This document provides a summary of the plot and characters of Charles Dickens' novel "A Tale of Two Cities". The novel is set against the backdrop of the French Revolution and follows the story of Charles Darnay and his love for Lucie Manette. Other major characters include Lucie's father Dr. Manette, who was imprisoned for 18 years, and Sydney Carton, a lawyer who redeems himself by sacrificing his life to save Darnay. The document outlines some of the major themes in the novel like violence during revolution and the possibility of resurrection or renewal.

1. A Tale of Two Cities By: Charles Dickens Alyxandra Hopkins Mrs. Susan Wehrsig AP English Literature

2. Introduction

3. Introduction Written by Dickens in 1849 Written in three parts Released one part at a time throughout 1849 Set against the backdrop of the French Revolution Begins in 1775

4. Main Characters

5. Charles Darnay Protagonist Honorable Born of French nobility, but rejects his aristocratic Evremonde familial ties Works as a French tutor in England Arrested by French for emigrating Wins the love of Lucie Manette

6. Lucie Darnay Loving and compassionate Daughter of Dr. Alexander Manette Marries Charles Darnay Selfless Love of her father Love for Charles Darnay The “Golden Thread” for her father

7. Dr. Alexander Manette Started as a thriving doctor with a beautiful family Imprisoned in the Bastille prison for eighteen years Becomes deranged and withdrawn Cobbles shoes to pass time Nursed back to life and vitality by his daughter

8. Sydney Carton Most dynamic and redeeming character An intelligent lawyer, but wastes his talent through drinking and indolence Apathetic and feels like a waste of life Falls in love with Lucie Takes Charles’ place at the guillotine Redeems his reputation Sacrifice saves Darnay and his family

9. Minor Characters

10. Madame Defarge Antagonist Seeks liberation of French peasantry Bloodthirsty and malicious in this quest Destructive towards anyone associated with the aristocracy Manages third arrest of Darnay Tries to kill the Darnay family Dies in the attempt

11. Miss Pross Lucie’s nurse and guardian Faithful and virtuous Has a “heart of gold” Goes beyond the call of duty to protect and care for Lucie and her family Kills Madame Defarge in order to protect them

12. Settings

13. Tellson’s Bank in London Bastille Prison in Paris Defarge’s wine shop in Paris Settings

14. Symbols

15. The Broken Wine Cask Peasants rush forward to lick up wine Desperate and hungry Literally starving due to poverty Yearning for liberation from oppressive aristocracy Wine is associated with blood Violent means peasantry will take to achieve liberation Blood of aristocrats that will be spilled

16. Madame Defarge’s Knitting List of the people she condemns Knits peacefully while plotting the death of others Mythological Fates Used knitting to determine length of each person’s life She weaves the fate of the lives of the those whose names she knits

17. Dickens’ Style

18. Style Vividly detailed sentences bring sentences to life Mimics scenes to make realistic Speeches are boring and pedantic Storming of Bastille is choppy and chaotic Replicates violence rolling through streets Repetition reinforces ideas Reader can grasp their significance and importance to the story

19. Dominant Themes, Issues, and Philosophy

20. Tendency of Violence and Oppression in Revolutionaries Madame Defarge is the embodiment of this violent tendency Dickens’ condemns this tendency Violence makes the peasants no better than their aristocratic oppressors Does not justify their violent acts The death of Madame Defarge exemplifies this disapproval

21. The Possibility of Resurrection Re-emergence of Dr. Manette into society Lucie guides him back to sanity in order to maintain regular societal interactions Carton’s giving his life to save Darnay Sacrifice renews his reputation Carton envisions a renewed Paris After the Revolution, there will be peace and prosperity

22. Literary Devices and Rhetorical Strategies

23. Literary Devices and Rhetorical Strategies Paradox: “ It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” Parallelism: “ It was the best of times… it was the age of wisdom… it was the epoch of belief” Foreshadowing: The description of the trees foreshadows the use of their wood for the guillotine

24. Other Authors’ Opinions and Interpretations

25. Edgar Johnson Novel is uncharacteristic and lacks humor Not as much “rich profusion of character creation” as in Dickens’ longer novels Intricately linked plot relationships seem more artificial

26. John Gross “ A thin and uncharacteristic work” “ Notoriously deficient in humor” Dickens remained a moralist and preacher His saving grace for the novel Unconventional style is unappealing, yet the moralistic ideas saved the reputation of the book