Reading feelings

Charles Dickens：

Born in England in 1812 to a lower-middle class family；

Moved at age 10 to a poor area of London because of family's financial trouble；

Worked in a dirty, rat-infested shoe polish factory at age 12 after his father was imprisoned for debt；

Acquired a strong sympathy for the poor which is reflected in his novels；

Hard Times in London

In the 1850s, during the Industrial Revolution. England was full of social and economic inequality. The urban poor was suffering “the worst of times" while the ruling class was enjoying the "best of times"

Dickens feared that a revolution such as the one that shook France could not be avoided.

During this time, Dickens wrote Bleak House (1852, 53), Hard Times (1854), Little Dorritt (1855-57), and A Tale of Two Cities (1859).

 

 

Background

Dickens' twelfth novel was published in his new weekly journal, All the Year Round, without illustrations. Simultaneously with the weekly parts, the novel was also published in monthly parts with illustrations by Hablot Browne. An American edition was also published, in slightly later weekly parts (May to December 1859),in Harper's Weekly.

The novel, which begins "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times", is set against the backdrop of the French Revolution and Dickens researched the historical background meticulously, using his friend Thomas Carlyle's History of the French Revolution as a reference.

 

 

 

 

The summary of A Tale of Two Cities

A Tale of Two Cities (1859) is a historical novel by Charles Dickens. The plot centres on the years leading up to the French Revolution and culminates in the Jacobin Reign of Terror.

The French Revolution (French: Révolution française; 1789-1799), was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France that had a major impact on France and indeed all of Europe. It tells the story of two men, Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton, who look similar but are very different in personality. Darnay is a romantic French aristocrat, while Carton is a cynical English barrister. However, the two are in love with the same woman, Lucie Manette. The novel concludes with the death of Sydney Carton. If he had any chance to express his thoughts, they would be full of prophecy: Monsieur Defarge himself be sent to the guillotine, and a future child of Charles and Lucie Darnay named after Carton.

 

The thought

“It was the best of times, and it was the worst of times. It was the age of wisdom, and it was the age of foolishness. It was the epoch of belief，and it was the epoch of incredulity. It was the season of light, and it was the season of darkness. It was the spring of hope, and it was the winter of despair. We had everything before us，and we had nothing before us. We were all going direct to Heaven，and 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, good or for evil，in the superlative degree of parison only.”

With the beginning of above words，Dickens told us a love story called “A Tale of Two Cities”, which is one of his most important representative works. The novel profoundly exposed the society contradiction before the French Revolution，intensely attacks the aristocratic social class is dissolute and cruel，and sincerely sympathizes with the depressed classes. The novel also described many magnificent scenes like the revolt people attacked Bastille and so on， which displayed people's great strength.

 The novel has portrayed many different people. Doctor Manette is honest and kind but suffers the persecution actually，Lucie is beautiful and gentle, Charles is graceful and noble, Lorry is upright and honest, Sydney is semblance of indifferent, innermost feelings of warm, unconventional but also selfless and lofty, Miss Pross is straightforward and loyal，Evremonde brothers are cruel and sinister. The plex hatred is hard to solve，the cruel revenge has made more hatreds，loves rebirth in the hell edge，but take the life as the price. Among many different kinds of people in the story，it is Sydney Carton who impressed me most. I can’t describe my feeling at the first sight of him. To tell the truth, he was not eye-catching at that time. When the readers were immersed in the meeting between Lucie and Charles，he only played a little role as a lawyer who had the same face with Charles and extricated him from accusation through this point.

Then they went to drink. Without scruple，Carton expressed his dislike to Charles. Yes, they had the same face. But they were different. Carton was a little lawyer, while Charles was a successful man. Carton was quite free and easy, while Charles was graceful and noble. In fact, they were absolutely two distinctive men except for their appearance. Certainly, what Carton cared about was not the wealth or the position, but the love of Lucie. He realized that Lucie loved Charles ,so he was barely out of control at that time. Every time I read this part, I could feel his sincerity and broad-minded, By no means would he say a lie. He must tell you what he thinks in the heart. It is Sydney Carton，a true man.

After a short time, he can’t resist himself going to see Lucie. But when he stepped into the small forest，he saw Lucie and Charles getting together happily. He didn’t rush towards them，however， he returned without a word. Though he had a period of depression after that, he was clear who Lucie loved was not him. So what he only would do was to bless her.

 Some days later, he came to meet Lucie again. He still told Lucie about his love, although he knew it was useless. He just wanted her to know it, as he said, “I want you to know that you are my last dream in my life.”

Many times, love is a thing about only one person. “I love you.”------It’s my business, not yours. So when Carton showed his deep love to Lucie, I suddenly felt that this man was so lovely and deserved to beloved.

 “Remember always there’s a man who could give his life to you, or anyone you love.” Carton left with these words. But all of these seemed a sign of misfortune.

 From then on, I came to understand how profound his love was. No doubt that it is the most moving love words in the world. Although you don’t love me, I am still there for you or your beloved though thick and thin.

But I knew in this story, Carton was bound to a tragic role. So when I saw he only left a view of his back in her wedding, there was a plex mood appearing slowly in my heart.

Some years passed. When Lucie appeared in the front of Carton，she became a mother. This time， Lucie’s face was filled with anxiety. Because Charles was in prison and would be killed soon. What lead to this was the plicated and filthy past.

From the point, the dirty of society was reflected. It was the sorrow in that period. But they must pay for this sorrow. So it was the time that Carton achieved his permission. “I told you once, for you I would do anything. I will.” He said.

 At the last moment, he and Charles exchanged. That they had the same face helped them at the second time. When Lucie and her family left without knowing the truth, Carton, instead of Charles, went to be killed.

How can we evaluate his action? We can’t say anything about it because all what he did was out of love. As he said to the young girl who panied him before died, “If we have no fear，we can be calm all the way.” He was so calm to greet what would being soon, for she would get her happiness and he loved her forever.

“It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.” With her face rising before his eyes, he went to execution ground calmly.

At the end of the story, he sacrifices his life for his love willingly. Many people say that love is selfish and egocentric, but the temperament of Sydney Carton tells us that love can be sublime and pure.Through this, Dickens tells us loving someone doesn't mean you should live together with him or her. You can help your beloved one silently, even sacrifice for love. This is universal fraternity, I think, which is the sublimation of normal love. And also, Dickens may indicate that true love really exist, regardless of the situation is full of commotion or not.

It is “A Tale of Two Cities”, also a tale of Sydney Carton.