A Tale of Two Cities

A Tale of Two Cities
	The title page of the first edition of A Tale of Two Cities.
Author	Charles Dickens
Language	English
Genre	Historical fiction
Publisher	Chapman and Hall
Publication date	1859
Publication place	United Kingdom
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
ISBN	NA Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character

A Tale of Two Cities (1859) is a historical novel by Charles Dickens. The plot centres on the years leading up to the French Revolution and culminates in the Jacobin Reign of Terror. It starts with Dr Alexandre Manette's 1759 imprisonment and concludes 36 years later with the trial of Charles Darnay.

The book tells, first and foremost, the story of Darnay and Sydney Carton, who look similar but are very different in their personalities: Darnay is a romantic French aristocrat; Carton is a cynical English barrister. Both are deeply in love with the same woman, Lucie Manette.

Other major characters include Dr Manette (Lucie's father), who was unjustly imprisoned in the infamous Bastille for many years under a lettre de cachet, and Madame Defarge, a female revolutionary with an implacable grudge against the aristocratic Evrémonde dynasty.

The opening -- "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." -- and closing -- "It is a far, far better thing that I do..." -- of the book are among the most famous lines in English literature.

The story oscillates between London and Paris. Two of the 45 chapters are set in both countries, nineteen in England and 24 in France. They tell of the shameless corruption, abuse and inhumanity of the French nobles towards the peasantry. The masses, oppressed for centuries, rise up at last and destroy their masters, becoming themselves just as evil and corrupt.

Plot summary

The First Book: Recalled to Life

Jarvis Lorry travels to Dover to meet a young woman, Lucie Manette, in 1775. When he arrives, he informs her that her father, Doctor Manette, whom she previously believed to be dead, has actually been incarcerated as a prisoner in Paris for the past eighteen years, and has recently been released by the French government. Tellson's Bank is sending Lorry to identify the doctor (who had been one of Tellson's clients) and bring him to England. The news upsets Lucie greatly; he tries to comfort her, but Miss Pross takes over when she fears he has frightened Lucie too much.

The story shifts abruptly to Saint Antoine, a suburb of Paris, where a cask of wine accidentally splits and spills on the ground. The poor seize the unexpected windfall, jubilantly drinking the wine off the street. Watching the degradation in disgust is Defarge, the owner of a wineshop and leader of a band of revolutionaries. Afterwards, he goes back into his shop and talks to a group of fellow revolutionaries, who call each other "Jacques".

Mr. Lorry and Lucie Manette arrive and Defarge takes them to his apartment to see Dr. Manette. The doctor is, to all appearances, completely mad. He sits in a dark room all day making shoes, as he did while in prison. Lucie takes him to England.

The Second Book: The Golden Thread

Five years later (1780), Dr. Manette has recovered from his ordeal. French emigre Charles Darnay is tried at the Old Bailey for spying. Those testifying against him are a John Barsad and a Roger Cly, who claim that he had been reporting on English troops in North America to the French. Dr. Manette and his daughter vouch for Darnay because he had sailed with them on their voyage to England. In the end, Darnay is acquitted because the witnesses are unable to tell him apart from junior defense counsel Sydney Carton, who bears a striking resemblance to him. Carton is depicted unflatteringly as a drunkard; conversely Darnay is set out as a handsome, gallant victim of a deficient British legal process. Carton becomes enamoured with Lucie and jealous of Darnay.

In Paris, the Marquis St. Evrémonde, Darnay's uncle, is returning from an audience with Monseigneur, one of the 'greatest lords in France', when his coach runs over and kills the son of the peasant Gaspard; he throws a coin to Gaspard to compensate him for his loss; in the assembled crowd is the implacable tricoteuse, Madame Defarge. She throws the money back, enraging the Marquis and leading him to exclaim that he would willingly kill any of the peasants of France.

On his way back to his château, the Marquis passes through a village, where a road mender tells him that he saw a man clinging to the bottom of his carriage. The Marquis has his servant investigate, but no one is found.

