Response to 'A Tale of Two Cities'

A Tale of Two Cities

When one thinks of Charles Dickens, we usually associate him with his wonderful range of language, and his comical characterizations which have won the hearts of audiences throughout his many novels. He is widely known to use dialogue to flesh out his characters; however with A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens – forced by circumstance - shifted the attention from character to plot, thus singling A Tale of Two Cities as a unique novel.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…” Book the First – Chapter 1.

In truth, this statement from A Tale of Two Cities is a most accurate indication of the state of Western Europe in the late 18th century. King George III of England, although at the height of England’s power was faced with turmoil in the colonies in America. Yet on his home soil, things weren’t of the brightest demeanor either. There were wide-spread public worries...