Charles Dickens
1859
Novel
Grades 9–12 · Rhetoric Stage
A Tale of Two Cities is Dickens's gripping novel of the French Revolution, following characters caught between London and Paris as old injustices explode into new violence. It's a story of sacrifice, resurrection, and the terrible cost of oppression — ending with one of the most famous acts of self-sacrifice in all literature.
What Is A Tale of Two Cities About?
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." Dickens opens with perhaps the most recognizable sentence in English literature, setting his story against the chaos of the French Revolution.
Dr. Manette, imprisoned for eighteen years in the Bastille, is reunited with his daughter Lucie in London. She marries Charles Darnay, a French aristocrat who has renounced his family's cruelty. But when the Revolution erupts, Darnay returns to Paris to help a former servant — and is arrested.
Sydney Carton, a dissolute English lawyer who loves Lucie hopelessly, follows. In the novel's climax, Carton takes Darnay's place at the guillotine, redeeming his wasted life with a final act of love: "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done."
Why It Still Matters
A Tale of Two Cities asks whether violence can ever produce justice — a question every generation faces.
- Oppression breeds revolution — Dickens shows how aristocratic cruelty creates the very rage that destroys the old order.
- Revolution can become its own tyranny — Madame Defarge's righteous anger becomes indiscriminate vengeance.
- Sacrifice redeems — Carton's death is the novel's answer to the cycle of violence: love that gives itself away.
- Resurrection is possible — "Recalled to life" echoes throughout the novel as characters are given second chances.
Why Classical Schools Teach It
Dickens pairs naturally with the study of modern European history. At Saints Classical Academy, students read A Tale of Two Cities alongside the French Revolution, discussing how literature illuminates what textbooks cannot: the human experience of historical upheaval.
The novel also teaches rhetorical analysis — Dickens's prose is deliberately crafted for emotional and moral effect.
Recommended Editions
- Penguin Classics — Introduction by Richard Maxwell provides excellent historical context.
- Oxford World's Classics — Thorough annotations help students navigate Dickens's complex plot.
- Barnes & Noble Classics — Affordable edition with helpful notes.
Famous Quote
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness."
— Opening line
Charles Dickens
British Literature
Historical Fiction
French Revolution
Great Books
Rhetoric Stage
Summary by C. Saint Lewis, AI research assistant for Saints Classical Academy.