A Tale Of Two CitiesOn picking up A Tale of Two Cities I was quickly reminded of why I had never quite managed to read the whole of a novel by Dickens. But recalled to life by my mother’s favourite maxim that you get out what you put in, I persevered, and Dickens rewards those who persevere.
Slowly but surely the seeming confusion of verbosity revealed its sweeping descriptive mastery, every detail lovingly picked out in poetic utterances, no detail without significant meaning. The wine that spills in the street outside the Defarges’ wine shop is recalled at the end by the 6 tumbrils that “carry the day’s wine to La Guillotine”. Dickens never shies away from omnisciently noting how everyday events early in the narrative forshadow what is to come. But poignantly, the final most significant act receives no more comment than its number in a queue of similar occurrences. It requires none.
Most of the servants of the revolution receive only titles not names (Jacques One to Four, “The Vengeance”) as their struggle is the setting not the substance. But whilst there is a feeling of necessity to the revolutionary bloodletting, to wash away the wrongs of the past, then Dickens is unambivalent in the conflict between good and evil. If Carton’s deed is the apotheosis of the central theme of sacrificial love conquering all, then it falls to the indomitable Miss Pross to encapsulate its heart. In her triumph over Madame Defarge, the female embodiment of the bloodlust, she demonstrates “the vigorous tenacity of love, always much stronger than hate”.
Then there’s the knitting. The poor women of France at first knit to take away the pangs of hunger and then as they sit to wash their pain in La Guillotine’s red tide. Madame Defarge’s knitting of a roll of vengeance bridges the gap between the two.
A sweeping, soaring narrative that prepares the reader for every action and event but never for their striking emotional power. And the footnotes are pretty good too.
This is my favourite of all the Dickens books I have read. It is an anomaly, not being about his usual subjects, the minutiae of Victorian life, but about the French Revolution. The characters are gorgeous, the story is exciting and the finale is heart rending. This is one of the few books that has made me cry my eyes out, and I love it.
Posted at 15:48 - 02.05.08 by katywheatley
I much prefer something like Bleak House, where he obviously feels a lot more connected to his subject, than here where he admits that he's taken his knowledge from other people's accounts. It's still ace but I just felt it was a bit disconnected, weirdly.
Oh, and the Revolution takes a bloody long time to come...
Posted at 21:54 - 02.05.08 by kathrynlb10
It is easy to see why A Tale of
Two Cities is Charles Dickens' most famous novel. How many authors have written sentences that 'practically everybody' has heard? But until you read the book, you are missing out on many more exquisitely phrased sentences than "it was the best of times..." and "it is a far, far better..." And only by reading the book can you appreciate the great weight of those most famous sentences.
Yes, Dickens can be wordy. But that is part of his beauty. Not everyone can write a sentence half a page long and every part of it have a good purpose. And it is only through Dickens' wordiness that one can come to love, be terribly entertained by, and perfectly picture his vividly described characters. Because his characters are so well portrayed, it is difficult to ever forget the images created in your mind- even years after reading his work.
One special thing about A Tale of Two Cities is that it is probably one of the easiest of his works to read. For one, because it is a shorter novel than most of his. Secondly, it does not contain quite as many subplots and extra characters as some of his other novels. Finally, the ideals and emotions presented in the story will never cease to stir the human heart, no matter how many generations pass.
Posted at 07:50 - 04.05.08 by rachelaine
A Tale of Two Cities isn't really that good when compared with his masterpieces. Great Expectations is better. But none of these compare with Bleak House, David Copperfield, Dombey & Son, and his greatest, Our Mutual Friend.
Posted at 17:07 - 05.05.08 by martin
Although I enjoyed this book, I think it is very slight in comparison with Great Expectations or David Copperfield. I also found it hard to suspend my disbelief - I won't ruin the twist in the tale for anyone who hasn't read it but the ending I just couldn't really believe. I wouldn't re-read it, like I would GE or DC, but everyone should read it once. :)
Posted at 16:59 - 24.07.09 by kittyfondue
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I am reading this book at the moment, one of the very few Dickens novels that I haven't read before. To be honest I didn't know if I would enjoy this book as much as I am, as Dickens is best when writing his stories in the century he lived in. Although the story is good it isn't Dickens at his very best.
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