Darnay returns to France to meet his uncle. Their political positions are diametrically opposed: Darnay is a democrat, while the Marquis is an adherent of the ancien régime. The Marquis is portrayed as a cruel, heartless nobleman:

"Repression is the only lasting philosophy. The dark deference of fear and slavery, my friend," observed the Marquis, "will keep the dogs obedient to the whip, as long as this roof," looking up to it, "shuts out the sky."

That night, Gaspard, the man who had ridden underneath the carriage, murders the Marquis in his sleep. Gaspard is later captured and hanged for his crime.

Returning to England, Darnay asks Dr. Manette for his consent to marry Lucie. He is not the only suitor however. Both Stryver, Carton's patron (by way of comic relief) and, more seriously, Carton himself, are captivated by her. Carton is the only one who reveals his feelings directly to Lucie--Stryver is convinced of the futility of his aspirations, and Darnay proposes the marriage to Dr. Manette. When Carton confesses his love to Lucie, he admits he is incapable of making her happy; she has inspired him to lead a better life, but he lacks the energy to follow through. However, he promises to "embrace any sacrifice" for her or one that she loves. Meanwhile, Darnay agrees to reveal his true surname to Dr. Manette on the morning of his marriage to Lucie.

In Paris, Monsieur and Madame Defarge foment Jacobin sympathies. Madame Defarge takes the long view, as opposed to her husband, who is impatient to bring on the revolution. They learn, from an informant within the police, that a spy is to be quartered in Saint Antoine. He is John Barsad, one of those who had given false testimony against Darnay. The following morning, Barsad enters the Defarges' wine shop, but Madame Defarge recognizes him from the description she had been given. Barsad acts as an agent provocateur and tries to lead her into discussing the impending execution of the unfortunate Gaspard. In the course of the conversation, he mentions that Darnay is to be married to Lucie Manette.

On the morning of the marriage, Darnay, at Dr. Manette's request, reveals who his family is, a detail which Dr. Manette had asked him to withhold until then. Unfortunately, this unhinges Dr. Manette, who reverts to his obsessive shoemaking. His sanity is restored before Lucie returns from her honeymoon; to prevent a further relapse, Lorry destroys the shoemaking bench which Dr. Manette had brought with him from France.

Later, in mid-July 1789, Jarvis Lorry visits the Darnays and tells them of the uneasiness in Paris. The scene cuts to the Saint Antoine fauborg for the storming of the Bastille, with the Defarges in the lead. With the hated prison in revolutionary hands, Defarge enters Dr. Manette's former cell. He uncovers a manuscript which the inmate had written during his confinement, hidden by that same inmate on the inside of a chimney, condemning the Evrémondes, pere et fils (father and son), for his wrongful imprisonment and the destruction of his family.

In the summer of 1792, a letter is delivered to Tellson's bank, addressed to the heir of the Marquis of Evrémonde. The letter recounts the news of the imprisonment of one of the Marquis' retainers, Gabelle, and beseeches the new Marquis to come to his aid. By chance, though the bank is unaware of his identity, Darnay receives the letter. He makes plans to travel to Paris, where the Reign of Terror is running its bloody course, blithely indifferent to the danger. Lorry is sent on ahead with a (cryptic) message to the imprisoned Gabelle that he is on his way.

The Third Book: The Track of a Storm

In Beauvais, erstwhile home of Dr. Manette, Darnay is denounced by the revolutionaries as an emigrant, an aristocrat, and a traitor. His military escort takes him to Paris, where he is imprisoned. Dr. Manette and Lucie along with Miss Pross, Jerry Cruncher, and the daughter of Charles and Lucie Darnay, "Little Lucie", leave London for Paris and meet with Mr. Lorry. Dr. Manette tries to use his influence as a well-known former prisoner of the Bastille to have his son-in-law freed. He manages to protect Darnay on the night that mobs kill thousands of less-fortunate prisoners. After a year and three months, Dr. Manette successfully defends Darnay at his trial. However, that evening, Darnay is put on trial again, under new charges brought by the Defarges and one unnamed other.

