the city in Chapter 8, led by the Artful Dodger, it seems unlikely that his fortune could take a turn for the better in his new environment:

A dirtier or more wretched place he had never seen. The street was very narrow and muddy, and the air was impregnated with filthy odours. There were a good many small shops; but the only stock in trade appeared to be heaps of children, who, even at that time of night, were crawling in and out at the doors, or screaming from the inside.

Chapter 32
Explanation and Analysis—City and Country:

The setting for the novel is Victorian England, but Dickens subscribes to the idea, popular at the time, that England can be divided into two halves: the city and the country. The country is preferable by far to the city, which is crowded, dirty, and dangerous. When Oliver first reaches the city in Chapter 8, led by the Artful Dodger, it seems unlikely that his fortune could take a turn for the better in his new environment:

A dirtier or more wretched place he had never seen. The street was very narrow and muddy, and the air was impregnated with filthy odours. There were a good many small shops; but the only stock in trade appeared to be heaps of children, who, even at that time of night, were crawling in and out at the doors, or screaming from the inside.

Unlock with LitCharts A+
Chapter 39
Explanation and Analysis—City and Country:

The setting for the novel is Victorian England, but Dickens subscribes to the idea, popular at the time, that England can be divided into two halves: the city and the country. The country is preferable by far to the city, which is crowded, dirty, and dangerous. When Oliver first reaches the city in Chapter 8, led by the Artful Dodger, it seems unlikely that his fortune could take a turn for the better in his new environment:

A dirtier or more wretched place he had never seen. The street was very narrow and muddy, and the air was impregnated with filthy odours. There were a good many small shops; but the only stock in trade appeared to be heaps of children, who, even at that time of night, were crawling in and out at the doors, or screaming from the inside.

Unlock with LitCharts A+