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A Tale of Two Cities Lecture: Recalled to Life (Vol. I, Ch. I-VI) (Patreon)

Published:
2023-12-03 21:40:24
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2026-06
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Content

'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...'

Today we're discussing the captivating beginning of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. We're talking about the writer's life, inspiration, what makes a Dickensian character, social commentary, background for the French Revolution, and much more.

We will also conduct a deep analysis of one of the most iconic beginnings in all of literature and appreciate some breathtakingly poetic passages that stand out in the first volume of this incredible novel.

Timestamps:

  • 0:00 it was the best of times...
  • 1:00 first readers of Charles Dickens
  • 3:00 on the weekly serial form
  • 5:00 the inspiration for Dickens
  • 8:00 theatrical elements in Dickens
  • 9:00 on the writer’s personal life
  • 11:00 great works arise from pain
  • 12:00 the opening of the novel
  • 14:00 Dickens’ social commentary
  • 16:00 the childhood of Dickens
  • 17:00 history & universality
  • 19:00 studying the French Revolution
  • 20:00 the American Revolution
  • 21:00 Declaration of Independence
  • 24:00 ‘all men are created equal’
  • 27:00 ‘a certain moveable framework’
  • 29:00 the state of England at the time
  • 30:00 absolute vs constitutional monarchy
  • 32:00 Bastille & prison theme in Dickens
  • 34:00 the symbolism of the mail-coach
  • 36:00 Jarvis Lorry & Lucie Manette
  • 38:00 on the inheritance of pain
  • 39:00 extraordinary wine shop scene
  • 43:00 Dickens’ cinematic prose
  • 45:00 conditions that fuel revolution
  • 47:00 Monsieur & Madame Defarge
  • 48:00 what makes a character Dickensian
  • 50:00 our meeting with Dr Manette
  • 53:00 appreciating the end of volume one
  • 55:00 what are you making of the story?

Resources:

  • Documentary: Gyles Brandreth has a fascinating documentary about the life of Charles Dickens here in which he travels to the locations most important to the storyteller. If you enjoy this documentary, the series also has wonderful episodes for Thomas Hardy, Jane Austen, and the Brontë sisters
  • Biography: My personal favourite biography of Charles Dickens is this one. The biographer is Hesketh Pearson, who has also written compellingly about William Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde.
  • Film: If you love to run film and television adaptations of the great books alongside your reading, you may wish to check out the 1980 film version. The director and actors do a wonderful job bringing the story to life.
  • Journals: You can check out what the original serialised publications looked like for the works of Charles Dickens at Dickens Journals Online.
  • Deep Dive: It's often incredibly rewarding to seek out the influences of these great writers. A major influence for Dickens with this novel was Thomas Carlyle's The French Revolution.
  • Edition: I'm personally working from the Penguin paperback edition of this great novel. But there are so many fantastic editions available, and I encourage readers to pick their volumes with a view towards building their own personal Dickens library.
  • Audiobooks: The wonderful Robert Lindsay has a dramatised reading here, and Simon Callow has a superb narration as part of the Dickens Collection here.
  • Reading Assignment: Our next discussion will cover volume two of this novel ('The Golden Thread'), which runs to page 254 in the Penguin. If you would like to return to our previous discussion, it is available here.

Questions for You:

1) What did you make of the beginning of A Tale of Two Cities?

2) Do you share Dickens' interest in the subject of revolution?

3) What are the greatest rewards of reading historical fiction?

Happy reading, folks!

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Comments

David Prendergast

No matter how long I have been away from Dickens, or what book I pick up and enter, there is always a sense of comfort and certainty. "Ah, Dickens! This will be good." And it always is. He is not my favorite author, but I can think of no writer who is more reliably good. So, it is good to have a Dickens' book in hand again. As Ben says, for the many wonderfully idiosyncratic characters. And for the mature and beautifully crafted prose. Page after page of passages that delight: "The Concord bed-chamber being always assigned to a passenger by the mail, the passengers by the mail being always heavily wrapped up from head to foot, the room had the odd interest for the establishment of the Royal George that although but one kind of man was seen to go into it, all kinds and varieties of men came out of it."

Nancy Fitzpatrick

Yes. I also struggled with CD’s prose in the beginning. It was much clearer when I reread it the next day.

Susan Kelley

I am writing this in December of 2025, having finished Bleak House way too early! Hearing about the American Revolution and the founders desires for the country makes me profoundly sad as I am watching what is happening in the US now. I’ve not yet started this book, but plan to as soon as I finish, The Remains of the Day by Ishiguro.

Susan Kelley

The beginning of the novel introduced some of the main characters and set up the mysteries—why was Dr. Mannette in prison, how did his daughter not know he was alive? What I like most about reading Dickens is the descriptions of setting and dialog create striking visuals. I love historical fiction because it makes the history come alive and helps me to better understand the nuances of what was happening.

Alice A
>>196638039

I just started to read this one too, as a first read for me, and had similar questions. I have only read David Copperfield last year and then Bleak House this year ( and seen many Dickens’ stories on film, tv and theatre), and what struck me with this opening section is that it sounds like a different novel compared to the others. The descriptions of settings and historical context seem more important than character development. I have really enjoyed it and was consumed in the the first section while travelling to France, so was very much like I was travelling back in time (sort of …). There is a common theme in his books about legal institutions and how ridiculous their procedures can be. I have also noticed the theme of ”shadows” in many books that I have read this year, and it seems to have a place in this one too.