A Tale of Two Cities CHARLES D

A Tale of Two Cities, which is one of two historical novels written by Charles Dickens, is set in

London and in Paris and the French countryside at the time of the French Revolution. The book is

sympathetic to the overthrow of the French aristocracy but highly critical of the reign of terror that

followed. A Tale of Two Cities, deals with the major themes of duality, revolution, and resurrection.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times in London and Paris, as economic and political

unrest lead to the American and French Revolutions. The main characters in Dickens' A Tale of Two

Cities — Doctor Alexandre Manette, Charles Darnay, and Sydney Carton — are all recalled to life, or

resurrected, in different ways as turmoil erupts.
It was set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel depicts the plight of

the French peasantry demoralized by the French aristocracy in the years leading up to the revolution,

the corresponding brutality demonstrated by the revolutionaries toward the former aristocrats in the

early years of the revolution, and many unflattering social parallels with life in London during the

same period.
Dickens's famous opening sentence introduces the universal approach of the book, the French Revolution,

and the drama depicted within:
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of

foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light,

it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had

everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going

direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest

authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of

comparison only.


Written by: Charles Dickens

Type of Work: novel

Genres: historical fiction; political commentary

First Published: In weekly installments in All the Year Round, from April 30 to November 29, 1859

Setting: London and Paris, 1775-1792

Main Characters: Doctor Alexandre Manette; Lucie Manette (later Darnay); Charles Darnay; Sydney Carton;

Therese Defarge; Ernest Defarge; Jerry Cruncher; Mr. Lorry; Miss Pross

Major Thematic Topics: duality; revolution; resurrection; violence; centrality of women; aristocratic

versus peasant

Motifs: darkness; restricted by society; duality

Major Symbols: Madame Defarge's Knitting; motherhood

Movie Versions: A Tale of Two Cities (1935); A Tale of Two Cities (1958); A Tale of Two Cities (1980);

A Tale of Two Cities (1989)

The three most important aspects of A Tale of Two Cities:

A Tale of Two Cities is told from the omniscient, or all-knowing, point of view. The narrator, or

storyteller, who is never identified, has access to the thoughts and feelings of all the characters.
A Tale of Two Cities, which is one of two historical novels written by Charles Dickens, is set in

London and in Paris and the French countryside at the time of the French Revolution. The book is

sympathetic to the overthrow of the French aristocracy but highly critical of the reign of terror that

followed.
Dickens characterizes the men and women who populate A Tale of Two Cities less by what the book's

narrator or the characters themselves say, and more by what they do. As a result, the novel seems

somewhat modern, despite being set in the 18th century and written in the 19th century.