A tale of two cities

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_tale_of_two_cities



Why am I starting with this one?



Maybe because some of my happiest memories of childhood are associated with this novel. I always had an interest in history; particularly the French Revolution, with its opressed plebians arising to overthrow the disdainful nobility, struck a chord somewhere.I recollect being completely sympathetic to Sydney Carton with his failed love and his empty life-and suddenly being enthralled with his supreme self-sacrifice.



'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.'



The famous opening words of the novel.I also recollect reading these words aloud to myself, savouring their sounds with my tongue and swaying to their lilt. It was also the time of the beginning of my lifelong love affair with the English tongue. Those impressionable years valued beauty of words over their simplicity and meaning.



The book remains one of the best selling novels about the French Revolution, and many would still prefer its simple storytelling to Thomas Carlyle's impressive study of the revolution.



It has variously been alleged against Dickens that his characters are flat and one-dimensional and his storyline predictable.Lucie Manette stands only for goodness and beauty-note the metaphor of 'light' used all around her. The sinister Madame Defarge stands only for evil, though there is a modicum of support to her in the touching story of her peasant family that comes out during Charles Darnay's final trial. There are caricatures like Miss Pross and the ghoulish road fixer.

All in all, it is a very entertaining story, and you kind of get caught in the tide of events and people, triumphs and tragedies, to the denouement of Carton's self sacrifice.Here, unlike the Pickwick Papers, the characters do not overwhelm you by their sheer number, but rather by what they stand for.

Another significant fact is that while Dickens rips apart French society for its blatant inequality and opression, he is more contemptuous of the decadent societies of that time as is seen in his less-than-flattering portrayal of England too.

In his rather masala-movie portrayal of the look alikes- Darnay and Carton- he inserts a bit of psychology as well.Carton hates Darnay all the more because he cannot be more like him except in looks. Darnay has all he craves for- the love of Lucie and success in life.He hides his feelings behind the veil of a simulated contempt and disdain.

This book will always remin close to my heart for awakening my interest both in History and the English language,both of which interests remain as strong as ever.