A Tale of Two Cities

By: Charles Dickens

A Tale of Two Cities

By: Charles Dickens

Alyxandra Hopkins

Mrs. Susan Wehrsig

AP English Literature

Alyxandra Hopkins

Mrs. Susan Wehrsig

AP English Literature

IntroductionIntroduction

Introduction

Written by Dickens in 1849 Written in three parts Released one part at a time

throughout 1849 Set against the backdrop of the

French Revolution Begins in 1775

Main Characters

Main Characters

Charles Darnay

Protagonist Honorable Born of French nobility, but rejects

his aristocratic Evremonde familial ties

Works as a French tutor in England Arrested by French for emigrating

Wins the love of Lucie Manette

Lucie Darnay

Loving and compassionate Daughter of Dr. Alexander Manette Marries Charles Darnay Selfless

Love of her father Love for Charles Darnay

The “Golden Thread” for her father

Dr. Alexander Manette

Started as a thriving doctor with a beautiful family

Imprisoned in the Bastille prison for eighteen years Becomes deranged and withdrawn Cobbles shoes to pass time

Nursed back to life and vitality by his daughter

Sydney Carton

Most dynamic and redeeming character An intelligent lawyer, but wastes his

talent through drinking and indolence Apathetic and feels like a waste of life Falls in love with Lucie Takes Charles’ place at the guillotine

Redeems his reputation Sacrifice saves Darnay and his family

Minor Characters

Minor Characters

Madame Defarge

Antagonist Seeks liberation of

French peasantry Bloodthirsty and malicious in this quest

Destructive towards anyone associated with the aristocracy Manages third arrest of Darnay Tries to kill the Darnay family

Dies in the attempt

Miss Pross

Lucie’s nurse and guardian Faithful and virtuous Has a “heart of gold” Goes beyond the call of duty to

protect and care for Lucie and her family Kills Madame Defarge in order to

protect them

SettingsSettings

Tellson’s Bank

in London

Bastille Prison

in Paris

Defarge’s wine shop

in Paris

Settings

SymbolsSymbols

The Broken Wine Cask

Peasants rush forward to lick up wine Desperate and hungry

Literally starving due to poverty Yearning for liberation from oppressive

aristocracy

Wine is associated with blood Violent means peasantry will take to

achieve liberation Blood of aristocrats that will be spilled

Madame Defarge’s Knitting

List of the people she condemns Knits peacefully while plotting the

death of others Mythological Fates

Used knitting to determine length of each person’s life

She weaves the fate of the lives of the those whose names she knits

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Dickens’ Style

Dickens’ Style

Style

Vividly detailed sentences bring sentences to life Mimics scenes to make realistic

Speeches are boring and pedantic Storming of Bastille is choppy and chaotic

Replicates violence rolling through streets

Repetition reinforces ideas Reader can grasp their significance

and importance to the story

Dominant Themes, Issues, and Philosophy

Dominant Themes, Issues, and Philosophy

Tendency of Violence and Oppression in Revolutionaries

Madame Defarge is the embodiment of this violent tendency

Dickens’ condemns this tendency Violence makes the peasants no better

than their aristocratic oppressors Does not justify their violent acts The death of Madame Defarge

exemplifies this disapproval

The Possibility of Resurrection Re-emergence of Dr. Manette into

society Lucie guides him back to sanity in

order to maintain regular societal interactions

Carton’s giving his life to save Darnay Sacrifice renews his reputation

Carton envisions a renewed Paris After the Revolution, there will be

peace and prosperity

Literary Devices and Rhetorical Strategies

Literary Devices and Rhetorical Strategies

Literary Devices and Rhetorical Strategies Paradox:

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”

Parallelism: “It was the best of times… it was the age of

wisdom… it was the epoch of belief”

Foreshadowing: The description of the trees foreshadows the

use of their wood for the guillotine

Other Authors’ Opinions and

Interpretations

Other Authors’ Opinions and

Interpretations

Edgar Johnson

Novel is uncharacteristic and lacks humor

Not as much “rich profusion of character creation” as in Dickens’ longer novels

Intricately linked plot relationships seem more artificial

John Gross

“A thin and uncharacteristic work” “Notoriously deficient in humor” Dickens remained a moralist and

preacher His saving grace for the novel

Unconventional style is unappealing, yet the moralistic ideas saved the reputation of the book