Book Review
Book Review of A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities is one of Dickens' most important masterpieces. Set against the backdrop of the French Revolution, the novel takes the cities of Paris and London as the setting for its story, alluding to the social reality of 19th century England - the sharp contradictions and the disparity between the rich and the poor that existed within English society - as a means of calling for social improvement and alleviating social conflicts. Through his analysis of the various characters and their humanity, Dickens demonstrates the rationality of revolution and the madness of revenge in a humanitarian perspective, advocating the spirit of forgiveness to resolve hatred and save the distorted souls.
A Tale of Two Cities differs from ordinary historical fiction in that its characters and main plot are fictional. The author uses the experience of the fictional character Dr. Manette as the main clue to intertwine the three separate but interrelated stories of prison, love and revenge in an intricate and dramatic plot against the backdrop of the real French Revolution. The novel is well-structured and demonstrates Dickens' exceptional writing skills.
In A Tale of Two Cities , Dickens creates a series of good and evil characters under the guidance of humanitarian thinking. This series of characters can be broadly divided into three categories. The first is the feudal aristocracy represented by the Marquis de l'Evremonde, whose "only unshakeable philosophy is oppression" and whom the author denounces. He was a man of the cloth, a man of evil and a man who had no scruples. He stubbornly insisted on the privileges of the nobility and was finally assassinated by the revolutionaries. The image of the Marquis as a corrupt, cruel, domineering and murderous aristocrat is extremely contrary to the humanist care and tolerance and benevolence advocated by Dickens, and the novel reflects the sharp contradiction and sharp contrast between the two sides.
The other category is the revolutionary masses such as the Defarges. In the work, they are portrayed in a distorted way. For example, Defarge's wife, Deanna, is the sister of the peasant woman who was abused and killed by the Marquis's brothers. As she was born into a peasant family that was humiliated and persecuted, she has a deep hatred for the feudal aristocracy. Dickens' feelings towards her in A Tale of Two Cities are the most ambivalent. The author is deeply sympathetic to her tragic situation, but also admires her resilience, her exceptional talent and her extraordinary organizational leadership; she runs a small wine shop with her husband, Defarge, while actively participating in the revolution. But as the revolution progressed further, she turned into a cold, vicious and narrow-minded avenger. She is presented as a bloodthirsty maniac, especially when she goes to the doctor's residence to search for Lucie. In the end, the author lets her die at the point of her own gun, indicating Dickens' negative attitude towards her.
The third category is the idealized characters who solve social conflicts with humanitarianism and overcome hatred with fraternity, which are the role models in the book, including Manette and his daughter, Darney, Lorry and Carton.
Dr. Manette is the main character of the novel. He is the embodiment of love and forgiveness, and treats all the prisoners and guards equally. His long imprisonment caused him to go insane. Dr. Manette's noble qualities of love and forgiveness are also embodied by his daughter Lucie, who has worked tirelessly to free her father, Manette, who has been imprisoned for more than ten years, and who has travelled between England and France, eventually succeeding with the help of good people. Inspired by the immense power of kinship, she takes good care of her father, who is close to a nervous breakdown, and restores him to sanity. At the same time, her father, touched by the warmth and selfless love of his relatives, makes his daughter's union with Darney possible for her happiness. Lucie's qualities of tenderness, love and simplicity are fully reflected in her.
Sydney Carton is the most fully fleshed out character in the novel. He is a contradictory character: talented but uncaring, with beautiful and innocent feelings, but society focuses on money and success; he is not a bad person, but he is debauched and cynical; he knows his own shortcomings, but is powerless to change them. Bitterly disappointed, he drinks his sorrows away. He falls in love with Lucie, but after realizing that he is incapable of bringing her happiness, he withdraws from the love affair. Dickens has crafted a vividly written dialogue between the two men. The inner world of a weak-willed, self-destructive soul is vividly sketched. "For you, for anyone you love, I would do anything. If there are possibilities and opportunities in my career that are worth sacrificing, I'm willing to do it for you and for the people you love." Carton, who eventually takes the place of Darney on the guillotine for the well-being of Lucie's family, brings to a head this great spirit of altruism that exists within.
