2010 Reading #73: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

[snurri]

Books 1-10.
Books 11-20.
Books 21-30.
Books 31-40.
Books 41-50.
Books 51-60.
Books 61-70.
71. Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour by Bryan Lee O'Malley.
72. Defenders: Indefensible by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire.

73. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. First of all, that first line? Is so much better than you think, because nobody ever quotes more than the first couplet. Here's the full goddamn thing:

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.

Fuck you if you don't think that's great writing.

That said, while I think Dickens is in the full power of his prose here, this isn't my favorite of his works that I've read. Unlike Great Expectations or Nicholas Nickleby, Tale is concerned not with the scope of a life but with the scope of a movement, that being the French Revolution. In contrast to the aforementioned novels, the young people at the center of this book are near-ciphers, and it was difficult for me to work up much concern or sympathy for Charles or Lucie; on the other hand, the stories of Dr. Manette and--most particularly--Sydney Carton are surprisingly moving. Madame Defarge, too, is a fascinating character, showing new and unexpected aspects as the novel progresses. There's also a real sense of peril at the climax. There's a nagging feeling, though, that Dickens's insertion of the characters into that perilous period of history is done a little bit clumsily, and with perhaps a bit more didactic purpose than necessary. Still, these are small complaints, and as always I come away from his work with deep admiration.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Fuck you if you don't think that's great writing.

You, sir, have just made my week.

Lucie is just so perfect she's boring. But I had a massive crush on Carton by the end.

(You know what I'd really like? I'd really like to see a comparison between Les Miserables and A Tale of Two Cities.)

[jamiam.livejournal.com]

that was me

[snurri.livejournal.com]

Carton's transformation is really something.

I haven't read Les Mis, sadly. But it occurs to me suddenly that the way the men in the book relate to Lucie reminds me very much of the dynamic surrounding Mina Harkness in Dracula.

[jamiam.livejournal.com]

I demand you read Les Mis then. Or at the bare minimum provide more detailed commentary on the Mina Harkness comparison.

though having never read Dracula, I should say my idea of her mostly revolves around her portrayal in the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

[snurri.livejournal.com]

The Mina in Dracula has little to do with the Mina in LoEG; at least, the Mina in LoEG is a person that the Mina of Dracula hasn't become yet. I think it's fair to say that Dracula is a fairly misogynistic book; ostensibly everything in it is about protecting the women, but the subtext of that is that Dracula has the power to awaken women's sexuality, and that's something of which all the upstanding Victorian gentlemen are terrified. So there's a great deal of conversation about the importance of protecting Mina and saving her from Drac's spell (accompanied by a fair amount of manly weeping), and much chaste admiration from the non-Jonathan Harkness men involved, but there's also a sense in which they are protecting her because she is Jonathan's property.

Which is not precisely the dynamic of Tale, at least, not to that extent; but certainly Dr. Manette, Charles, Lorry, Carton and (for a time) even Stryver seem more concerned with Lucie's well-being than with their own, and--except for the somewhat implausible device which draws Charles back to France--it seems to be that concern that drives much of the story.

I should say that I don't dislike Dracula--it's a pretty enjoyable book structurally and stylistically, if you can get past Stoker's fear of females.

[orbitalmechanic.livejournal.com]

"Fuck you if you don't think that's great writing."

Seriously, all literary criticism should be like that.

[snurri.livejournal.com]

I shall endeavor to be more confrontational in future entries, then.