Other editions of book A Tale of Two Cities

The "two cities" are Paris in the time of the French Revolution, and London. Dr. Manette, a French physician, having been called in to treat a young peasant and his sister, realizes that they have been cruelly abused by the Marquis de St. Evremonde and his brother. To ensure Dr. Manette's silence, the Marquis has him confined for eighteen years in the Bastille. The doctor has just been released, demented, when the story opens. He is brought to England where he gradually recovers his health and his sanity. Charles Darnay, concealing under that false name his identity as the nephew of the cruel Marquis, has left France and renounced his heritage. He falls in love with Lucie, Dr. Manette's daughter, and they are happily married. During the Terror, he goes to Paris to save a servant condemned by the mob. Darnay himself is arrested, condemned to death, and is saved at the last moment by Sydney Carton, a reckless wastrel who acts out of devotion to Lucie. Carton smuggles Darnay out of prison

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

A Tale of Two Cities (1859) is the second historical novel by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. It depicts the plight of the French proletariat under the brutal oppression of the French aristocracy in the years leading up to the revolution, and the corresponding savage brutality demonstrated by the revolutionaries toward the former aristocrats in the early years of the revolution. It follows the lives of several protagonists through these events, most notably Charles Darnay, a French once-aristocrat who falls victim to the indiscriminate wrath of the revolution despite his virtuous nature, and Sydney Carton, a dissipated English barrister who endeavours to redeem his ill-spent life out of love for Darnay's wife, Lucie Manette.

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatization of Dickens' powerful historical adventure starring Charles Dance as Carton. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." The opening words of Charles Dickens' great French Revolution romance set the scene for a heart-stopping historical adventure that dashes back and forth between London and Paris during the nightmare of The Terror--and in the shadow of La Guillotine.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." So begins one of the nineteenth century's enduring masterpieces, set amid the terror of revolutionary Paris and the relative safety of Georgian London. Travelling to England under the assumed name of Charles Darnay, a French aristocrat abandons his country. He is disgusted by the greed of the ancient regime, which feeds itself while the masses starve. Years later, the promise of a democratic revolution gives him reason to hope, and he returns to France to find that the new order is as contemptible as the old. Now Darnay must rescue his wife and father-in-law from blood-thirsty mobs and the guillotine. But will his unpredictable look-alike, Sydney Carton, destroy his chances? Or does Carton have something else in mind?

Fulfill state-mandated objectives and national guidelines with Prestwick House Reproducible Activity Packs. Activities easily relate outside historical references, vital literary vocabulary, and detailed plot and themes analysis. Activities include: Role playing, Creating dramatization, Five modes of writing, Completing maps and charts, Creating collages, Drawing editorial cartoons, Staging sets and scenes, Responding to photographs and pictures, Conducting surveys, Creating scenarios, And more A Tale of Two Cities Literary Touchstone Classic is the perfect companion for this title.

A Tale of Two Cities (1859) is the second historical novel by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. It depicts the plight of the French proletariat under the brutal oppression of the French aristocracy in the years leading up to the revolution, and the corresponding savage brutality demonstrated by the revolutionaries toward the former aristocrats in the early years of the revolution. It follows the lives of several protagonists through these events, most notably Charles Darnay, a French once-aristocrat who falls victim to the indiscriminate wrath of the revolution despite his virtuous nature, and Sydney Carton, a dissipated English barrister who endeavours to redeem his ill-spent life out of love for Darnay's wife, Lucie Manette.

Through his novel's two unforgettable main characters, Sydney Carton and Madame Defarge, Charles Dickens expertly evokes and contrasts life in England during the reign of George III and life in France during the revolution and the horror that came to dominate it. Personifying these conflicting cultures and historical imperatives, Dickens's two protagonists dramatically fall in love, indicating that perhaps 19th-century England and France had more in common than not. A novel that is both satisfying as a work of literature and as a statement on a crucial period of history, A Tale of Two Cities remains one of Dickens's most popular, inspiring works.

Set against the backdrop of the French Revolution, A Tale of Two Cities is a sprawling tale of London and revolutionary Paris with a complex plot portraying the results of terror and treason, love and supreme sacrifice. ''It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.'' -- opening line of A Tale of Two Cities It was the time of the French Revolution, a time of great change and great danger. It was a time when injustice was met by a lust for vengeance, and rarely was a distinction made between the innocent and the guilty. Against this tumultuous historical backdrop, Dickens' dramatic story of adventure and courage unfolds. Unjustly imprisoned for eighteen years in the Bastille, Dr. Alexandre Manette is reunited with his daughter, the gentle Lucie Manette, and safely transported from France to England. It would seem that they could now take up the threads of their lives in peace. As fate would have it, however, the two are summoned to the Old Bailey to testify against a young Frenchman, Charles Darnay, falsely accused of treason. Strangely enough, Darnay bears an uncanny resemblance to another man in the courtroom: Sydney Carton, a dissolute barrister. It is a coincidence that saves Darnay from certain doom more than once, as the two men's fates become intertwined with that of the Revolution. And there is Madame Defarge, a female revolutionary who has an implacable grudge against the aristocratic Evre'monde dynasty and who knits as she watches the beheadings. The storming of the Bastille, the death carts with their doomed human cargo, the swift drop of the blade of La Guillotine--this is the French Revolution that Charles Dickens vividly captures. Brilliantly plotted, the novel is rich in drama, romance, and heroics that culminate in a daring prison escape in the shadow of the guillotine. This edition is a new reading by Simon Prebble.

HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics. 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times!' Set before and during the French Revolution in the cities of Paris and London, A Tale of Two Cities tells the story of Dr Manette's release from imprisonment in the Bastille and his reunion with daughter, Lucie. A French aristocrat Darnay and English lawyer Carton compete in their love for Lucie and the ensuing tale plays out against the menacing backdrop of the French Revolution and the shadow of the guillotine.