A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

1400 Words3 Pages

Winning critical acclaim, A Tale of Two Cities occupies a central place in the cannon of Charles Dickens’ work. A Tale of Two Cities, published in serial form starting on April 30, 1859, is a historical fiction novel. A dominant theme in this historical novel is the duality found in many of Dickens’ characters. Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities is somewhat autobiographical; emphasizes the key elements of theme, plot, and character; and has received extensive criticism.
A Tale of Two Cities is told in three parts and takes place in England and France before and during the French Revolution. The novel starts with the well known opening, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” The action begins with Mr. Jarvis Lorry, and elderly manager at Tellson’s Bank, meeting a lady named Lucie Manette, and together they find Dr. Alexandre Manette, Ms. Manette’s father, who has lost his memory and spends his time making shoes. Five years later in a courtroom there is a French nobleman named Charles Darnay who has been accused of being a spy, Sydney Carton, and English barrister points out how similar he and Darnay are in appearance, proving that a case could be made for mistaken identity. Later in the story, Darnay and Carton both fall in love with Lucie, who chooses Darnay. Revolution breaks out in France, and Darnay leaves his wife and daughter to try to save his captured steward, Gabelle. In the end, Darnay is caught and arrested twice as a foreigner and later for the crimes of his noble family, the cruel Evremondes. Fortunately for Darnay, Carton heroically saves him by disguising himself as Darnay in prison, ultimately dying by the guillotine, all for his love of Lucie (Dickens 1-528).
Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 181...

... middle of paper ...

...=&search_within_results=&p=SUIC&action=e&catId=&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ2111500056&source=Bookmark&u=elli29753&jsid=6a5fe390b94a4406b5031bd7f0d6e5df%20Gale%20Document%20Number:%20GALE|EJ2111500056%20%C2%A9%202014%20Microsoft%20Terms%20Privacy%20&%20cookies%20Developers%20English%20(United%20States)>.
Zabel, Morton. "The Revolutionary Fate: A Tale of Two Cities." EXPLORING Novels: n. pag. Gale Group Database. Web. 10 Apr. 2014. .

Open Document