Tellson & Co

Tellson & Co. English merchant bank with branches in London and Paris. The bank’s London office is dark, ugly, and staffed by old-fashioned bankers. Dickens describes the bank as resembling both a prison and a grave. As the oldest bank in England, Tellson’s is a symbol not only of English economic dominance but also of resistance to change. The bank’s London office is located “in the shadow” of Temple Bar, a large stone gateway which was used until 1780 to display on spikes the heads of executed criminals. The London office becomes a place of refuge for French aristocrats fleeing the violence of the revolution. In the yard of the bank’s Paris branch, the mob sharpens its weapons on a large grindstone, while the blood of already-executed victims drips from their clothes.

For Dickens, England is peaceful only on the exterior. Like France, it suffers from cruelty and widespread oppression of the majority of its population. The Old Regime in Europe comprises an upper class resistant to change and high-handed kings attempting to maintain the status quo. Dickens models Tellson’s Bank on Child and Company (founded in the seventeenth century on 1 Fleet Street and Thelusson’s Bank in Paris, in which a major financial adviser to King Louis XVI named Jacques Necker once worked).

*Saint Antoine

*Saint Antoine (sah[n]-tahn-twahn). Poor and densely populated district in Paris’s eastern suburb, where the attack on the Bastille takes place. It is an emotionally charged setting in which actions of violence and vengeance take place during the revolution. Descriptions of streets and buildings in Saint Antoine take on the character of the residents. It is at the main fountain in St. Antoine that a child is accidentally hit by the speeding coach of the marquis, who offers a few coins as a compensation for the child’s life.

Defarge’s Wine Shop

Defarge’s Wine Shop. Parisian wine shop which for Dickens is the eye of the storm that becomes the French Revolution. The shop serves as a meeting place for the leaders of the revolution. It is in front of the wine shop that one of the most memorable scenes in the novel takes place. A broken casket of wine results in neighborhood people rushing to salvage the precious drops of wine from the casket with their earthenware mugs, thus establishing not only an intoxicating brotherhood of blood but also one of wine.

*Bastille

*Bastille. Massive fortification in Paris that served as an armory and a prison for the four centuries preceding the French Revolution. Although it houses only four prisoners in 1789, the Bastille stands as a gargantuan symbol of the oppression of the Old Regime. In Cell 105, North Tower (a fictional creation), Dr. Manette languishes for eighteen years. As the revolution begins, a great firestorm surrounds the Bastille. Dickens borrows from Thomas Carlyle’s history The French Revolution (1837) in describing the storming of the Bastille in minute detail. It was at the Bastille that Defarge finds the letter from Dr. Manette that will later be used to condemn Darnay.

Château St. Evrémonde

Château St. Evrémonde (shah-toh sah[n]-tev-ray-MOHND). Sumptuous but heavily stoned mansion of the marquis. The villagers meet at the fountain at the château, and their rural poverty is stressed by Dickens. The descriptions of the stony home symbolize the coldness and inhumanity of the French aristocracy. The decadence of the marquis’ salon, at the château and in Paris, stands in stark contrast to the poverty of the general populace. It is the château life that Charles Darnay, the nephew of the marquis, rejects. Ultimately, after the assassination of the marquis, the château is destroyed by fire. Water boils in the fountain, followed by molten lead and iron; fountains symbolized life and also death for Dickens.

*Beauvais

*Beauvais (boh-VAY). French province that was the center of the fourteenth century serf revolt against the aristocracy. The revolt was bloodily suppressed. The Defarges originate from Beauvais, and their blood lust is an attempt to gain retribution for historical crimes. Beauvais, which is thirty miles north of Paris, is also the hometown of Dr. Manette. It is in Beauvais, a symbol of the rural violence of the French Revolution, where Darnay is almost killed by an infuriated mob.

*Dover Road

*Dover Road. Filled with ruts and clouded with steamy mist and fog, this access road to the ferry leaving Dover for France is a dangerous road to travel. Dickens uses it as a symbol of the rampant lawlessness still a part of England. Shooter’s Hill, near the road, is a thickly wooded rise that is the scene of many robberies by highwaymen. The hill was so named because of the many armed robberies that took place in the vicinity. In the novel, Dickens discusses many roads, all of which have metaphorical significance. In short, Dickens attempts to portray England as similar to France in burglaries, highway robberies, and exploitation of the general population by the elite minority.

