A Tale of Two Cities: Book 1

Charles Dickens

7h 15min

Overview

The reunion of Dr. Manette with his daughter Lucie after his long imprisonment in the Bastille. It introduces key characters like Jarvis Lorry, Mr. and Mrs. Defarge, and establishes the setting in London and Paris during the late 1770s. The book also explores themes of social injustice and the impending French Revolution.

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A Tale of Two Cities: Book 1

Summary of 6 key concepts

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The Period

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all...

The Mail

It was the Dover road that lay, on a Friday night late in November, before the first of the persons with whom this history has business. The Dover road lay, as to him, beyond the Dover mail, as it lumbered up Shooter’s Hill. He walked up hill in the mire by the side of the mail, as the rest of the passengers did; not because they had the least relish for walking exercise, under the circumstances, but because the hill,...

The Night Shadows

A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other. A solemn consideration, when I enter a great city by night, that every one of those darkly clustered houses encloses its own secret; that every room in every one of them encloses its own secret; that every beating heart in the hundreds of thousands of breasts there, is, in some of its imaginings, a secret to the heart...

The Preparation

When the mail got successfully to Dover, in the course of the forenoon, the head drawer at the Royal George Hotel opened the coach-door as his custom was. He did it with some flourish of ceremony, for a mail journey from London in winter was an achievement to congratulate an adventurous traveller upon.By that time, there was only one adventurous traveller left be congratulated: for the two others had been set down at their respective roadside destinations. The mildewy inside...

The Wine-shop

A large cask of wine had been dropped and broken, in the street. The accident had happened in getting it out of a cart; the cask had tumbled out with a run, the hoops had burst, and it lay on the stones just outside the door of the wine-shop, shattered like a walnut-shell.All the people within reach had suspended their business, or their idleness, to run to the spot and drink the wine. The rough, irregular stones of the street,...

The Shoemaker

Good day!” said Monsieur Defarge, looking down at the white head that bent low over the shoemaking.It was raised for a moment, and a very faint voice responded to the salutation, as if it were at a distance:“Good day!”“You are still hard at work, I see?”After a long silence, the head was lifted for another moment, and the voice replied, “Yes—I am working.” This time, a pair of haggard eyes had looked at the questioner, before the face had dropped...

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About the Author

Charles Dickens, was a renowned English writer and social critic of the Victorian era. He is celebrated for his vivid portrayals of 19th-century London life and his powerful social commentary, which often highlighted the plight of the poor and marginalized. Dickens wrote numerous novels, including classics like "Oliver Twist," "A Christmas Carol," and "Great Expectations," which continue to be widely read and adapted today.

More on: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Dickens