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| Title of First Edition |
Bonjour! Today I am going to review a Classic by Charles
Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities. I read it for the first time during my Masters
and I just could not get over it. Yes, when I like something I create a room
for it in my life and just keep it there, never letting it go( Yes I know I
cannot become a writer :P ). Coming back to Dickens, he wrote this book as
weekly installments from April 1859 to November 1859. It has the honor of being
the biggest selling novel of the time in history.
Dickens
based his novel on French Revolution. It depicts the plight of French plebeians under the autocratic rule of French aristocrats. The story begins in 1775 which
Dickens describe as,
“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.”
The paradoxical opening immediately arrests
the attention of the reader. It begins with the journey of Lucie Manette (a
17-year-old girl who just learned about the existence of her long lost father)
to retrieve her father, Dr Alexandre Manette. She is accompanied by Jarvis
Lorry during the travel. Upon their arrival in Paris they learn that poor
doctor has been recently released from the prison after 18 years and his former
servant Ernest Defarge has installed him in his house and is taking care of
him. Defarge now runs a wine-shop with his wife in the poverty-stricken
quarter of Saint Antoine. Lucie finds her father in a shocking state where he
is sitting at a shoe-makers bench and is intently making shoes. He is senile
but Lucie’s appearance reminds him of his wife and he begins to weep. Lucie
takes him back to England.
After a
time leap of five years, Mr Lorry is called to a courthouse for his testimony
against Charles Darney, a Frenchman who is falsely accused of being a French spy.
Dr Manette and Lucie are also present there as witnesses. If Darney is found
guilty, he would face a horrendous death. Roger Cly and John Barsad’s statement
in witness box threatens his stance and that’s when Sydney Carton, a drunkard
wastrel (assistant to the attorney, Stryver) steps in and points out that his
physical appearance is similar to Darney. This new turn of events throws into
doubt a positive identification of Darnay as the person seen passing secrets,
and the court acquits Darnay.
Sydney
and Darney are both attracted to Lucie’s beauty and kindness and visit her
frequently. Carton tells Lucie that he loves her but he does not want to marry
her as he is not worthy of her love but he promises her that he would give his
love to save the one she loves. Eventually Darnay marries Lucie which results
in Dr Manette’s temporary relapse of mental incapacity as he knows about Darnay’s
reality. In the meantime, the chaos and anarchy spreads in France and Darnay’s
uncle is murdered by revolutionaries after killing him in a careless carriage
accident. The Defarges proves to be the axis of revolution they urge and lead
the people in a wave of violence and destruction. Darnay reaches France to save
a former servant and is immediately arrested and taken to La Force Prison. Dr
Manette and Lucie also reach Paris to save him but an unfortunate turn of
events convicts him by bringing Dr Manette’s letter which condemns his family.
He is sentenced to death on the basis of this evidence. At this point, Carton
steps in and trade places with Darnay and saves the day. His final heroic act redeems
him in the eyes of readers and fulfills the promise of giving Lucie the ultimate
happiness.
I
closed the book with a bucket full of tears which is a proof how intense this
book is. I believe a great book has the ability to move a reader and this book
did it. If you are fond of historical and intense emotional play this is the
book for you. Dickens has the ability to give life to his words. I would like
to end this review by stating some favorite quotes from the book. Stay blessed
"It was the best of times, it
was the worst of times”
“I wish you to know that you have
been the last dream of my soul”
“Sadly, sadly, the sun rose; it
rose upon no sadder sight than the man of good abilities and good emotions,
incapable of their directed exercise, incapable of his own help and his own
happiness, sensible of the blight on him, and resigning himself to let it eat
him away.”
"I am a disappointed drudge,
sir. I care for no man on earth, and no man on earth cares for me."
“Sadly, sadly, the sun rose; it
rose upon no sadder sight than the man of good abilities and good emotions,
incapable of their directed exercise, incapable of his own help and his own
happiness, sensible of the blight on him, and resigning himself to let it eat
him away."
“A wonderful fact to reflect upon,
that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery
to every other.”
“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."