*Soho Square

*Soho Square. London neighborhood that is the site of the Manettes’ secure and peaceful household, which is located in a fashionable square laid out in 1681. It is here that Lucie hears footsteps in a rainstorm, a symbol of the threat of revolution within England. For Dickens, although England is just across the English Channel, it is relatively secure compared to events on the Continent.

*La Force

*La Force. Prison used during the French Revolution for the proceedings of the Revolutionary Tribunal courts. La Force was the scene of the 1792 September Massacres, in which more than 1,100 accused counterrevolutionaries were massacred. The killing of prisoners is meant by Dickens as an ironic contrast to the saving of prisoners at the Bastille, three years earlier. It is at La Force (and three other prisons) that Dr. Manette tends to the medical needs of inmates.

Charles Dickens sets A Tale of Two Cities mainly in Paris and London during one of Europe's most chaotic times, the French Revolution. The story spans events from 1775 to 1793, while also referencing incidents from earlier periods. The French Revolution started in 1789 and continued in various forms until at least 1795. Dickens draws much of his historical viewpoint from The French Revolution (1837), a three-volume work by his friend Thomas Carlyle. Carlyle's account was neither objective nor thoroughly documented; his goal was to be argumentative and dramatic. He vividly depicts the suffering of the poor and the Reign of Terror, most notably symbolized by the guillotine.

Dickens held Carlyle and his work in high regard, reading The French Revolution numerous times. Like Carlyle, Dickens prioritized vivid descriptions and the underlying meanings of events over precise historical accuracy. He was less concerned with the immediate political or economic causes of the revolution and more focused on the human suffering that, in his view, distorted the humanity of individuals on both sides of the conflict.

On the brink of the French Revolution, the country was burdened by national debts and the aristocracy's refusal to make sacrifices, leading to significant tax hikes on a population already struggling to survive. The disputes between King Louis XVI and prominent aristocrats exposed the king's inability to assert his authority through military force. In 1787 and 1788, excessive exports of already limited food supplies led to severe hunger among the poorer classes, while an abundant grape harvest drove prices down, further diminishing the purchasing power of impoverished agricultural workers.

The winter of 1788-1789 was likely the harshest of the century. Inspired by political philosophers and the recent success of the American Revolution, many from the middle and lower classes grew increasingly resentful of the system they believed responsible for their hardships. During this time, the poorer classes involved in revolutionary activities referred to themselves as "Jacques," similar to the patrons of the Defarges' shop in Dickens's novel.

On July 14, 1789, a large group of Parisian citizens stormed the Bastille, a central prison that symbolized the worst of aristocratic abuses. Dickens captures this event in part 2, chapter 21 of A Tale of Two Cities. In chapter 22, he depicts the capture and brutal execution of the aristocrat Foulon by a mob, illustrating the widespread violence that followed as local bastilles were attacked and aristocrats were killed.

In chapter 23, Dickens shows peasants setting fire to the chateau of Charles Darnay's uncle. The subsequent years were dominated by intense power struggles, both political and philosophical. By August 1792, when Darnay departs England for France, the dominant political faction had enacted laws abolishing the monarchy and decreeing death for any returning aristocrats. In the ensuing months, this group used the notorious guillotine to execute aristocrats and others who opposed their policies.

As Dickens portrays, it became extremely perilous to express dissenting opinions. During this period, approximately 300,000 people were imprisoned, with about 17,000 of them being executed.

Setting

The defining feature of A Tale of Two Cities that distinguishes it from Dickens's other works is its historical backdrop. While most of Dickens's novels comment on contemporary English society, A Tale of Two Cities does this as well, albeit less directly than works like David Copperfield or Great Expectations. Dickens juxtaposes late eighteenth-century Paris and London to both propel the narrative and explore themes of freedom and the transformative power of love. The story starts in England, and the majority of the first book is set there. The second book alternates between scenes in England and France, while the third book is predominantly set in France. Ruth Glancy, in A Tale of Two Cities: Dickens's Revolutionary Novel, notes, "At the beginning of the novel, Dickens paints a grim picture of both countries. Both had kings who believed in their divine right to rule. English spirituality had deteriorated into communing with spirits and other superstitious practices.… France, he says, was less given over to such spiritual revelations, but had instead a clergy that inflicted cruel punishments for minor offenses." In England, even minor legal infractions often led to hanging. By the novel's conclusion, Dickens contrasts the two nations through the characters of Frenchwoman Madame Defarge and Englishwoman Miss Pross. However, the struggle depicted is not a triumph of one nation over another, but rather the victory of love over hatred.

