A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens Please have out materials to take background notes.

Charles Dickens Born in 1812 in Portsmouth, England He had very encouraging parents who supported his writing and acting His father was sent to debtor’s prison which negatively impacted his youth At the age of 12, Dickens started working in a rat- infested warehouse—12 hour days, six days a week—in an attempt to help his family get out of debt A change of fortune rescued the family, but not before the experience affected Dickens

Before writing fiction, Dickens worked as an actor, a court reporter, and a journalist At 24, he published his first novel serially; many subsequent novels were published in this manner serial publication forced Dickens to carefully construct his stories to ensure continuity he became an expert at weaving intricate and suspenseful novels with humorous protagonists and horrifying villains serial publication heightens suspense and anticipation

Dickens and his wife, Catherine Hogarth, traveled around the world as he performed dramatic readings from his novels and spoke on political issues (i.e. in favor of abolishing slavery) Travels took a toll on his health, and he soon after died of a stroke At the time of his death, Dickens was halfway through The Mystery of Edwin Drood The mystery surrounding the title character’s disappearance will never be unraveled

Historical Context Two Cities—London and Paris Dickens begins TOTC in England where crime runs rampant. Later he shows his main characters living in refuge from the turmoil of England with its disease, slums, and despair associated with its Industrial Revolution The American Revolution is mentioned briefly (how might the American Revolution have influence the French and English) France is depicted as seething with wronged, vengeful people who create the revolution At this time, 3% of the population (clergy and aristocracy) controlled the country with rulers Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI

French Rulers Marie Antoinette Louis XVI

The French Revolution originates from France’s quick expansion of population, impossibly high taxes, deaf aristocracy, and monarchial rule In 1789, citizens in Paris stormed the Bastille (a prison) searching for weapons and freeing prisoners Violence quickly erupted throughout France The government was essentially overthrown

1792-The National Assembly (governing body made mostly of middle class representatives) assumed power and placed King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette under arrest The assembly relieved many taxes, abolished many special rights of nobility, adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man (sound familiar?), set up a constitution, and set up the Legislative Assembly (elected legislature) The slogan of the revolution was “liberty, equality, fraternity”

Other countries were in shock and attacked France in an attempt to help Louis XVI regain control As a result, outraged radicals forced the Legislative Assembly to suspend the office of the king, vote itself out of existence, and call for a National Convention to create a new constitution The convention immediately declared France a republic and sentences King Louis to death for treason in 1793

The Reign of Terror begins A Revolutionary Tribunal was established to quickly try and execute traitors The tribunal sent more than 40,000 people to the guillotine (most often used death device of the French Revolution; right)—many without substantial cause

La Guillotine King Louis XVI worked to create a humane way of killing. After many models of the guillotine, it was concluded that the angled blade was the best way to execute a person with the least amount of pain. The device was not humane unless it was sharpened fully. Often, prisoners would bribe the executioners with the clothes off their backs to ensure a sharp blade and a quick death. It is ironic that Louis XVI would die of his own creation.

A Tale of Two Cities Much of this history is compressed in A Tale of Two Cities as Dickens’ scenes “show instead of tell” the horror of the revolution Mob violence initiated by oppression Gruesome deaths Ultimately, though, the anger and violence takes a backseat to sacrifice and healing love

Dickens worked to create inventive plots with developed characters…critically, he is most often compared to Shakespeare (ironically his favorite author!) The novel chiefly relies on foreshadowing and suspense (read the novel like a mystery). It is told by an omniscient narrator—allowing for the foreshadowing Dickens also leans heavily on imagery, personification, and general description with ironical and symbolic elements throughout

Major Themes ( central, universal ideas in a piece of literature ) Oppression often leads to the need for vengeance and rebellion. People and things are not always as they appear. Love has a self-sacrificing, noble nature. Love has the power to heal and redeem. Action is often driven by a desire for the preservation of family or community.

Major Motifs ( reoccurring elements ) Duality/Doubles Resurrection Imprisonment Storm Shadow/Darkness **These often have figurative representations! Think beyond the literal.

Portsmouth— Home of Dickens Paris—about 150 miles south of Calais Both Calais and Dover are mentioned in Book the First