The title of Dickens's most famous, and arguably his most influential historical fiction, is A Tale of Two Cities (1859). Set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution, Dickens aimed to “treat picturesquely some of the terrors of the French Revolution.” 1 While succeeding in doing so, Dickens also left his readers with one of the most influential pieces of British literature to come out of the nineteenth century.
In fact, the novel's title “has been echoed in more than a million titles” ranging from other books, articles, and within pop culture. The power of A Tale of Two Cities, and why it remains a relevant read today, is its ability to balance the impressive narrative within with the background of the time it is set while revealing to readers the true nature of the human condition.
Historical fiction is a literary genre where the plot takes place in the past in a recognizable setting and during a culturally recognizable time. The details and actions in the story can be completely fictive or a mixture of actual and fictional events and characters. Typically, authors conduct research to reconstruct the past in a realistic, authentic, and believable manner. Other examples of historical fiction include Beloved (1987) by Toni Morrison, The Book Thief (2005) by Marcus Zusak, and One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
A Tale of Two Cities Background
A Tale of Two Cities is Charles Dickens's second and final book of historical fiction. Dickens conducted extensive research on the French Revolution. By his own admission in the preface, he used Thomas Carlyle's The French Revolution (1837) as his primary source of material for the factual events. Dickens contacted Carlyle for information and resources. Carlyle responded by famously supplying Dickens with a couple of cartloads of books from the London Library.
Dickens also notes that his inspiration for writing the novel came from a play he acted in called The Frozen Deep (1866) by Wilkie Collins. In it, Dickens played a character who sacrifices himself for his rival, so the latter could marry the woman they both love. This situation is the basis for the love triangle between Lucie, Charles Darnay, and Sydney Carton. Set in revolutionary France, A Tale of Two Cities is grounded in a historically accurate time period during factual events but is not based on a true story.
A Tale of Two Cities was originally serialized in All the Year Round, a magazine Dickens created himself after a disagreement with his publisher. The novel is separated into three sections. In A Tale of Two Cities, we see Dickens growing and developing his craft.
Fig. 1 - Dickens released A Tale of Two Cities in serial form in his magazine called All the Year Round.
A Tale of Two Cities Summary
A Tale of Two Cities has a strong linear construction. The main idea expressed through the central conflict of Darnay's trials, unfair sentence, and Carton's act of self-sacrifice is that an individual has an opportunity for redemption through unselfish acts. Dickens characterized the individuals within this novel through their actions, rather than what we are told of them through the third-person omniscient narrator.
Third-person omniscient narrator is a typical form of narration in which the perspective from within the story is told comes from an entity or voice that is not part of the story but has knowledge of all characters, their motives, thoughts, and emotions.
Section I
The narrative begins in late 1775, as Jarvis Lorry is traveling from England to Paris. With him is a young and beautiful girl of 17 years named Lucie Manette. She has just learned that her father, Doctor Manette, whom she thought was dead, was actually imprisoned in the Bastille for the past 18 years and has been released. She is going to see him.
The Bastille was a fortress used by French kings to imprison individuals that spoke out against them politically. The Bastille became a symbol of the oppressive monarchy. The storming of the Bastille by a mob of angry Parisians is a symbolic marker for the start of the French Revolution. The monarchy was overthrown in favor of a republic based on liberty, equality, and brotherhood.
As the pair arrives, they visit Ernest Defarge. He is a former servant of Doctor Manette. Defarge now owns a wine shop in one of the poorest districts called Saint Antoine. He has been caring for Doctor Manette and leads them to a garret room where Doctor Manette is making shoes. Doctor Manette is pale, thin, and mentally unstable. He does not fully respond to the men, but when Lucie approaches he sees her mother in her and begins to weep. Mr. Lorry and Lucie return to England, taking Doctor Manette with them.
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is not a hard book to read but requires patience and attention to detail. Dickens often writes poetic prose, where his language begins to fall naturally into a rhythm, a cadence resembling song or poetry. For readers to appreciate his unique style, it is important to read slowly. Because he got his start writing for newspapers, and some of his pieces, including A Tale of Two Cities, were released as a series, Dickens’s book can be episodic.
Section II
Five years later, Lorry crosses paths with Doctor Manette and Lucie at the trial of an aristocrat, Charles Darnay. Doctor Manette seems to have fully recovered from the psychological, physical, and emotional damage caused by his 18 years incarcerated. He and Lucie have a close bond, and it is evident that he is a caring and loving father. Darnay is charged with treason against the English crown. If found guilty, he will be put to death. Darnay’s lawyer, Stryver, and his colleague, Sydney Carton, undermine the prosecution’s argument that Darnay is identifiable without error by pointing out the physical resemblance between Darnay and Carton. Darnay is released.
After the proceedings, Darnay, Carton, and Stryver all begin spending time at the Manette household to spend time with Lucie. They are all attracted to her. Carton, a man aware of his drunken habits and embittered attitude toward life, does court her but professes his love. He asserts that he is not good enough for her, but states that he would gladly give his life for her to have her happiness. Even so, Lucie falls in love with Darnay.
