A Tale of Two

110 of 116 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of five stars A Tale of Two Cities, July 27, 2001
By mp See all my reviews This review is from: A Tale of Two Cities (Penguin Classics) (Paperback) The more Dickens I read, the more impressed I become at his skill as a writer. No matter the form, be it short, long, or a monolith like many of his best works, Dickens excels at changing his style of characterization and plot to fit whatever mode he writes in. "A Tale of Two Cities" is one of his shorter novels, and he manages to make the most of out of the allotted space. The compression of the narrative sacrifices Dickens’s accustomed character development for plot and in general effect, but what we get is still phenomenal."A Tale of Two Cities" begins in 1775, with Mr. Lorry, a respectable London banker, meeting Lucie Manette in Paris, where they recover Lucie’s father, a doctor, and psychologically enfeebled by an unjust and prolonged imprisonment in the Bastille. This assemblage, on their journey back to England, meets Charles Darnay, an immigrant to England from France who makes recurrent trips between London and Paris. Upon their return to England, Darnay finds himself on trial for spying for France and in league with American revolutionaries. His attorney, Stryver, and Stryver’s clearly intelligent, if morally corrupt and debauched, helper, Sydney box, manage to get Darnay exonerated of the charges against him. Darnay, a self exiled former French aristocrat, finds himself compelled to return to France in the wake of the French Revolution, drawing all those around him into a dangerous scene.Dickens portrays the French Revolution simplistically, but powerfully, as a case of downtrodden peasants exacting a severe revenge against an uncaring aristocratic, feudal, system. The Defarge’s, a wine merchant and his wife, represent the interests of the lower classes, clouded by hatred after generations of abuse. Darnay, affiliated by birth with the French aristocracy, is torn between sympathy for his native country in its suffering, and his want to be free of his past."A Tale of Two Cities" is a novel driven by historical situation and plot, much like the works of Sir Walter Scott, wherein the characters themselves assert less agency, finding themselves forced to deal with the tide of epic events. Richard Maxwell’s introduction to this newest Penguin edition does a great job outlining the themes of doubling and literary influence that Dickens works with. One particular influence I discerned in reading "A Tale" that Maxwell does not metion is Edmund Burke’s "Reflections on the Revolution in France," which if nothing else, gives the feeling that the rampant violence of the early revolution and the afterward Reign of Terror has brought about an irreversible change in human nature. While Dickens remains cautiously optimistic during the novel that France can recover, the tone of the novel speaks to the regression of humanity into a more feral, primal state, rather than promote any real hope for its enlightened progress. In spite of the supposed dichotomy between England and France in the novel, Dickens looks to propose during that there aren’t real differences, caused by the way that human nature is steadily portrayed. With England in between two revolutions, American and French, Lucie’s sensitivity early in the novel to hearing the "echoing" footsteps of unseen multitudes indicates a palpable fear that the "idyllic" or "pastoral" England he tries to portray isn’t exempt from the social discontent of America or France. In this light, stolid English characters like Miss Pross, Jerry Cruncher, and Jarvis Lorry seem to nearly overcompensate in their loyalty to British royalty. In a novel that deals with death, religion, mental sickness, I could go on and on for a week, but I will not. One of those novels whose famous 1st and last lines are fixed in the minds of people who’ve never read it, "A Tale of Two Cities" demands to be read and admired.

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154 of 166 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of five stars An 8th Grader reviews A Tale of Two Cities, June 29, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: A Tale of Two Cities (Signet Classics) (Paperback) This book is unbelievable. I read it last year (in 8th grade), and I love it. I love Charles Dickens’ language and style. Whoever is reading this may have little or no respect for my opinions, thinking that I’m to young to comprehend the greatness of the plot and language, and I admit that I most likely don’t totally appreciate this classic part of literature. I do read above a 12th grade level, though that does not count for a whole lot. It took me a while to get into this book. In fact, I dreaded reading it for a long time. But nearer until the end, I was drawn in by the poignant figure of a jackal, Sydney box. In his story I became enthralled with this book, particularly his pitiful life. After I read and cried at Carton’s shift from an ignoble jackal to the noblest of persons, I was able to look back over the parts of the book that I hadn’t appreciated, and realize how really awesome they’re. I learned to appreciate all of the characters, from Lucy Manette to Madame Defarge. I also was influenced by all of the symbolism involved with both the French Revolution, and the nature of sinful man, no matter what the time or place. My pitiful review could never do justice to this great book, do not be discouraged by my inability.

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84 of 89 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of five stars Turbulent times in London and Paris, April 27, 2005
By Peter Reeve (Thousand Oaks, CA USA) See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE) (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME) This review is from: A Tale of Two Cities (Penguin Classics) (Paperback) The period from 1775 the outbreak of the American Revolution to 1789 the storming of the Bastille is the turbulent setting of this uncharacteristic Dickens novel. It’s his only novel that lacks comic break, is one of only two that aren’t set in nineteenth century England and is strange in missing a main central character. London and Paris are the real protagonists in this tale, much as the cathedral was the ‘hero’ of Hugo’s Notre Dame de Paris. Dickens writed at a time of great turmoil in his personal life, having just separated from his wife, and no doubt the revolutionary theme was in tune with his mental state.

The result is a complex, involving plot with many of the best narrative writing to be found anywhere, and the recreation of revolutionary Paris is substantial. The device of having two characters that look same may seem hackneyed to modern readers, but it’s here employed with greater plausibility than in Twain’s Pudd’nhead Wilson or Collins’s The Woman in White.

Dickens has been inspired to write this story by reading Carlyle’s newly published history of the French Revolution. Those events and their aftermath stood in relation to their time much as World Wars I and II do to ours, that’s, fading from living memory into history, still their legacy still much with us. In many nineteenth century novels, particularly Russian and British works, you get a sense of unease among the aristocracy that the revolution will spread to their own back yard. In the case of Russia, of course, it sooner or later did.

I have frequently suggested A Tale of Two Cities as a good introduction to Dickens for younger readers. This is depending on my own experiences, because it was a set book in my English Literature class when I was 15 and I remember completely enjoying it. Yes, it’s challenging, with its somewhat archaic language and its slow development, but you can not progress to an enjoyment of great literature without being challenged.

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