Antithesis

One of the most prominent techniques Dickens employs in A Tale of Two Cities is the juxtaposition of thesis and antithesis. The novel's opening lines introduce this conflict, encapsulating many of its major themes: "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." Characters often reflect and oppose each other. For instance, Madame Defarge's experiences mirror those of Dr. Manette. Defarge's sister is raped and her brother is killed by the Marquis St. Evremonde; Manette witnesses the crime and is subsequently imprisoned by the aristocrat. Ernest Defarge and Mr. Lorry also mirror each other; both see themselves as businessmen and care for Dr. Manette. However, while Defarge becomes engulfed by hate and eventually perishes under the guillotine, Mr. Lorry is redeemed by his love for the Darnays and escapes France with them. These conflicts, which Dickens threads throughout the novel, are ultimately resolved by Sydney Carton's self-sacrifice for Lucie's love. He ends with an affirmation of goodness: "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done, it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known."

Doppelganger

The concept of the doppelganger, or identical double, plays a crucial role in A Tale of Two Cities. Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton are nearly indistinguishable in appearance, and some critics argue that they represent two facets of the same psyche. When Darnay is accused of espionage and put on trial in England, his lawyer, C. J. Stryver, secures his acquittal. Stryver undermines the credibility of the prosecution's witness, who, upon seeing Carton, can no longer confidently assert that Darnay was the spy he observed. The novel's climax, where Carton takes Darnay's place on the execution platform, hinges on their striking physical similarity.

Both Carton and Darnay are in love with Lucie Manette, mirroring their physical likeness. However, they differ in significant ways. Darnay is driven by a desire to atone for the wrongs committed by his uncle, the Marquis St. Evremonde. He embarks on a perilous journey to Paris to save Gabelle, a former family servant, but ends up captured, imprisoned, and sentenced to death. In contrast, Carton, who admits to Lucie that he has led a life of idleness, succeeds in freeing Darnay from prison. Ironically, Darnay, who has lived a virtuous and moral life, finds success only as a passive participant in his marriage. Meanwhile, Carton, despite his dissolute and idle past, achieves success through his decisive actions, though it costs him his life.

A Tale of Two Cities, while not representative of Dickens's usual style in many ways, stands as a compelling novel. The first thing that strikes a discerning reader is its extraordinary use of language. The iconic opening line, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," has rightfully earned its fame. Throughout the book, Dickens masterfully crafts intense atmospheres, expertly shifts tone, and depicts characters with unique yet accurate descriptions, such as Miss Pross, whose hat resembles "a great Stilton cheese." He cleverly mocks pretentiousness, as seen in the legal document accusing Darnay of spying "wickedly, falsely, traitorously, and otherwise evil-adverbiously." Dickens often describes characters through metaphors and continues to refer to them by these metaphorical terms. For instance, he labels Carton as the jackal to Stryver's lion, and then consistently refers to them as jackal and lion for several chapters.

A Tale of Two Cities also serves as a rich repository of literary devices. The novel is filled with symbols: spilled wine representing blood, Madame Defarge's knitting symbolizing the classical Fates, and sunsets that turn everything red, foreshadowing the aristocracy's bloody downfall. Particularly striking are Dickens's continual references to water and storm imagery, which hint at the impending violence in France. Indeed, Dickens skillfully foreshadows events throughout the story, providing a rewarding challenge for students to identify these patterns.

The novel is also an excellent study in literary repetition. Numerous parallels invite readers to draw comparisons between different characters and events. These include the trials, prisoners, and the likenesses between London and Paris or between English and French characters. Additionally, Dickens often places chapters side by side to offer keen readers intriguing contrasts or varying treatments of similar themes in consecutive chapters.

To fully grasp Dickens's accomplishment, it's important to remember that, like all his works, A Tale of Two Cities was published serially in a magazine, with one or two chapters released each week. This format meant that once an installment was published, it couldn't be revised. By this stage in his career, however, Dickens had honed his ability to meticulously plan his novels before writing. Considering the constraints of serial publication, A Tale of Two Cities is impressively coherent and unified.