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
TOTC – a serial publication
• Dickens’ novels were Dickens’ novels werepublished serially.
published serially.
• Installments consisted of 2 Installments consisted of 2
or 3 chapters at a time.
or 3 chapters at a time.
• A Tale of Two Cities A Tale of Two Cities was was
originally published from
originally published from
April through November of
April through November of
1859 in the magazine called
1859 in the magazine called All the Year Round
Common Characteristics of
Dickens’ Work
•
Focused on social
injustice.
•
Criticized the
systems and
classes which took
advantage of the
poor.
•
Family life was not
Now…On To
A Tale of Two
Cities
1859
Tale of human
behavior
(goodness and
wickedness of
people)
Tale of human
behavior
Historical Context
1775-1793
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 influenced 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
French Rulers
A Tale of Two Cities -style
•
Much of the history of the French
Revolution is compressed in
A Tale of
Two Cities
as Dickens’ uses
imagery
to
portray the horror of the revolution
• Mob violence initiated by oppression
• Gruesome deaths
• Ultimately, though, the anger and
• 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 relies heavily on syntax, imagery,
personification, and general description with
ironic and symbolic elements throughout.
Literary Concepts Focus:
Irony
• Situational Irony: the contrast between
what a reader or character expects and what actually exists or happens
• Dramatic Irony: when the reader or
audience learns information that certain characters do not know
• Verbal Irony: occurs when a character or
narrator says one thing and means another
Look for examples of these as you read! • Situational Irony: the contrast between
what a reader or character expects and what actually exists or happens
• Dramatic Irony: when the reader or
audience learns information that certain characters do not know
• Verbal Irony: occurs when a character or
narrator says one thing and means another
Symbol:
a concrete object or action that
stands for a complex or abstract idea or
relationship
Look for the following symbols and their meanings in TOTC:
• Blood-red wine and the broken wine cask
• Knitting
• The golden thread
• the Marquis
Doppelganger:
is a look-alike or double
of a living person; in some traditions it is
seen as a harbinger of bad luck.
Sydney Carton is a brilliant but indolent barrister. He discovers he bears an uncanny resemblance to
anaphora:
the deliberate repetition of the
first part of the sentence in order to
achieve an artistic effect
Motifs:
recurring structures, symbols or ideas that can help to develop and inform the text’smajor themes
Motifs:
recurring structures, symbols or ideas that can help to develop and inform the text’smajor themes
Look For the following Motifs:
• Doubles - The story divides itself between
locations, characters, and opposites. These all add to the themes in the novel.
• Resurrection the restoration of life/bringing back
from “the dead”
• Redemption (Righting of wrongs)-Look for
actions by certain characters that aim to right their wrongs and note how they add to different themes.
• Darkness & Light - Note how the use of shadows
throughout the novel adds to the dark mood of many of the scenes.)
• Confrontations between extreme evil and
innocence
• Perseverance during harsh times
Look For the following Motifs:
• Doubles - The story divides itself between
locations, characters, and opposites. These all add to the themes in the novel.
• Resurrection the restoration of life/bringing back
from “the dead”
• Redemption (Righting of wrongs)-Look for
actions by certain characters that aim to right their wrongs and note how they add to different themes.
• Darkness & Light - Note how the use of shadows
throughout the novel adds to the dark mood of many of the scenes.)
• Confrontations between extreme evil and
innocence
Themes
A Tale of Two Cities
explores questions
about revolutions, the abuse of power,
the nature of justice and loyalty, and
the ability of love to triumph over
hatred.
A Tale of Two Cities
explores questions
about revolutions, the abuse of power,
the nature of justice and loyalty, and
the ability of love to triumph over
Themes
Remember to think of these themes in TOTC and other works we have read.
• Cruelty, injustice, and oppression can incite people to rebel against governments.
• Heroism can be expressed through self-sacrifice.
• Violence and terror are often used to achieve the
goals of revolutions.
• Power tends to corrupt people.
• Love has the power to comfort, heal, and redeem.
Why We Read It
• Dickens is one of the
most celebrated authors in history.
• The AP exams love
him, so the more
familiar you are with his work, the better off you will be come exam time.
• Despite being long and
How to have the best of times and avoid
the worst of times when reading.
•
Keep up with the
reading! We will
have regular
reading quizzes.
•
Keep your study
guide up to date!
•
Keep track of
characters and
main events for
each chapter.
Portsmouth— Home of Dickens
Paris—about 150 miles south of Calais
