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A doctor is released from the Bastille after being falsely imprisoned for almost eighteen years. A young woman discovers the father she’s never known is not dead but alive, if not entirely well. A young man is acquitted of being a traitor, due in part to the efforts of a rather selfish lout who is assisting the young man’s attorney. A man has a wine shop in Paris with a wife who knits at the bar. These disparate elements are tied together as only Dickens can, and in the process he tells the story of the French Revolution.
Charles Dickens was fascinated by Thomas Carlyle’s magnum opus The French Revolution; according to Dickens’ letters, he read it “500 times” and carried it with him everywhere while he was working on this novel. When he wrote to Carlyle asking him for books to read on background, Carlyle sent him two cartloads full. Dickens mimicked Carlyle’s style, his chronology, and his overall characterization of the revolution; although A Tale of Two Cities is fiction, the historical events described are largely accurate, sometimes exactly so. Even so, Dickens made his name and reputation on telling stories full of characters one could be invested in, care about, and despise, and this novel has all of those and more. It also, in its first and last lines, has two of the most famous lines in literature. With the possible exception of A Christmas Carol, it is his most popular novel, and according to many, his best.
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British, British and irish fiction (fictional works by one author), Children's fiction, Criticism and interpretation, English fiction, English literature, Executions and executioners, Fathers and daughters, Fiction, classics, Histoire, Historia, Historical fiction, History, Juvenile fiction, Lookalikes, Novela, Novela inglesa, Padre e hija, Pères et filles, Readers, Roman français, Sosies, War stories, Reign of Terror, storming of the Bastille, French Revolution, Guillotine, French, Romans, nouvelles, IIIT, French fiction, Comics & graphic novels, British and irish drama (dramatic works by one author), Drama, Plays, Readers' theater, Juvenile drama, Children's plays, American, France, history, revolution, 1789-1799, fiction, London (england), history, fiction, Paris (france), history, fiction, Fathers and daughters, fiction, London (england), fiction, Paris (france), fiction, Fiction, historical, general, LANGUAGE & LITERARY STUDIES, FICTION CLASSICS, CONTEMPORARY FICTION, Revolution, Classic Literature, Revenge, Loyalty, Political refugees, Friendship, Revolution (France : 1789-1799), revolution 1789-1799, Comic books, strips, Adaptations, Literature, Comics & graphic novels, literary, Fiction, general, Reference books, Translations in Japanese, Japanese literature, Translations from English, Translations into Japanese, Juvenile Nonfiction, Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction, Children: Grades 3-4, History Revolution, 1789-1799--Fiction, City and town lifePeople
Jerry Cruncher, Jarvis Lorry, Alexandre Manette, Lucie Manette, Miss Pross, Charles Darnay, Sydney Carton, John Barsad, Roger Cly, Marquis St. Evrémonde, Madame Defarge, Monsieur Defarge, Mrs Cruncher, Théophile Gabelle, Ernest Defarge, Therese Defarge, Mrs. Cruncher, Mr. Stryver, Monseigneur, Gaspard, The Mender of Roads, The Vengeance, The Seamstress, Lucy ManetteShowing 19 featured editions. View all 2059 editions?
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A Tale of Two Cities
1966-01, Washington Square Press
paperback
in English
- Washington Square Press edition, 46th printing
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A Tale of Two Cities
1936, New American Library
mass market paperback
in English
- Eleventh printing
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A Tale of Two Cities
1912, Waverley Book Company
hardcover
in English
- Special Edition for subscribers only
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The Works of Charles Dickens: A Tale of Two Cities
1868, Books, Inc
hardcover
in English
- Cleartype Edition
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Work 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.
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January 14, 2023 | Edited by Lisa | Merge works |
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