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Set against the backdrop
of the French Revolution, A Tale Of Two Cities is set in the year
1775 and the two cities in question are Paris and France. It is a time
where social problems exist in both England and France, yet despite all
the violence and injustice it is a time where everyone believes the
status quo will exist forever and nothing will ever change. Charles
Dickens masterfully captures this mood with his opening lines, "It
was the best of times, it was the worst of times."
The book is known for its scenes of large-scale mob violence, and much of it was modeled after Thomas Carlyle's book, The French Revolution. The story itself is one of sacrifices made in the name of principle. The character Charles Darnay renounces his status in opposition to his uncle, the Marquis de St Evremonde, and the corrupt, oppressive society he represents. The physician, Doctor Manette, becomes aware of the Marquis' evil nature through a peasant girl who has been horribly treated. Darnay leaves France and then falls in love with Manette's daughter, Lucie, and marries her. During the Terror Darnay returns to France to save a servant and is himself arrested and condemned to death. The question in the last part of the novel is whether Darnay will be executed, or whether he will be saved by the Englishman Carton. Indeed, Carton's last speech, after he replaces Darnay, is as well known as the first line of the book, "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known." |