history and criticism

After I finished the first one hundred and fifty pages of Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities, I was in dismay. Never having read a novel by Charles Dickens, I was expecting much, much more. The "great" Charles Dickens is praised around the world by critics and readers alike, but by the start of A Tale of Two Cities I didn't believe it. I was inclined to quit reading, but the realization of the novel being an assignment kept me going.
At the beginning, the pace of A Tale of Two Cities is monotonous. Dickens spends too much time in one scene; in one passage. Dickens lingers too long in one place. At times, Dickens overuses his marvelous ability to lag sentences on forever, and to create a full scale scene in just a paragraph, and he forgets about the reader. It is almost as if he gets caught up in his own writing, not caring for the reader. The wordiness of his sentences is his foe; yet his friend. When utilized correctly, the wordiness is more effective than any author that I have read, but when exploited in the wrong manner, excess is purely at work. Dickens chooses to ramble on in certain scenes, where, instead, he could get to the point and be finished. The excess of words and phrases hinders the reader's interest in the novel, and causes boredom and monotony during certain sections.
Dickens's wordiness has much do to with the plot development. The excess of Dickens's words contributes greatly to the slow, dull story of A Tale of Two Cities at the beginning. The length of his sentences, phrases, and paragraphs ties in with the boredom of the first one hundred and fifty pages. The extra length makes one simple sentence or scene, such as the descriptions and adventures of Monsieur the Marquis, seem not interesting at all. Many characters are introduced, and much information is received; but we still gain only minor information from these occurrences and characters. The plot needs to be rejuvenated; refreshed from its tedious ways. This weak development of plot, right at the beginning, is sometimes just long enough to give readers the chance to stop. Readers may very well lose interest and abandon all hope of A Tale of Two Cities because of the storyline.
Although the beginning plot of A Tale of Two Cities is lacking, in some ways the lacking beginning is made up in character development. Dickens is a master of characters. He presents the reader with certain characters who go through numerous changes and situations throughout the beginning and end of the novel. These experiences give change to and better the character in the end. "Idlest and most unpromising of men" (90), Sydney Carton, is a classic example. Carton "careless...and insolent" (81) overcomes the realization of his personality and stature from the beginning of the novel, and perpetrates the most selflessness and courageous act of our times; self sacrifice. Starting from the beginning, Dickens gives examples and experiences of Carton. This leads over to the novel's end when Carton eventually changes for the better, and commits his act of eternal bravery for Lucy Manette.
Dickens's third person point of view in the novel is one of the novel's greatest strengths. Being in third person, A Tale of Two Cities can jump from scene to scene; from city to city like the blink of an eye. Third person point of view helps to create the intimate relationships of the characters such as Lucy and Darnay, Lucy and Manette, and Carton and Lucy; while it, also, gives opportunity to develop the overall plot of the French Revolution mixed into each other. Third person in Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities gives the reader an example of a relationship of people going through the hardships of the time (i.e. The French Revolution). It makes the story more personal and really hits home much harder. If Dickens had written the book in first person, there would have been no way for the book to skip back and forth between cities. There would have been no way for Dickens to go from the peaceful streets of Soho to the storming of the Bastille; from Mr. Jerry Cruncher "sitting on his stool in Fleetstreet" (159) to Saint Antoine and the Defarge's wine shop.
The second half of the novel brings great changes to the previous half. The plot and style of writing pick up drastically. The story line unifies, and plays out amazingly. Dickens ties all of his characters from the beginning, that seemed to have no relevance to the story at all, into the ending. The stirring and adventurous second half really brings the novel together, and the "greatness" lost in the first one hundred and fifty pages of the novel, Dickens regains in the end. Dickens's sense of plot is like no other. He leads the reader on from chapter to chapter in the second half, and the novel becomes exhilarating. Dickens is still a little wordy in the second half, but because of the plot acceleration his prolixity is not as noticeable. Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities is certainly written by a master artist. Although slow starting off, A Tale of Two Cities turns into an enriching masterpiece that should be read by anyone who can get his hands on it.

A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens, is a chronical of the lives of the aristocracy and the lower class through the times leading up to and during the French Revolution. It Is a tale of both London and Paris, but I found that the real story happens in the latter of the two. The theme of two's is used frequently throughout the story. There are people living double lives-going by secret names. The story shows both sides of the French Revolution; It shows the lives of the rich and poor. The theme of being resurrected and being condemned to death go hand in hand throughout the story. The main theme, that also has two sides, is that of love and hatred. I saw the powers of hatred break apart families and condemn men's lives; I saw the power of love ultimately defeat hatred and restore those condemned lives. I really did enjoy reading this book. It touches very deeply on the the victory of love and how love can change. It is a story of change. I didn't think I would enjoy it when I first started reading the book, but it hooked me and changed the way I felt. It is right around 400 pages, and there are footnotes to help in the understanding of the history of the story.

A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens is a book that you actually live as you read it. So much detail and suspense puts you right in the position of the characters. While it is a little slow to start, it illudes to a much deeper plan. It really gives you prospective on the capabilities of man, both good and bad. From human sacrifice to corruption by power, the book gives you so much contrast that the reader and actually look at the characters as people they might know. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and hope that you will too!