Hellooo everyone! I just publish a review about Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations and now I will tell you about one of his other books – A Tale of Two Cities. An abridged form of the novel was a part of our English literature syllabus back in grade 8 and I had remember liking the book a lot then. Sometime later I decided to get the original version and go through it. Well, my appreciation for Dickens’ talent only increased. But anyway, here we go:
About the Author:
Charles Dickens was born on 7th February, 1812 at Portsea, near Portsmouth, where his father was a clerk in the Navy Pay office. On promotion, his father moved to Chatham, when Dickens was three years old. As a boy he was able to visit the theatre, to buy books and began to have dreams of acquiring education.
But things changed as his father got hopelessly into debt. The police arrested him in February 1824. Charles had to work in Warren’s Blacking factory owned by a relative. He had to work in the dirty, rat-infested old house, sticking labels on blacking bottles. This was the first raw impact of life on a sensitive boy who had lived in a world of dreams. Such experiences became the subject of his novels and have been immortalized in his fiction.
Charles became a reporter in the Press Gallery of the House of Commons due to his great speed and accuracy in shorthand. This set the stage for fiction writing. His first book Sketches by Boz appeared in 1936 followed by The Pickwick Papers. The Pickwick Papers made Dickens instantaneously famous due to its character Sam Weller. Dickens soon became the conscience of the country. Dickens’ death was sudden and dramatic due to a stroke. He was buried with pomp at Westminster’s Abbey, an honor which he fully deserved.
A Tale of Two Cities:
Dickens’ work is really very hard to review. There is so much to tell, and yet one must be careful what one reveals. A Tale of Two Cities so beautifully complex I personally find it a task to figure out where to start and where to finish. In this case, I will start from the middle, go to the start, and then end at the finish.
The French revolution has begun. The Bastille has fallen. One of the leaders of the revolution, Ernest Defarge, asks a scared prison guard to take him to cell no. 105 in the North Tower. Once there, he starts searching for, and finds a packet of letters. One of those letters – written and hidden there by a previous occupant of the cell – is the cause for condemnation of a man to death. That man was the son-in-law of a person whom Defarge held in high regard.
We come to London. This is years before the French revolution began. A certain Charles Darnay is presented before the Old Bailey. He is facing trial for espionage. He would have been convicted, but for a very lucky coincidence, and the presence of mind of one of his lawyers. Sydney Carton noticed that he looked very much like his client and used the fact to cast a doubt on the chief witness’ credibility. The jury pronounced Charles Darnay as ‘not guilty’.
One of the witnesses who spoke at the trial was Lucie Manette – the daughter of Dr Alexander Manette. She was young and beautiful, and had attracted both the accused and his saviour’s attentions. Charles Darnay wanted to marry her. Sydney Carton hoped for a different life where he would be deserving of her attentions. He was an alcoholic and despite being intelligent, did nothing to save his life. Sydney loved Lucie with all his heart, but knew that she did not love him back their union, if it ever happened, would only bring unhappiness to her. Soon afterwards, Charles and Lucie got married, and presently, Lucie gave birth to a daughter.
The French revolution broke out and Charles got a letter which made it imperative that he should travel to Paris. It would be dangerous – for he was the only living male of the Evremonde family – noblemen who had done nothing but tortured innocent peasants and lived lavish lives themselves. Charles was different and had done a lot to help the people, but now it did not matter. Going to Paris would mean taking an enormous amount of risk. So, he left a letter for Mr Manette and Lucie, and set off for Paris.
When the Manettes received the letters, there was panic all round. They decided to leave for France at once. Their family friend – Mr Jarvis Lorry – and Sydney Carton accompanied them. When they reached Paris, they found that Charles had been arrested, and was going to face trial. Later, the jury at his trial condemned him to death. Sydney, while trying to find out what could be done, heard news that even Lucie and her daughter’s life might be in danger. He thought of a plan. It was an extremely dangerous one, but if it worked out, it would ensure the safety of not only Lucie and her daughter, but would also save Charles from death. And for Lucie, the girl he had always loved, Sydney was ready to make the supreme sacrifice.
I have written the above review in a very matter-of-fact style and tried not to put much emotion in it. I am afraid it might create an impression in the reader’s mind different than what Dickens had wanted to. A Tale of Two Cities is tragic, heart-breaking, original, and reassuring. It is more important to feel it, than understand it.
Outro:
I hope the review was to your liking – although it is not food. A Tale of Two Cities is simply iconic and a must-read for any fan of Victorian literature. Or any fan of literature, for that matter. If you enjoyed reading the review, please consider subscribing to my blog here. Until next time, arrivederci.