The social tension in France is increasing as Darnay’s uncle, the cruel Marquis St. Evrémonde, has run over a child with his coach. Because of his social status, he suffers no real consequences but is then murdered in his sleep by the child's father.
Meanwhile, Lucie and Darnay get married. While Lucie and Darnay are away on a honeymoon, Doctor Manette suffers a relapse. This is triggered by Darnay, who reveals his lineage and family connections to Doctor Manette before the wedding. Dr. Manette again thinks he is a shoe cobbler making shoes in prison.
In July 1789, the revolution begins with the Defarges leading the revolt to storm the Bastille. In 1792, Darnay receives a letter from St. Evrémonde's steward. The revolutionaries have assumed control of France and have taken him as a prisoner. He begs Darnay to travel to France and rescue him. Darnay travels to France but is captured and imprisoned in La Force, with little hope of a trial or sending word for help.
Fig. 2 - A Tale of Two Cities centers around the battles of the French Revolution.
Doctor Manette, Lucie, and Lucie's daughter travel to Paris to meet Lorry. Doctor Manette has credibility with the revolutionaries and is regarded as a hero because he was a Bastille prisoner and survived. He is able to learn Darnay’s whereabouts and negotiates a trial for Darnay. At the trial, Darnay is released because Doctor Manette provides a compelling testimony. Mere hours after his release, the Defarges level new accusations against Darnay. He is again ripped from his family and imprisoned.
The following day, Darnay is tried again. A letter written by Doctor Manette stating St. Evrémonde’s responsibility in the death of Madame Defarge’s family and his own imprisonment is submitted as evidence. Although Darnay has previously rejected his status and connection to his family, the letter is leveraged to show his responsibility and connection to his family. He is sentenced to death. Reeling over the dramatic proceedings and the guilt from his letter sealing his son-in-law's doom, Doctor Manette reverts into a state of mental anguish and dementia.
Section III
Quietly, a still in love Carton arrives in Paris, learning of Darnay’s impending execution and a plan to send Lucie and her daughter to the guillotine after Darnay’s execution. In an act of self-sacrifice and to secure a future for the woman he loves, he sneaks into Darnay’s cell with the help of Barsad, a spy. Carton drugs Darnay, then uses their resemblance to save his life for a second time. He switches clothing with the still unconscious Darnay and has Darnay taken out of the cell in disguise as he sits and awaits the execution in Darnay’s stead. The physical resemblance between the men is so similar that no one questions their identities. As Lorry helps Lucie, her daughter, her father, and Darnay flee France, Carton is executed. At the guillotine, Carton is redeemed and dies comforted, knowing he has saved the woman he loves and her family.
Fig. 3 - Guillotines were commonly used to execute people during the French Revolution.
A Tale of Two Cities Characters
| Character | Description |
| Sydney Carton | Sydney Carton is one of the central protagonists in the novel. He begins the novel as an indifferent alcoholic who changes through his love for Lucie. |
| Charles Darnay | Charles Darnay is a protagonist within the novel and chooses to remain in England because he struggles with accepting the injustices of the French social system. |
| Lucie Manette | Lucie is a young French woman who was raised as a ward of Tellson's Bank. She grew up in England and her kindness is infectious. She has the ability to influence her father and helps Sydney Carton transform into a hero. |
| Doctor Manette | Doctor Manette is an exceptional physician and Lucie's father. He spent 18 years as a prisoner in the Bastille and is initially demented by his experience. He is a kind man who cares deeply for his daughter. |
| Monsieur Defarge | Husband to Madame Defarge, Monsieur Defarge is a wine-shop owner and a revolutionary like his wife. He is a dedicated and intelligent leader. |
| Madame Defarge | Madame Defarge's siblings were mistreated by the Marquis St. Evrémonde. She is a cruel revolutionary who has an intense hate for the aristocracy. She is fueled by vengeance. |
| Marquis St. Evrémonde | Marquis St. Evrémonde is a French aristocrat and Charles Darnay's uncle. He is an example of the harsh and cold aristocracy and is the root connection to Darnay's guilt. |
| Gabelle | Gabelle is responsible for maintaining the St. Evrémonde estate upon the Marquis's death. He is the one who summons Darnay back, enabling Darnay to be captured. |
| Mr. Stryver | Mr. Stryver, whose name sounds like the word “strive,” is an ambitious lawyer. He does strive to gain social influence. He can be proud and foolish. |
| Jarvis Lorry | Jarvis Lorry is an older businessman working for Tellson's Bank. He is single and exhibits a solid moral character and a kind heart. |
| John Barsad | Barsad is a British spy who feigns virtue and portrays himself as respectable. |
A Tale of Two Cities Quotes
A Tale of Two Cities is one of Dickens's shortest novels but is often one of his most quoted. Dickens shows an incredible ability to balance his diction and ideas within the piece, making the contents memorable and even musical. Still a relevant read hundreds of years after it was written, A Tale of Two Cities is quoted in contemporary times.
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.
(Book I, Chapter 1)
The famous first line in A Tale of Two Cities represents a conflict in ideas. Dickens uses anaphora to show the balanced importance of each idea and to give the opening narrative a poetic cadence pervasive in much of his writing. The line explores the polarizing conditions in England and France while offering a perspective on the current societal conditions in which Dickens is writing. Dickens uses the paradox to reveal the disparity in the situation.
