Tale of Two Cities ARNs

Dickens: A Tale of Two Cities - Dr Tony Williams - Gresham College Lectures
Actually, 3 cities:---->
London, Paris, and Manchester
Preface --> it had a close connection to Dickens himself
In 1857 Charles helped write a play called The Frozen Deep. This ended up having a close connection with To2Cs.
-Dickens later met the Turnons and fell in love with their daughter Ellen.
Lucie is Ellen
-Sidney Carton: talented man who sacrifices himself for the woman he loved
----->Double sets of characters (double faces)
pnt of crisis 1857
-marriage was rough, Little Dorit had been published.
-he profited from public readings + became very popular
Jun 1858 was when he made it official that he had separated from his wife, starting journals that could be profited from
---London
---Dickens was brought there as a boy
---he saw many unsettling sights
---he described the city as his magic lantern
---a city of extremes

---Paris
---extraordinary to dickens
---city had its own lively character
---every person he walked past inspired him
---900,000 people in the city at the time
---1850s-60s changed the city a lot, but Dickens described the old parts that had been changed
---1844-1868 he visited paris 15 times
---Vibrant, modernizing city

Dickens had the attraction of repulsion and an eye for detail.


 The two worlds of London and Paris are alike in many ways

"best of times"

"worst of times"

With his opening he takes us back to the time. The story takes place between 1757-1794.
Dickens didn't like to rebel, but everyone feared that the french revolution ideas would come to England.

#cliffhangers

Dickens was very happy with To2Cs
1860 was the first time the book had been made into a play.
He built up suspense even though we know how the history resolved itself.
Dickens and friend Carlyle were great mates
He builds and builds the emotions of the surroundings. We ride this wave of description that Dickens creates for us.
People are mysteries to other people.