ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -A Tale of Two Cities, novel by Charles Dickens, published both serially and in book form in 1859. The story is set in the late 18th century against the background of the French Revolution.

Detailed explanation-2: -The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long imprisonment in the Bastille in Paris, and his release to live in London with his daughter Lucie whom he had never met. The story is set against the conditions that led up to the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror.

Detailed explanation-3: -With A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens asserts his belief in the possibility of resurrection and transformation, both on a personal level and on a societal level. The narrative suggests that Sydney Carton’s death secures a new, peaceful life for Lucie Manette, Charles Darnay, and even Carton himself.

Detailed explanation-4: -Charles Dickens’s ‘’A Tale of Two Cities” is one of the most well-known examples of the genre of historical fiction, in which fictional characters and stories are set among historical events in order to better understand the time period.

Detailed explanation-5: -A Tale of Two Cities is also a good “starter Dickens” since it’s shorter than most of his other novels, and has more action and suspense. It’s not exactly an authoritative historical account of the French Revolution, but probably nobody has captured the emotions and drama of that period better.