Word Count

97000 words, Guess

Page Count

388 pages

Physical Format

EBook

Identifiers

Classifications

  • DDC812/.54
  • LCCPS3558.U832 T35 1996

Description

A Tale of Two Cities is a historical novel published in 1859 by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long imprisonment in the Bastille in Paris, and his release to live in London with his daughter Lucie whom he had never met. The story is set against the conditions that led up to the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror. In the Introduction to the Encyclopedia of Adventure Fiction, critic Don D'Ammassa argues that it is an adventure novel because the protagonists are in constant danger of being imprisoned or killed. As Dickens's best-known work of historical fiction, A Tale of Two Cities is said to be one of the best-selling novels of all time. In 2003, the novel was ranked 63rd on the BBC's The Big Read poll. The novel has been adapted for film, television, radio, and the stage, and has continued to influence popular culture.

First Sentence

DEPENDING ON WHO you listened to, it was either the best of times, or it was the worst of times.

Description

A Tale of Two Cities (1859) is the second historical novel by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. It depicts the plight of the French proletariat under the brutal oppression of the French aristocracy in the years leading up to the revolution, and the corresponding savage brutality demonstrated by the revolutionaries toward the former aristocrats in the early years of the revolution. It follows the lives of several protagonists through these events, most notably Charles Darnay, a French once-aristocrat who falls victim to the indiscriminate wrath of the revolution despite his virtuous nature, and Sydney Carton, a dissipated English barrister who endeavours to redeem his ill-spent life out of love for Darnay's wife, Lucie Manette. Source: http://www.feedbooks.com/book/81/a-tale-of-two-cities

Subjects

Topics

IIITDramaPlaysNovelaFrenchSosiesBritish

Places

ParisDoverLondonFranceEnglandParis (France)Bastille Prison

People

GaspardRoger ClyMiss ProssMr. StryverJohn BarsadMonseigneurJarvis Lorry

Times

17931775–931789-1799Revolution18th centuryRevolution, 1789-17991789-1799 (Révolution)

Other Editions

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