The ideal character of the aristocracy is Darney, who is portrayed throughout the book in a celebratory tone. He was born into a sinful family, but he is not stained by the mud. He abhors and condemns the sins of his noble family, saying in the face of his marquis uncle, "We have been reckless" "Even in my father's time we have committed many sins and hurt everyone who has interfered with our pleasures." He did not only condemn in words, but also in deeds: he voluntarily renounced his title, his official position and his property, changed his name and became a teacher in England to earn his own living. He believed that the true value of human beings was not reflected in power, status or money, and that one should not harm the dignity of others or even endanger their lives for the sake of one's own pleasures. Darney and the Marquis St. Evremonde brothers are two contrasting figures. The author hopes that, like Darney, the aristocratic characters will be self-reflective and kind, take the initiative to renounce the privileges of the aristocracy and abolish inhumane tyranny, so that the sharp social contradictions may be eased and a greater disaster avoided; but not like the MarquisSt.Evremonde brothers, who abuse their privileges, are tyrannical and cruel, intensifying the class contradictions and eventually leading to the revolution. The outbreak of revolution.
Humanism advocates care, love and respect for human beings, and is people-centred and human-centred. It is a system of thought that originated in the European Renaissance. Dickens praised with great enthusiasm the moral cultivation and moral probation of the individual, celebrating the spirit of benevolence and humanitarianism. In Dickens' view, society would be better if it was more moral, whether rich or poor, and if everyone practised benevolence and forgiveness. Anyone who violates the Christian spirit of mercy and resists violence with violence" will inevitably reap the consequences of his actions. To destroy hate with love, to replace class confrontation with love, forgiveness and peace, was Dickens' true intention in writing A Tale of Two Cities , the spirit of Christmas that he preached, and which is reflected in many of his works.
This benevolence spirit that Dickens preached is concentrated in the humanitarian characters created in the middle of the novel, such as Lucie, Dr. Manette, Darney and Carton. These beautiful ideas and spirits emphasize the use of benevolence and forgiveness towards rival classes, which not only leads to mutual understanding between rival classes, but also saves people's twisted hearts and makes them spiritually reborn. This spirit of love is best exemplified by Carton, who, for the sake of love alone, unconditionally lives up to his promise of 'I would sacrifice everything for you and your loved ones' by helping Lucie's husband Darney escape from prison and arranging for Lucie's family to be kept out of danger, while he himself goes to the guillotine in Darney's place. In short, in A Tale of Two Cities Dickens brings his humanitarian ideas and radical altruism to the forefront.
People generally regard Dickens as a realist writer and ignore the strong romantic element in his works, but in fact Dickens was also a romantic in a sense. The same romanticism is evident in the novel A Tale of Two Cities . Lucie is a weak woman, but her kindness and warmth are so powerful that they can infect everyone around her: they bring her father, Dr. Manette, back to life. "She can bring her father, Dr. Manette, back to life, bring happiness to Darney in a foreign country, soften the rough and tame Prosper, and make the unruly Carton give his life to her. Her poignancy, her warmth, all underline the romance of the human spirit.
Dickens' Romantic mystery is also reflected in the use of some expressive techniques such as symbolism, illusion and metaphor. In the second part of the novel, there is a description of the murder of the Marquis in which the mystery is particularly prominent: the eerie darkness of the night, the horses stalling at the trough, the dogs barking, the occasional unearthly howl of the owl." "For hours of gloom, the stone faces of the courtyard, the stone lions, the stone men all stared blankly at the sky, and the darkness enveloped the suffocating air in the deadly dust of all roads ......" This use of writing that renders the atmosphere suggestive of horror is also one of the Romantic This is one of the characteristics of Romanticism.
A Tale of Two Cities occupies a very special place in the development of Charles Dickens's thought. Through his various characters, he exposes the tyranny of feudal rule and criticizes the revolutionaries for their indiscriminate killing of innocent people. Deepening the humanitarian ideas he expresses, he elaborates on the idea that humanism always transcends revanchism. For his courageous and serious dissection of major themes of acute political significance, showing the courage of an upright writer who dared to face up to the bleak reality, Marx gave the British critical realist writers represented by him the highest praise: "They have proclaimed to the world more political and social truths than all professional politicians, statesmen, and moralists put together."
A Tale of Two Cities not only embodies Dickens' serious thinking and exploration of society and human nature, but has also won the hearts of readers around the world with its beautiful language, distinctive characterization, tumultuous storyline, subtle and far-reaching symbolism and romantic realism.
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