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.
An edition of A Tale of Two Cities
(1800)
A Tale of Two Cities
2000 Penguin Classics edition (1)
by Charles Dickens, Aedi Abraham, Juan Ramon Torregrosa, Francisco Manuel GRANADO CASTRO, Hablot K. BROWNE, Fred BARNARD, Alejo García Moreno, Salustiano Masó Simón, Juan Ramon Torregrosa Torregrosa, Victor G Ambrus, Laura Santamaria, Laura Santamaria, J. J. Bernier, maxi sanchez, jaime arbe, Marion Leighton, Miguel Muñoz, Julius Julius Seybt, and Julius Seybt
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After finishing A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens said 'it has greatly moved and excited me in the doing'. One of his most haunting novels, it has since its first serial publication in 1859, continued to exert a grip on the popular imagination.
Set mainly during the French Revolution in a lethal, vengeful Paris and a leafy, tranquil London, the two cities of the title ar only one of the novel's stark dichotomies, which are continued as Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay are drawn towards their separate destinies - their lives touched by the same woman.
In his absorbing introduction, Richard Maxwell discusses the novel's intricate design, in which Dickens magnificently interweaves epic drama with personal tragedy. Comparing it to Carlyle's French Revolution and Hugo's Les Miserables, Maxwell argues that A Tale of Two Cities 'stands as Dickens's most memorable effort to see a world in a very small space; a work short by its nature...yet curiously at its ease among giants.'
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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 life, Long now manual for civilizationPeople
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 20 featured editions. View all 2059 editions?
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A Tale of Two Cities
2000, Penguin Books
Paperback
in English
- 2000 Penguin Classics edition (1)
0140437304 9780140437300
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A Tale of Two Cities
1966-01, Washington Square Press
paperback
in English
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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
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The Works of Charles Dickens: A Tale of Two Cities
1868, Books, Inc
hardcover
in English
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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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