A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens, 1855

A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens, 1855. 

Gutenberg Project. In PDF, full book here. 

Set in London, Paris, 1775 -- one year before 1776.

• April 19, 1775: battles of Lexington and Concord
• July 4, 1776: Declaration of Independence

France:

• King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette
• archduchess of Austria, Vienna; major principality of Holy Roman Empire
• last queen of France before the fall of the monarchy
• 15th child of Empress Maria Theresa, ruler of the Hapsburg monarchy
• Maria Theresa's husband: Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor

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Some Background

Charles Dicken, 1812 - 1870 (died at age 58).
Wrote the book in the mid-to late 1850s; published 1859, when he was 37 years old.
One of his two best books.

Written in the mid-1850s, the book was set in Paris / London, 1775 - 1793.

1780's in England when story was set: Industrial Revolution in England, so a lot of upheaval.  

England, 1775 - 1789:
Revolutionary War in America
How did Revolutionary War in America drive the British Industrial Revolution (1880s)?

 

England:

• King George III
• Industrial revolution
• American revolution 
• loss of colonies 
• Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
• Hanover House: bridged the gap between the Georgian and the Victorian eras
• married for 57 years; 15 children; 13 survived into adulthood
•  1780: Gordon Riots -- anti-Catholic sentiment
• 1787: start of Australian colonization
• 1789: start of French Revolution

The book:
1775: Dr Manette is released from the Bastille; has served his full 18-year sentence
1789: fall of Bastille and then the Reign of Terror 

AI prompt: reign of terror following the fall of the Bastille; spread into England; huge roll of spies on both sides. 

AI reply: 

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The Book

AI prompt: what inspired Charles Dickens to write Tale of Two Cities tale of two cities? 

AI reply: 

Characters

(1) Jerry Cruncher: Tellson's Bank employee; 1775, flags down nightly mail coach from London to Dover; carries message for another Tellson's Bank employee, (2) Jarvis Lorry -- one of the bank's managers. Lorry sends message "recalled to life" via Cruncher back to Telleson's -- references (3) Dr Alexander Manette; just released after serving full 18-year prison term in Paris, a physician. Lorry continues and meets Dr Manette's daughter Lucie (whom he had never met) and her governess (5) Miss Pross. Lorry tells Lucie / Pross that Dr Manette is alive! They all travel to Paris to "rescue" Dr Manette. The entourage travel to the Faubourg Saint-Antoine neighborhood where they find Dr Manette lodging with (6) and (7) Ernest Defarge and Therese Defarge -- these were Dr Manette's previous servants --they own a wine shop. Lorrie, Lucie, Pross and Dr Manette return to England.

In book 2, chapter 2, five years after Dr Manette, et al, have returned to England, (8) Charles Darnay is standing trial in the Old Bailey law building. Darnay's counsel is (9) Mr Stryver who attempts to discredit the prosecution's two main witnesses -- (10) and (11), John Barsad and Roger Cly but the turning point comes when Stryver's associate, (12) Sydney Carton alerts him to the remarkable resemblance between Carton (himself) and Darnay. The jury returns a verdict of not guilty.

Now the scene switches to France, a reception at the Parisian suite of (13) Monseigneur, a French lord. The (14) Marquis St Evrémonde angrily leaves the other guests feeling he was snubbed and mistreated by the Monseigneur and the other guests. Riding through Paris, the Marquis' carriage runs over and kills a child; the Marquis throws the grief-stricken father, (15) Gaspard a coin and drives on. Eventually ends up at his estate and he asks if (16) "Monsieur Charles" has arrived from England yet. Monsieur Charles is his nephew Charles Darnay. Overnight, the Marquis is discovered dead -- stabbed by a member of the Jacquerie, a French revolutionary, typically a poor, working-class citizen from the Saint Antoine suburb of Paris, committed to overthrowing the aristocracy. They will eventually storm the Bastille. 

In chapter 15, we meet (17, 18, 19) Jacques One, Two, and Three.

In chapter 16, a policeman / Jacquerie tells the Defarges to to watch for a new spy in the area (20) John Basard.  

In chapter 21, we learn that eight years have passed; it is now 1789. The attack on the Bastille.

Now, (20), Foulon, a hated official who they thought was dead, is alive and has been captured.

Chapter 24, three more years have passed, now 1792 (?). The revolution has toppled the government but France is still unsettled.