While Miss Pross and Mr. Cruncher are on their way to the market, they stop at a tavern to buy wine. There, Miss Pross finds her long-lost brother, Solomon Pross, now a revolutionary official. Neither is happy with the meeting. Jerry Cruncher then recognizes him as John Barsad. Sydney Carton, to their surprise, joins the party and confirms this. He then blackmails Solomon Pross, telling him that he knows that he is a spy, as he had overheard his conversation inside the tavern, and a double agent, working for both the French and British governments at different times. Pross reluctantly gives in to Carton's demands.

When Darnay is brought back before the revolutionary tribunal, he is confronted by Defarge, who identifies Darnay as the Marquis St. Evremonde and reads from the paper found in Dr. Manette's cell. The document describes how he had been locked away in the Bastille by the deceased Marquis Evrémonde and his twin brother for trying to report their horrific crimes against a peasant family. The younger brother had become infatuated with a girl. He had kidnapped and raped her and killed her husband, brother, and father. Prior to his death, the brother had hidden the last member of the family, his younger sister, "somewhere safe." The paper concludes by condemning the Evrémondes and all of their descendants, therefore adding Dr. Manette's condemnation to those of the Defarges. Darnay is consigned to the La Force Prison and is sentenced to be guillotined within twenty-four hours.

Carton, while wandering the streets at night, stops at the Defarge wine shop, where he overhears Madame Defarge talking about her plans to have Darnay's entire family condemned. Carton discovers that she was the survivor of the ill-fated family mentioned in Dr. Manette's letter. He quickly informs Mr. Lorry and urges him and the others to leave France as soon as possible.

On the day of his execution, Darnay is visited by Carton, who, because of his love for Lucie and friendship with Darnay, offers to trade places with him. As Darnay is unwilling, Carton drugs him and has him carried out to a waiting carriage. The spy, Barsad, tells Carton to remain true to their agreement. Darnay, Dr. Manette, Mr. Lorry, Lucie, and her child flee France. Darnay uses Carton's papers to cross the border and presumably escape to England.

Miss Pross and Mr. Cruncher, who had not left with the others, prepare to depart. Meanwhile, Madame Defarge goes to the residence of Lucie and her family, believing that if she can catch them in the act of mourning for Darnay, that they could be held accountable for sympathizing with an enemy of the Republic. Miss Pross sends Mr. Cruncher out to fetch a carriage. While he is away, she is confronted by Madame Defarge. Knowing that if Madame Defarge realizes that her would-be victims have already departed, she might be able to have them stopped and brought back to Paris, Miss Pross pretends they are in another room by closing the door and placing herself in front of it. Madame Defarge figures out the fact that nobody is in the room and realizes they had already left. She fakes ignorance and orders Miss Pross to move away, but she refuses. Madame Defarge makes a break for the front door. They struggle and Madame Defarge is shot and killed by her own pistol; the noise of the shot permanently deafens Miss Pross. Miss Pross and Cruncher then quickly leave.

The novel concludes with the death of Sydney Carton. If he had any chance to express his thoughts, they would be full of prophecy: Monsieur Defarge himself be sent to the guillotine, and a future child of Charles and Lucie Darnay named after Carton.

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.
— Sydney Carton's last thoughts, A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens

Analysis

A Tale of Two Cities is a moral novel strongly concerned with themes of resurrection, guilt, hope, shame, redemption, social injustice and patriotism. This is the only Dickens novel with a historical theme. The author's primary source was The French Revolution: A History by Thomas Carlyle, whose view that history follows a cycle of destruction and resurrection was an important influence, illustrated especially well in the life and death of Sydney Carton.

Correspondence is in part used as a medium for ensuring the flow of events, and, while not an epistolary novel in the style of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos's Les Liaisons Dangereuses, letters drive much of the narrative development. The novel covers a period between 1775 and 1793, up to the middle period of the French Revolution.

The twists and turns in the work are sinuous. Originally written as a serial novel for publication in newspapers, its chapters open and close with great drama and mystery. Dickens' take on the French Revolution is balanced: he describes the horrors and atrocities committed by both sides.

The two cities referred to in the title are London and Paris. Throughout the novel, pairs of people, places, etc. are compared and contrasted.

Relation to Dickens' personal life

Dickens was born in 1812, some thirty to forty years subsequent to the occurrences detailed in the book. The period that it covers was one of great social injustices in both France and England, and it was a wish to highlight these which, in part, motivated Dickens to pen the story. He was inspired, too, by his interest in French history, acquired during his time there around 1845.