A paradox is a statement that seems to be contradictory at the surface level but reveals a truth.
It is useless to say it, I know, but it rises out of my soul. For you, and for any dear to you, I would do anything. If my career were of that better kind that there was any opportunity or capacity of sacrifice in it, I would embrace any sacrifice for you and for those dear to you. Try to hold me in your mind, at some quiet times, as ardent and sincere in this one thing.
(Book II, Chapter 13)
Sydney Carton professes his love and devotion to Lucie Manette, despite knowing that he is not an adequate match for her. His admission is heart-wrenching and foreshadows the climactic ending, where he sacrifices his life for her husband's life and to ensure her happiness. This helps to create a tense and dramatic plot but also reveals Carton's strength of character despite his shortcomings.
Foreshadowing is an indication or hint of things to come that helps to clue the reader to possible future plot developments and creates suspense and anticipation.
“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.”
(Book III, Chapter 15)
This last line of A Tale of Two Cities is expressed from Carton's perspective before his execution. It expresses his comfort in knowing that his life, or rather his death, is not in vain. His existence holds meaning, and his sacrifice is valued. Dickens uses parallelism to show a balance between the ideas' importance. It is also a way to bring the story full circle and remind the reader of the start of the novel.
While writing A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens separated from his wife of 22 years, Catherine Hogarth. Also a writer, she birthed 10 of Dickens's children. Although he alleged the separation resulted from her mental instability, Dickens had fallen in love with a younger woman, Ellen Ternan. He met her while acting in the play, The Frozen Deep, which inspired the plot of A Tale of Two Cities.
A Tale of Two Cities Symbols
A Tale of Two Cities is a short novel brimming over with historically accurate details and poignant social commentary on the atrocities and evils that exist in life. An analysis of central symbols in the novel allows the reader to better understand the novel's central themes.
Wine
The flowing wine in the streets is symbolic of several things. The color is emblematic of the blood that flows from the innocent, the executed, and the needless deaths. The wine foreshadows the atrocities committed by the revolutionaries, where blood is spilled in the streets. The novel draws a distinct parallel between blood and wine. The Defarges both literally and symbolically have blood on their hands.
Wine also represents the wasteful aristocracy, who thoughtlessly squanders resources and lives in excess while the impoverished struggle to live and get their basic needs met. As the wine spills on the filthy streets, the poor scramble to drink the spilled beverage from the streets. Their desperation, hunger, and extreme state of misery are expressed in their willingness to take the wine from the ground.
Lucie Manette
Lucie Manette, whose name is reminiscent of the word “light,” is a beacon of hope and love within the novel. Her presence and face, illuminated by her golden hair and blue eyes, are able to pull her father from the depths of despair and dementia. She effectively resurrects her father from his figurative death. She exudes youth and beauty, giving birth to a little girl as a symbol of the future. Lucie is kind and devout, generous and patient, with an inexhaustible ability to show compassion, even in the face of the most intolerable cruelties. Lucie is representative of unconditional love and inspires the most selfless act in the novel.
A literary symbol is a tangible object, thing, situation, or person representative of a greater, more abstract idea. The literal symbol has a meaning on its own but also suggests or is attached to a deeper significance.
A Tale of Two Cities Themes
Although many themes are dominant within Dickens's historical novel, A Tale of Two Cities, some themes are revealed to be most compelling. While parallels between the state of the poor and the excess of the wealthy are present in England during the time Dickens is writing and at the time of the French Revolution, themes of redemption, love, and sacrifice are universal and speak to many readers.
Redemption and Love
A Tale of Two Cities speaks to the human condition deals and the ability of humankind to transform and transcend to a better state of existence on both the individual and societal levels. Although Doctor Manette suffered for 18 years while incarcerated, he was inspired by love, by Lucie, to ascend out of his dementia and lead a better life. Carton, although portrayed as an unworthy character and a drunk, is redeemed through his act of self-sacrifice to secure a future for a woman he loves, who will never love him back.
Sacrifice
The first book of the novel, “Recalled to Life”, introduces the idea of resurrection and redemption that links the novel together. Ironically, Sydney Carton finds redemption and character resurrection through his death. His death serves to give others life and ensures that his inspiration, Lucie, leads the life he knows she deserves. His act of selflessness and death immortalizes him, gaining him the love and admiration from Lucie he sought in life.
A Tale of Two Cities - Key Takeaways
- A Tale of Two Cities is one of two historical novels written by Charles Dickens.
- Published in 1859, Dickens initially released A Tale of Two Cities as a series in his magazine All the Year Round.
- A Tale of Two Cities deals with themes of redemption, love, violence, and sacrifice.
- An example of historical fiction, Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities is a fictive story set during the factual French Revolution.
- Dickens drew from Carlyle's The French Revolution and a play called The Frozen Deep by Collins to write A Tale of Two Cities.
1. Gaughan, Jessie. “Dickens's 'Tale of Two Cities.'”
The Irish Monthly. Vol. 39. April 1911.
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