A+Tale+of+Two+Cities

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us..." -A Tale of Two Cities

** A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens ** = = =About the Author= Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812 in England. When he was 12, his father was imprisoned for debt and Dickens was forced to work in Warren's Blacking Factory, an experience which haunted him for the rest of his life. When his father was released, his mother insisted that he continue working at the factory. He was saved from this fate by his father, but this served as the source of a common thread in many of his novel, alienation and betrayal. He became a reporter, and then started a popular series of short texts. He was extremely successful, and toward the end of his life, began giving public readings of his novels. He was, however, emotionally insecure from the events of his childhood. Though he was brilliant and charming, his emotional insecurity caused the end of his marriage to Catherine Hogarth, with whom he had ten children. He is one of the most famous writers of all time, having written such classics as //Oliver Twist//, //David Copperfield//, //Great Expectations//, //A Christmas Carol//, and //A Tale of Two Cities//. To learn more about Charles Dickens, click [|here]

=Plot Synopsis= On a dark night, Mr. Jarvis Lorry travels to tell a young Lucie Manette that though she always believed she was an orphan, her father is alive and has been a prisoner of the French for many years. Her father is sick and greatly changed by his long imprisonment, and she nurses him back to health. Five years later, a man named Charles Darnay is being tried for treason after being falsely accused. Lucie Manette and her father, Dr. Manette, are both witnesses against him. However, the arrival of a dissolute Sydney Carton, a man who bears a surprising resemblance to Darnay, prevents the definite identification of Darnay as being the spy. Both Darnay and Carton fall in love with Lucie, and she later marries Darnay. However, Carton tells her of his love for her, and says that while he expects no reciprocation of this love, he will do anything for her and her loved ones. On the day of his wedding, Darnay reveals to Dr. Manette that he is not truly an Englishman of the name Darnay, but a French aristocrat whose uncle, the Marquis of Evremont, has recently been murdered because of the mistreatment of his people and the starting of the French Revolution, passing the title to him. Years later, he receives a letter from a servant of his in France, who has been imprisoned because of his actions under Darnay's orders and the position he held on the estate. Darnay travels back to save him, but is thrown into prison in France because he is an aristocrat and an emigrant. Dr. Manette uses his influence as a former prisoner of the Bastille to free him. However, soon he is denounced by Defarge, a former servant of Dr. Manette's and a leader of the revolutionaries, and his wife because of a shocking letter which was found in the Bastille that Dr. Manette had written during his imprisonment identifying the Evremonts as the ones who had caused his imprisonment because of his knowledge that they had raped a peasant girl and murdered her brother. Darnay is imprisoned once again. What will happen? Will he be sentenced to death by the guillotine? Will all the efforts of his friends and families be for naught? Read this book and find out!

There was a movie created in 1958 based on A Tale of Two Cities. This is the beginning of that movie, which portrays the story well and introduces the setting. media type="youtube" key="Ln58d-K17XY" height="385" width="480" align="center" = Literary Style = //A Tale of Two Cities// is in the genre of historical fiction. It is 404 pages long. The narrator is anonymous, and written in omniscient third person. The narrator often seems like Dickens himself who is commenting on the events and characters. He knows more than the characters do. In fact, he knows everything that is going on at that time. The narrator switches between many scenes and characters and lets the reader know things that certain characters do not, which makes the narrator omniscient. It is often written in a formal tone, though when transitioning to certain simpler characters, he can change into informality to fit the context of the dialogue. For the most part, however, it is formal, most likely because of the time period that it was written in. The setting switches between England and France, London and Paris, specifically. This alternating between settings is the basis of the title of the novel, //A Tale of Two Cities//.

= Literary Analysis = Charles Dickens is well known for his sense of humor, something that, for the most part, was absent in this book. There are many ways in which Dickens makes this book the success that it has shown itself to be throughout the years. For one, Dickens uses symbolism effectively in this novel. The cask of wine which spilled upon the streets symbolized the blood that would soon stain Paris. The peasants who desperately lapped up every last drop of wine showed, on the surface, their great and terrible hunger. However, on closer inspection, it also symbolizes their thirst for blood and the mob mentality that developed during the French Revolution. They are wild and animal-like, a trait that increases as the story moves on. Madame Defarge's constant knitting is also a symbol. It represents the stealthy and cold-blooded nature of the French revolutionaries. While she appeared to onlookers as quiet and harmless, in reality, she was drawing up a register of those to be killed under the new regime. Likewise, though the peasants may have appeared quiet and harmless, the blood that they would shed is legendary. A common idea which travels throughout the book is that of resurrection. Manette is "resurrected" when he is released from the Bastille. Early on in the novel, Lorry has an imagined conversation with Dr. Manette in which Manette says that he has been "recalled to life". This implies that his 18 year long imprisonment has been a sort of death and that because of his release, he is coming alive once more. Sydney Carton's sacrifice for his friends elevates him to a Christ-like figure who, with this sacrifice, gives his wasted life meaning. In the last few passages of this book, Dickens hints that Carton will be reborn in the hearts of those who knew him and whom he had saved.

= Criticism = This was truly one of the most amazing books I have ever read. The lyrical quality of Dicken's writing as well as the depth of emotion and suspense which the reader goes through was amazing. The descriptions were colorful and overall, the book was written beautifully. The only objection I could have to this book is the fact that there are many references which, because of the time period that this novel was written in, are difficult to understand. Also, at some parts, the narrative is a bit slow. But both these things only serve to contribute to the impact of the book. When it was first written, it received much criticism for not exhibiting the humor that Dickens was famous for. Critics compared it to his other novels and found it lacking in this area, as well as deviating from several other points that most of Dicken's novels included such as the Victorian era which he favored writing about ([|Chesterton] ). However, despite this, //A Tale of Two CIties// has been loved throughout the ages, and not without reason. If you have the time, I would urge you to read this book. It is definitely worth your time.

More books by this author: [|Oliver Twist] [|Great Expectations] [|David Copperfield] [|A Christmas Carol] If you liked this book, you may also like The Red Badge of Courage by Stephan Crane, [|The Count of Monte Cristo] by Alexandre Dumas, Stephan Crane or Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen



Most of this information came either from my own analysis or directly from the novel. The Youtube video can be found [|here], and the other sources are cited within the page.
 * Works Cited**