"A Tale of Two Cities"

Book Review # 101403

English > Analysis
Literature > English

An analysis of the depiction of characters in "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens.

978 words () | 9 sources | MLA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens. It discusses whether or not the characters depicted in "A Tale of Two Cities" lean toward rich, detailed individuals or simply caricatures of Dickens' larger goals in the novel. The paper examines the text of the novel, as well as existing critical theory on the subject and suggests that the latter is more likely to be true.

From the Paper:

"Dickens' characters in A Tale of Two Cities lack their own lives, instead serving as "mere vessels of transport for the essential elements of genuine behavior" (Davis and Womack 299). Rather than providing characters like Carton, Darnay, Lucie, and Defarge to live "lives" replete with extensive internal contradictions and complications, Dickens imagines these characters as idealized and stylized versions of ideals and values that are central to the story that he is telling. Lucie becomes the caring woman, while Defarge the spiteful one. Carton is identified through his occupation and stability, while Darnay represents the ethical dilemma inherent in the historical events leading up to the French Revolution. Dickens characters, thus, are caricatures whose presences are indicative of a level of understanding Dickens intends to grant his readership about the historical events that took place during the scope of his novel."

Sample of Sources Used:

Bialkowski, Brian. "Facing Up to the Question of Fidelity: The Example of A Tale of Two Cities." Literature/Film Quarterly 29.3 (2001): 203-209.
Davis, Todd F. and Womack, Kenneth. "Saints, Sinners, and the Dickensian Novel: the Ethics of Storytelling in John Irving's The Cider House Rules." Style 32.2 (Summer 1998): 298-317.
Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities. New York: Airmont Publishing Co., 1963.
Hamilton, J.F. "Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities." The Explicator 53.4 (Summer 1995): 204-208.
Johnson, E.D.H. Charles Dickens: An Introduction to His Novels. New York: Random House, 1969.