When we consider Dickens's life and work, in comparison with that of the two great poets we have been studying, the contrast is startling. While Tennyson and Browning were being educated for the life of literature, and shielded most tenderly from the hardships of the world, Dickens, a poor, obscure, and suffering child, was helping to support a shiftless family by pasting labels on blacking bottles, sleeping under a counter like a homeless cat, and once a week timidly approaching the big prison where his father was confined ...
Read More
When we consider Dickens's life and work, in comparison with that of the two great poets we have been studying, the contrast is startling. While Tennyson and Browning were being educated for the life of literature, and shielded most tenderly from the hardships of the world, Dickens, a poor, obscure, and suffering child, was helping to support a shiftless family by pasting labels on blacking bottles, sleeping under a counter like a homeless cat, and once a week timidly approaching the big prison where his father was confined for debt. In 1836 his Pickwick was published, and life was changed as if a magician had waved his wand over him. While the two great poets were slowly struggling for recognition, Dickens, with plenty of money and too much fame, was the acknowledged literary hero of England, the idol of immense audiences which gathered to applaud him wherever he appeared. And there is also this striking contrast between the novelist and the poets, --that while the whole tendency of the age was toward realism, away from the extremes of the romanticists and from the oddities and absurdities of the early novel writers, it was precisely by emphasizing oddities and absurdities, by making caricatures rather than characters, that Dickens first achieved his popularity
Read Less
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fine. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 354 p. Intended for a juvenile audience. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 354 p. Intended for a juvenile audience. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
One of Charles Dickens' most captivating books is A Tale of Two Cities, a tale of revolution, retaliation, and sacrifice. It narrates the tale of a family that is endangered by horrible past events and is set against the backdrop of the French Revolution. After being wrongfully detained in the Bastille for eighteen years, Dr. Manette is eventually freed and reunited with his daughter Lucie, who was raised in London despite having French ancestry. Charles Darnay, who has given up wealth and status in France due to his political beliefs, wins Lucie over with his love. Darnay returns to Paris during the revolution to assist an elderly family servant, but he is quickly arrested due to the crimes his relatives have committed.
I had also reviewed this book on shabd.in too
Marilynne B
Mar 15, 2013
This book was a gift that I sent to my Great Grand kids.
FanOfTimeLifeBooks
Aug 20, 2010
Love and Sacrifice During the French Revolution
A Tale of Two Cities is a historical romance set before and during the French Revolution. English author Charles Dickens (1812-1870) has woven together an intricate plot, memorable characters, and vivid imagery to create a great story set during tumultuous times. Dickens has also captured the sense of desperation and resentment felt by the French people before and during the French Revolution. In sum, A Tale of Two Cities is a gripping book about love, sacrifice, and unselfishness. Highly recommended.
cigarcamel
May 28, 2009
Love the small Classic hardcover
This was one of the Barnes & Noble Classics in a small hardcover. Great size and nice book.
As for the story, its OK but no classic in my book.
PeachTea
Mar 14, 2009
It is.
It is amazing, it is powerful, it is beautiful. It is daunting, it is worth it. It is incredible. From Sydney to Lucie, the charactres shine. The plot is occasionally difficult to follow, but not in a I Am So Lost sort of way. A definite need-to-read.