(21) Gabelle (should have been mentioned earlier), Darnay's steward.

Book Three Chapter One

 (22) Vengeance -- another Jacquerie.
 

Book The First
Recalled To Life

 Chapter 1
The Period

Very first page; second paragraph: reference to the events in America (1775)

""Sister of the shield and trident" refers to Britannia, the female personification of Britain. The phrase is most famously used by Charles Dickens in A Tale of Two Cities to compare Britain to France, with the shield representing military strength and the trident symbolizing naval power. 

Second page: grisly scene of a teenager burned alive before being tortured, and the the description of the guillotine. 

The first chapter, only two and a half pages, gives an overview of London and Paris. French monarchy in absolute control; the British monarchy apparently can't control London. 

Chapter 2
The Mail

This chapter introduces the protagonist of the story, a passenger in a carriage -- The Dover Mail -- likely traveling from Dover to London. Shooter's Hill is mentioned, located in southeast London, southside of the Thames, and on the southeast edge of Greenwich.

The passenger of interest: Mr Jarvis Lorry.

Apparently The Dover Mail was heading out of London when a rider, Jerry, approached the carriage to give Mr Lorry a message. Lorry was an employee off Tellson's Bank.

Message: wait at Dover for Mam'selle.

Reply from Lorry: recalled to life.

So, Mr Jarvis Lorry, of Tellson's Bank was heading to Dover (probably to Paris) when he was urgently recalled to London by his employer. But he would have to go to Dover -- complete the route -- and then wait for "Mam'selle." 

Chapter 3
The Night Shadows 

 "The shadows of the night," page 17, back to the carriage on the southeast side of London. It sounds like "Lorry" is transporting cash to Dover, probably to France. Interesting name, "Lorry," as a transporter. Etymology of lorry: apparently first seen in England in 1830. A Tale Of Two Cities was published in 1859. 

Lorry with an imaginary conversation with himself. He was 45 years old, remembering a death / a burial eighteen years earlier. Huge amount of symbolism. A very "difficult" vignette / an imaginary conversation. Apparenlty talking about someone buried alive for 18 years.  

Important books published between 1850 and 1870 include Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities (1859) and Great Expectations (1861), Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852), Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace (1869), and Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865). Other key publications were Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species (1859) and John Stuart Mill's On Liberty (1859). 

Chapter 4
The Preparation

The coach is called the Concord coach, possibly named after Concord, New Hampshire. This might be the coach in which he will cross using the ferry from Dover.

It is incredibly difficult for Google Gemini to find the meaning of "drawer" in this chapter.

"... digging, digging, digging." Reappears -- major use of this phrase in previous chapter.

Mam'selle, Miss Manette, arrives by coach to meet Mr Lorry in the restaurant.

Not more than 17 years of age. She reminds him of a passage a very long time ago, perhaps 15. years ago. 

Miss Manette was told by letter by the bank to meet Mr Lorry in Paris for an inheritance from her long-dead father. Tellson Bank is a bank of both Paris and London.

Page 25: "curtsied in those days." Takes place in 1755, first chapter begins in "winter, 1755." The book as published in 1859. Almost exactly one hundred years later. 

Apparently Miss Manette's father has been found alive, 18 years after his supposed death -- "brought back to life... after 18 years."

At end of chapter another woman servant runs into the room and yells at other servants to get Ms Manette packed for trip to Paris.

Mr Lorry seems to be robot business man.

Chapter 5
The Wine-Shop

Now in Paris. Opens with bizarre episode of wine casket spilling.

Paris: everyone starving.

Opens in wine-shop / inn / bar. In the Sait Antoin district.

Monsieur Defarge -- wine-store owner.

Worked for Ms Maette's father many, many years earlier

Her old father lives upstairs.

 

 

 

Book The Second
The Golden Thread

 Chapter 1
The Period

 

Chapter Six
Hundreds Of People

Doctor Manette and his daughter Lucie live in a two-story home; if not a mansion, a very, very nice and a very, very respectable home. 

They have a housekeeper Miss Pross who has been with Lucie since the beginning.

Manette and daughter live near Soho Square.

Mr Jarvis Lorry lives in Clerkenwell, a bit more rundown and a bit more dangerous than Soho.

Need to google Clerkenwell and Soho to get a sense of the difference.

Lorry and his body guard Mr Sydney Carton were at the house.