It has been argued that, in the novel, Dickens reflects on his own psychological state at the time of writing, especially his relationship with Ellen Ternan.

The plot hinges on the strong physical likeness of Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay. Darnay has the same initials as Dickens: in early drafts Carton's forename was Dick, giving him the same initials but transposed. Both men are in love (Carton unsuccessfully, Darnay marrying) with Lucie Manette, who may have been modelled physically on Ternan.

The characters of Carton and Darnay are strongly complementary to an extent that almost prefigures Stevenson's Jekyll and Hyde. Darnay is worthy and respectable but dull, Carton disreputable but magnetic. Dickens might have used this contrast to explore his own uncertainties about his new, intensely unacceptable love for Ternan and its implications for his hitherto respectable private life.

The devastating impact on Dr Manette of his imprisonment in the Bastille might capture Dickens' sense of being trapped in his marriage to a woman he no longer loved. Even once he is freed, only Lucie can rescue Manette from recurrent delusions that he is still in prison; their relationship of father and daughter may have reflected aspects of Dickens' feelings for Ternan (who was the same age as his own daughters).

Characters

Sydney Carton – quickminded but depressed English barrister and alcoholic; a key character in the theme of redemption

Lucie Manette – young Frenchwoman loved by both Carton and Charles Darnay

Charles Darnay – respectable young Frenchman who detests the aristocrats, though he is one himself, one of the main characters

Dr. Alexandre Manette – Lucie's father, a prisoner in the Bastille for many years

Ernest Defarge – owner of a French wine shop and member of the Jacquerie; husband of Madame Defarge; servant to Dr. Manette as a youth

Madame Therese Defarge – a vengeful female revolutionary; arguably the antagonist

The Vengeance – a companion of Madame Defarge referred to as her "shadow," a member of the sisterhood of women revolutionaries in Saint Antoine, and revolutionary zealot.

Jarvis Lorry – a banker and friend of Dr. Manette

Miss Pross – the fiercely loyal housekeeper of the Manettes since Lucie Manette was ten years old

Monseigneur Marquis St. Evrémonde – cruel uncle of Charles Darnay

John Barsad – perjurer, informer and spy. His real name is Solomon Pross and he is the brother of Miss Pross.

Roger Cly – another spy, Barsad's collaborator
Jerry Cruncher – messenger for Tellson's Bank and secretly a body snatcher
C.J. Stryver – Rash, arrogant, and ambitious lawyer, senior to Sydney Carton
The Seamstress – a young woman caught up in The Terror. She precedes Sydney Carton to the guillotine.

Adaptations

There have been at least three feature films made based on the book:

A Tale of Two Cities, a 1911 silent film.
A Tale of Two Cities, a 1935 black and white movie starring Ronald Colman. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
A Tale of Two Cities, a 1958 version, starring Dirk Bogarde.

Also, the novel has been adapted by Takarazuka Revue, the all-female opera company in Japan as a musical. The first production was in 1984, starring Mao Daichi at the Grand Theater; and the second was in 2003, starring Jun Sena at the Bow Hall.

The novel has also been adapted into a television movie in 1980, starring Chris Sarandon, and in 1989, starring John Mills, as part of the PBS television series Masterpiece Theatre.

In the 1970 Monty Python's Flying Circus episode "The Attila the Hun Show", the sketch "The News for Parrots" included a scene of A Tale of Two Cities (As told for parrots).

The children's television series Wishbone adapted the novel for the episode "A Tale of Two Sitters."

American author Susanne Alleyn's novel A Far Better Rest, a reimagining of A Tale of Two Cities from the point of view of Sydney Carton, was published in the USA in 2000.

External links

A Tale of Two Cities at Project Gutenberg
A Tale of Two Cities, full text with audio.
Complete audio book at Librivox Project.
A Tale of Two Cities Book Notes Summary.
'Dickens: A Tale of Two Cities', lecture by Dr Tony Williams on the writing of the book, at Gresham College on 3rd July 2007 (with video and audio files available for download, as well as the transcript).