1. A TALE OF TWO CITIES ~ February 6th - February 12th ~~ INTRODUCTION, BOOK THE FIRST, I, II, AND III ~ (ix - 24) No Spoilers Please

[Becky]

Thank you, Mark - I'm getting old. (lol)

Imo, A Tale of Two Cities is both historical literature and historical fiction. It's "historical literature" simply because it's exemplary of its own times, at least 50 or 60 years ago (no strict line). But it's "historical fiction" (as a novel or serial) because it would have been classified as such when it was first published. A Tale of Two Cities takes place around 70 years prior to the writing - Dickens had to research the topic to get it right.

Another book which fits into that category is
by Leo Tolstoy.

[Karolyn]

This is my second time reading A Tale of Two Cities. The first was in high school, so I'm not sure if that really counts. I remember really enjoying the book, but don't recall much about the plot or characters. What's frustrating is that I know there are bits in these first few chapters that don't seem important now but will be significant later... I just don't remember which bits those are.

I do find myself needing to re-read some sentences because of the English and syntax of Dickens' time. but it's worth it given the way he paints pictures with words. It's like you are walking right alongside the mail coach.

[Becky]

Karolyn wrote: "...It's like you are walking right alongside the mail coach. "

Yes! And you put that very nicely Karolyn! I think that's another of the effects Dickens' is trying to achieve - he wants his readers to be right there in that setting and with those characters, sympathizing with the "good" ones in what are often awful situations. To do that Dickens had to pay very close attention to the details in both the setting and the players so as to draw us in. Sometimes it seems overdone to readers of the 21st century but it still works - in my case anyway. I felt the fear inside the coach with the passengers huddled inside their clothes, faces hidden in hats and scarves, for fear of the highwaymen alongside the roadway waiting for their victims to just drive up.

In many ways within these first few chapters, Dickens is setting us up for the whole book.

[Darcy]

I had attended a French elementary school, so when I got to the English High School, well, let's just say that although I could speak some English, I had never really read any. The counsellors had agreed that as Dickens was included in the curriculum for the first 4 years, that this is what I should concentrate on.
This was the book assigned in my 3rd year, and it was the first I was able to complete. I think it's in part because in elementary school we had learned about symbolism/foreshawdowing etc... so I could just concentrate on actually reading the story and enjoy it for once. I loved it then, and still do.
The only issue, is that I ended up writing my essays in a similar fashion. Had a long chat with my teachers about that! We concluded that it inadvertently taught me how to slip into colloquialisms. I love reading that sort of thing now. I digress...

To respond to Nathan: I wonder if that might have been less obvious in the serial format? Working as kind of like a header - "something to consider when reading the following..." - type of thing.

[Becky]

Autumn wrote: "I wanted to say I find this easier to read than,Mark Twain.

Does anyone else?

I have no preference between Twain and Dickens. A few chapters will usually work to get me attuned to whatever style is used. What affected me more than anything with A Tale of Two Cities was how dark it felt the first two readings.

Mark Twain

[Becky]

Nathan wrote: "What does everyone think of the beginning of Chapter 3? He changes the narration into, what I assume, is his own voice and asks us to contemplate the idea that every man contains secrets that can ..."

Thanks! I was going to try to get to that exact paragraph, Nathan! The first sentence especially is another classic of literature:
"A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other. "
See: A Tale of Two Cities (That's a link to Chapter 3 text if you want to see the context without getting your book.)

Yes, to all you said and I agree that it's like an invitation to the reader to become aware of how little he knows about the individuality of other people, even those closest to him. It's obvious how this works with the insight into Mr. Lorry's thoughts and dreams described in the chapter, but it's works as one of those ideas which can be carried outward into the reader's life.

[Becky]

D wrote: "I had attended a French elementary school, so when I got to the English High School, well, let's just say that although I could speak some English, I had never really read any. The counsellors had ..."

I looked it up and A Tale of Two Cities tests out at a 9.2 reading level - that's 9the grade plus a bit and it would be just a wee tad challenging. I think I had excerpts in high school.

Your second comment / question is interesting: - what effect would reading in serial format have on the reader, the writer and the book as a whole when it came out?

From what I understand, Dickens is the only author to have published entire books from what he wrote serially and which became classics. He didn't edit the serials when the book came out - they went into the book as originally written. I would expect there would be some repetition to remind the serial readers or bring new readers up to date but I don't detect a lot of that. I suppose he has to set the tone again and again - ?

[Alexis]

Bentley wrote: "Razoor, we are here to help. Dickens is quite beloved and is a great story teller so I hope you stay with it. And ask as many questions as you have about this week's reading and we will all pitch..."

Hi Bentley and Razoor,

My daughter and I are reading it together and we find reading it out loud helps us to understand the text better. We get a feel for the pace and style of the story by doing this.

best,

Annachiara and Alexis

[Alexis]

Becky wrote: "Nathan wrote: "What does everyone think of the beginning of Chapter 3? He changes the narration into, what I assume, is his own voice and asks us to contemplate the idea that every man contains se..."A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other. "...