At the trial: in the early part of A Tale of Two Cities, at the trial of Charles Darnay for treason, the two lawyers on the defense team were Mr. Stryver and Sydney Carton. Their roles were as follows:

Mr. Stryver was the ambitious, loud, and confident barrister (counselor) who presented the case in court and took public credit for the work.

Sydney Carton was Mr. Stryver's associate (solicitor, or "jackal," in the novel's terms) who did the bulk of the research, paperwork, and strategic thinking behind the scenes. It was Carton's keen observation of his own resemblance to Darnay that ultimately led to Charles Darnay's acquittal at this trial. 

The other person to visit Doctor Manette and his daughter: the defendant, Darnay.

P. 106: Doctor Manette tells the story of something that was written and buried in the prison. Unknown what was written.

Mr. Lorry, Charles Darnay, and Sydney Carton became regular visitors at the Manette home, and their arrivals were generally separate events. The specific evening described (in Book 2, Chapter 6) unfolds as follows: 

Mr. Lorry arrived by himself earlier in the day on a Sunday, as was his habit, to have dinner and spend time with the Manettes.
Charles Darnay was present for the dinner and the subsequent conversation, arriving sometime after Lorry but before Carton's later appearance.
Sydney Carton arrived much later, during teatime, after everyone had moved inside due to rain. 

Therefore, they did not arrive all at once or in pairs. The order of arrival at the house that evening was Mr. Lorry, then Charles Darnay (who was already there for dinner), and finally Sydney Carton. 

 Skip ahead.

Chapter 7
Monseigneur in Town

In France. Monseigneur kills a child.

Chapter 8
Monseigneur in the Country

Monseigneur at his country estate.
His nephew Charles Darnay will visit.
Monseigneur rides past a thin starving woman who is trying to find a stone to mark her husband's grave who has starved to death.
 

Chapter 9
The Gorgon's Head

Monseigneur is killed by the father (Gaspard) of the child who was killed by Monseigneur in town. 

Chapter 10
Two promises

Charles Darnay is now an English tutor, having left France a year earlier.

Charles Darnay is in love with Lucie and meets with her father to discuss that that. Lucie is out with her servant, Ms Pross.

Mr. Stryver (senior, barrister) and Sydney Carton (junior, barrister) also both visit the house of Lucie and her father (and Miss Pross). There is a note elsewhere that suggests Sydney Carton, same age as Charles Darnay, looks very much alike to Charles Darnay, suggesting Darnay and Carton are cousins, sons of twin brothers, with one being the Monseigneur. 

Charles Darnay and Dr Manette both make promises to each other to keep each in confidence. 

Chapter 11
A Companion Picture 

Opens with Stryver and Carton. 

Chapter 16
Still Knitting

References John Barsad, a spy, to having been mentioned earlier in the book.  From AI: John Barsad, also known as Solomon Pross, is first mentioned and appears as a witness in Book the Second, Chapter 3 ("A Disappointment"), during Charles Darnay's trial in London, where he gives damning testimony against Darnay as a spy, though he's portrayed as a scoundrel. 

Context: He testifies as an informer for the prosecution, but his untrustworthiness is immediately apparent to the reader.
Details: He's described as looking like Judas and is shown to be an opportunist, switching allegiances between England and France. 

See wiki, John Barsad.  

In fact, one could learn much of the book by checking wiki on top 12 individuals in the long book. 

Chapter 17
One Night

Back to London, Soho, with the Doctor and Lucie.

Lucie was to be married the next day. 

A sweet tender night -- the three of them -- Lucie, her father, and Miss Pross. (Elsewhere, we learn that Miss Pross is romantically linked to Mr Jerry Cruncher, the gravedigger, and thus some comedic relief.)

In short, the chapter sets the stage for future dramatic turns by highlighting Dr. Manette's precarious mental state and underscoring the deep familial bonds that will be tested by the events of the French Revolution. AI.

Chapter 18
Nine Days 

Wedding and nine-day honeymoon.

Charles Darnay seems to be in shock after talking with Lucie's dad. 

The Doctor goes into catatonic state -- back to making shoes. By the ninth day his hands are as nimble as ever making shoes.

