A Tale of Two Cities
It was the year 1775, and London and Paris stand on the brink of upheaval. Dr. Manette, long imprisoned in the Bastille, is restored to freedom and reunited with his daughter, Lucie. In England, two men who resemble each other—the French aristocrat Charles Darnay and the dissolute English lawyer Sydney Carton—both come to love her. As the French Revolution erupts and its violence spreads, Darnay is drawn back to Paris and condemned by a vengeful tribunal. Carton, who has wasted his life, finds in this crisis the chance to perform one final, redeeming act of sacrifice.
Dickens weaves private lives into vast historical turmoil, contrasting the rule of law with mob justice and the cruelty of the old regime with the terror that replaces it. Themes of resurrection, sacrifice, and renewal run throughout, as characters are recalled to life and love proves stronger than vengeance. Its unforgettable opening and closing lines have made it one of the most enduring novels ever written.
How it begins
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, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only. There were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a plain face, on the throne of England; there were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a fair face, on the throne of France. In both countries it was clearer than crystal to the lords of the State preserves of loaves and fishes, that things in general were settled for ever. It was the year of Our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five. Spiritual revelations were conceded to England at that favoured period, as at this. Mrs.
Text from Project Gutenberg, public domain.