Five reasons why you should read Dickens “A Tale of Two Cities”.

in #book5 years ago (edited)

The captivating plot, as well as the long and dark evenings, somehow mysteriously conducive to the reading of the fatal creations of the Victorian era, it should be enough to encourage you to reach for this book. However, if you aren’t convinced that such an old-fashioned novel is something for you, read this, it is worth to try something else.

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The first and last sentences are some of the best known beginnings and endings in the history of literature.

The first sentence of “A Tale of Two Cities” is so well known and so often quoted that you could hit them without even knowing that it opens Dickens novel.

“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.”

This isn’t just an accidental accumulation of hyperbole. The whole novel is built around such combinations and contrasts. The action takes place in two metropolises, London and Paris, being their opposite. History is going on in both cities, but it is the Revolution that breaks out in Paris. Dickens heroes are, as usual, representatives of various social classes, representing extremely different attitudes. Their views are completely varied as well as temperament. They meet their terrible and beautiful things, and reading the novel is also a kind of swing, even (and maybe especially) now. Sometimes the action draws us ruthlessly, but a moment later we come across three pages of author's considerations and we wonder if we will be able to read the whole (date, considerations can be quickly jumped, and the action is fast). This lengthy and extremely catchy first sentence is a great introduction to the novel.

As for Dickens, this is quite an unusual novel.

It can be both a plus and a minus. On one hand, wanting to make friends with the most important, Victorian writer, we should read something typical. On the other hand, the reader who already knows, for example, “Oliver Twist” and maybe “David Copperfield”, can reach for "A Tale of Two Cities" without worrying about getting bored. It isn’t a bad book to begin with, primarily because it is, for Dickens, of course extremely concise! I know, looking at this quite large volume, you may be surprised, but it has less than 600 pages. The action is quite fast and the number of characters is reasonable. There aren’t many side motifs, it's just a compact, addictive story about a few specific heroes. Of course, it was written quite a long time ago, in the style of that era, so there are fragments that are, from our point of view, long durations. However, they aren’t so many of them and have a lot of charm.

One drawback is the lack of humor that animates most of Dickens's novels. "A Tale of Two Cities” is kept in a serious tone, but it is a novel so saturated with dramatic events that you probably can’t feel the lack of humorous scenes. Only by comparing it with other books of the author, we notice that it differs from most of them. It is also difficult to admire the author - he has already worked out a style that worked perfectly well. He could succumb to temptation and produce another, similar to previous novels. He leaned back and tried something else, with success!

The picture of the Great French Revolution is extremely vivid.

I think that many Britons are basing their vision of the French Revolution on the "A Tale of Two Cities" story. The revolution seems to be something that couldn’t be stopped, a river that kidnaps all of France and our heroes by the way. It is bloody and brutal, but undoubtedly fascinating. In addition, the action of the novel begins long before the revolution, so the reader has the opportunity to trace the events that led him and with greater fear await what will inevitably come.

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The two male characters are intriguingly complementary.

The main character is a certain Lucie, a beautiful, good and innocent creature, and of course rather boring. Fortunately, Lucie is accompanied by two gentlemen, a Frenchman and an Englishman who are in love with her. Charles Darnay and Sidney Carton are like two sides of a coin. One of them is good and boring, the other is of a character, but he has gone astray. Literary scholars see in them two sides of the character of the author himself, especially since the first letters of their names are form the initials of Dickens.

Lucie also has her reflection in a distorting mirror. Mrs. Defarge is a much more interesting heroine, but I will not reveal too much about her. However, I am convinced that it will impress you.

End.

You have to take my word for it or let my writing spoil my explanation. I will not even quote the famous last sentence - and so you will pay attention to them. Perhaps it will seem too exalted to you. But if you let yourself be seduced by the "A Tale of Two Cities," you will buy it whole with the ending and the last sentence!

Dickens grew old gracefully, and winter grace heightens this grace. It is worth going with him on a journey to eighteenth-century London and Paris, or read some other of his book. His books are like a warm blanket and a cup of tea when you return to your chilled home.

„A Tale of Two Cities”, Penguin Classic, 2011, pg. 5.

#review #writing #Dickens #book

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