A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness..." begins the famous introduction of A Tale of Two Cities, establishing the theme of dualities (e.g. best and worst, wisdom and foolishness, Light and Darkness, England and France, etc.). The readers are soon introduced to two characters, a pair of doubles, who embody this contradiction: the aristocratic French Charles Darnay and the English Sydney Carton. Both characters lack family ties (one cast away ties to his aristocratic origins and the other is an orphan) and both fall in love with the French-English Lucie Manette.

The structure of the novel also follows the theme (I have not done a thorough evaluation of this). There are two trials in the novel, one at the beginning and one at the end. Both are for the life of an innocent Charles Darnay. Twice it is Sydney Carton and his amazing likeness to Darnay that saves the French aristocrat. Dr. Manette is brought to England from France to be returned to life; Sydney Carton is brought to life through his sacrificial act.

The tale takes place during the French Revolution, but there is little recognition of the Revolution as an epochal Event; the abdication of the French King and Queen happens with barely a comment; the context of the Revolution seems merely borrowed so that Dickens can write about class conflict and the absolute destitution of the lower classes, while setting the story in both England and France.​

​I think it was E.M. Forster in his book, Aspects of the Novel, where he commented that Dickens' characters are "flat" as opposed to "round"; there is little that Dickens' characters say or do that is unexpected. Charles Darnay is always Charles Darnay, Lucie Manette is always Lucie Manette; they are as flat as a minor character like Stryver. Dr. Manette is a bit rounder. I like Sydney Carton because of his redemptive act (I'm actually not sure if this makes him a "round" character, but it certainly makes him a lot more interesting than the others).

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