Or to point out that there is still much to learn about even Mr. Lorry...

best, Alexis & Annachiara

[Vincent]

Bentley wrote: "Hello Everyone,

For the week of February 6th - February 12th, we are reading the Introduction, Book the First and I, II, and II of A Tale of Two Cities.

The first week's reading assignment is:

..."

HI Folks

I am using a "free" Kindle version. How can I get the Goodreads version, does anyone know, and can I use it on my Kindle - again does anyone know?

Also I noted that the Signet edition with the Busch intro was suggested and I was able to visit a Barnes and Noble and read the intros that were not included in the "free" kindle version

[Darcy]

If you click on the book at the subject line or any of the ones in the discussion it will bring to the book's page, and under the picture there's a 'read book' button. The downloads are there :)

[Vincent]

Aparajita wrote: "I read this book when I was 12 ( I am 28 now) and the going was tough. I kind of liked this novel better than his other works, which is not saying much, because I thoroughly disliked reading Dicken..."

Just a comment that probably for his contempory audience for the book that knowledge of England and France was more common.

I am also pretty certain that this was published serialized the first time.

[Becky]

D wrote: "If you click on the book at the subject line or any of the ones in the discussion it will bring to the book's page, and under the picture there's a 'read book' button. The downloads are there :)"

Thanks, D. - As we go on I'll send links to the chapters we're covering as we get to them.

[Becky]

Vince wrote: "for his contempory audience for the book that knowledge of England and France was more common.

I am also pretty certain that this was published serialized the first time.
"

Exactly, Vince. When we read books which are written and published in our own lifetime, we're likely to pick up on the allusions and references with no problem. Even in historical fiction the authors make it accessible to their readers. But when we read something written in the Victorian Era (for example) it's a lot more difficult - we really don't know who people like Mrs. Southcott was or anything about Tellson's bank.



And the book was published in weekly serial form between : 30 April 30, 1859 and November 26, 1859.

This might be a good place to mention the Glossary which goes through some of the names and things which might not be a part of the average 21st century reader's knowledge base. It goes by chapter and is only up to Chapter 6 so far. But if you're only up to Chapter 3 you can stop there if you're allergic to spoilers.

GLOSSARY for A Tale of Two Cities

[Becky]

The following sentence from Chapter 1 is highly symbolic and took me a couple readings to figure out.

"Under the guidance of her Christian pastors, she (France) entertained herself, besides, with such humane achievements as sentencing a youth to have his hands cut off, his tongue torn out with pincers, and his body burned alive, because he had not kneeled down in the rain to do honour to a dirty procession of monks which passed within his view, at a distance of some fifty or sixty yards. It is likely enough that, rooted in the woods of France and Norway, there were growing trees, when that sufferer was put to death, already marked by the Woodman, Fate, to come down and be sawn into boards, to make a certain movable framework with a sack and a knife in it, terrible in history. It is likely enough that in the rough outhouses of some tillers of the heavy lands adjacent to Paris, there were sheltered from the weather that very day, rude carts, bespattered with rustic mire, snuffed about by pigs, and roosted in by poultry, which the Farmer, Death, had already set apart to be his tumbrils of the Revolution. But that Woodman and that Farmer, though they work unceasingly, work silently, and no one heard them as they went about with muffled tread: the rather, forasmuch as to entertain any suspicion that they were awake, was to be atheistical and traitorous. "


Dickens mentions, with capitalization, the Woodsman, the Farmer, Fate and Death, relating them to the case of the boy. But it seems as though there is something much larger involved. Anyone want to take a try? What is Dickens saying?

[Becky]

Dickens uses quite a lot of repetition in the book. It's there in the opening lines and again in Chapter 3, "...every ____ encloses its own secret...", "dig, dig, dig," and in other places. Does this add to your enjoyment or do you find it irritating?

[Mandy]

What I got from it was the woodsman (Fate) will cut the tree which will provide the framework of the Guillotine. The blade is mentioned as the knife and the Farmer(Death) will provide the carts to take the condemned in.
Whilst people "entertain" themselves "humanely" cutting off hands and tongues for such a trivial "crime" the fates were preparing for revolution.
The capitalization may be because he is personifying fate and death, therefore, names must start with a capital letter?

[Becky]

Well put, Mandy. It does seem as though Fate and Death are interconnected - maybe even that they're as natural as the forest - but that's only because of the guillotine -

And in those sentences Dickens goes even further back in time to when the trees were growing. Do you sense that Dickens be developing the intertwined ideas of "History" and "Fate" as one of his themes? Without having to resort to spoilers as examples, it seems the first three chapters have ghosts from the past and people whose fate has suddenly changed. Dr. Manette is released and his daughter's life is dramatically changed.