Chapter 19 --> Chapter 24
An Opinion --> A Plea --> Echoing Footsteps --> The Sea Still Rises --> Fire Rises --> Drawn to the Lodestone Rock

Lucie and Charles Darnay have a baby girl the year the French Revolution breaks out. They have a baby son who dies early in infancy. Because of close relationship between London and Paris, events in Paris will have an effect on London. Mr Lorry needs to return to Paris to pick up important papers for Tellson's Bank; meanwhile, Darnay needs to go to Pais to save the hated tax assessor Gabelle but who was a faithful servant of Darney. Darney will travel under his real name namking journey very dangerous for him. His uncle Monseigner is in London under assumed name, I believe.

It's interesting, lots of small subplots but main story presses on.  

Book Three: The Track of a Storm
Chapter 1 
In Secret

1792.

The book began on a cold November night, 1775, American Revolution, April, 1775 -- Lexington and Concord.

French Revolution began 1789; Lucie's baby is10 years old now. Was born about 1780. Darnay's trial, 1780; marriage 1780; birth of Lucie's baby, 1781. French Revolution: 1789. So, 1792 -- Lucie's baby is 10 -11 years old. 

The French Revolution --> Republic One and Indivisible of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity or Death.

Darnay: ran into no significant problems going to Paris but knew that return trip was not guaranteed.

The trip was taking forever.

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Characters In Tale of Two Cities

Sydney Carton is a central character in Charles Dickens' 1859 novel A Tale of Two Cities. He is a shrewd young Englishman educated at Shrewsbury School, and sometime junior to his fellow barrister Stryver. Carton is portrayed as a brilliant but depressed and cynical drunkard who is full of self-loathing because of what he sees as his wasted life. He feels a deep unrequited love for Lucie Manette, who nevertheless inspires him to try to be a better person. Near the end of the novel, Carton manages to change places with Lucie's husband, Charles Darnay, hours before Darnay's scheduled execution in France, giving his life for Lucie's sake. Later, Lucie and Charles name their second son after Carton.
While there's no definitive list of exactly twelve, the core main characters in Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities center around the love triangle and revolution, including Lucie Manette, Sydney Carton, Charles Darnay, Dr. Alexandre Manette, Monsieur & Madame Defarge, Miss Pross, Jarvis Lorry, and Jerry Cruncher, with key supporting figures like C.J. Stryver, Marquis St. Evrémonde, and revolutionaries like Gabelle, forming the essential cast for the story's drama of sacrifice and revolution. 

Here are the key figures, often considered the main players, totaling around 12:

Lucie Manette: The compassionate "golden thread" who unites the characters.
Sydney Carton: The cynical, self-sacrificing lawyer.
Charles Darnay: The French aristocrat who renounces his title.
Dr. Alexandre Manette: Lucie's father, released from the Bastille.
Monsieur Defarge: A wine-shop owner and revolutionary.
Madame Defarge: Ernest's pitiless, knitting wife.
Miss Pross: Lucie's fiercely loyal governess.
Jarvis Lorry: The devoted banker from Tellson's.
Jerry Cruncher: Tellson's messenger and "resurrection man".
C.J. Stryver: Carton's ambitious, blustering friend.
Marquis St. Evrémonde: Charles Darnay's cruel uncle.
Gabelle: The loyal servant Darnay tries to save, sparking the Paris return. 

Another list:
Here are the key characters often considered the top twelve (the order is a bit different but  12 in each list). 

Sydney Carton: The brilliant but self-destructive lawyer who sacrifices himself for love.
Charles Darnay: A French aristocrat who renounces his family's cruelty and marries Lucie.
Lucie Manette: The compassionate "golden thread" who brings hope and healing.
Dr. Alexandre Manette: Lucie's father, a former prisoner of the Bastille.
Madame Defarge: The relentless revolutionary knitting vengeful lists.
Monsieur Defarge: The wine-shop owner, husband to Madame Defarge, a revolutionary leader.
Miss Pross: Lucie's fiercely loyal and strong-willed governess.
Jerry Cruncher: A "resurrection man" (grave robber) and messenger for Tellson's Bank.
Stryver: Carton's ambitious, blustering lawyer friend.
Jarvis Lorry: The dependable, paternal figure from Tellson's Bank.
Marquis Evrémonde: Charles Darnay's cruel, aristocratic uncle.
Théophile Gabelle: A postmaster whose imprisonment triggers Darnay's return to France. 

Other significant figures include Gaspard (the peasant who kills the Marquis) and the revolutionaries known as the Jacques, notes Homework.Study.com and Study.com.