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