A Far, Far Better Thing

If you haven't read Charles Dickens' immortal classic, A Tale of Two Cities, avoid this post. It's full of spoilers. Then again, I got it spoiled for me by Wishbone in my early teens and I turned out okay...

"'It was the best of times, it was the blurst of times'?! You stupid monkey!"

I'm rereading ATTC right now. I'll admit, I'm not the biggest Dickens aficionado (took me 3 tries to get through Great Expectations), but this is my absolute favorite of his. I first read it at age 16 for my CP English class, and I think part of its appeal comes from my attitude at the time. 1998, for me, was truly the best and worst of times. The summer after my junior year was the last time my high school friends and I were truly together, but it was also the year we started falling apart. I had my own issues regarding a boy who was more Sydney Carton than Charles Darnay (high school romances = sooooo dramatic!!). So I could relate.


"Think now and then that there is a man, who would give his life, to keep a life you love beside you."

Speaking of Sydney Carton, it seems his whole life was a journey toward his ultimate sacrifice. There's a constant mention of footsteps in the novel, and he spends an awful lot of time walking around. He's either moping over Lucie or wandering around Paris, musing over his life and how it will end. Lots of literal journeying to represent his character arc. The guy who let everyone think he was drunk and worthless is actually the most important, devoted, noble character in the whole novel. That's why he's my favorite. Yes, Charles is noble and good (unlike the rest of his family), but he's also a little boring.

And you know what? Lucie's kind of worth it. Unlike a certain Fitzgeraldean woman I could name (*cough!* Daisy! *cough!*), she's a devoted daughter, wife, and mother who, though she seems to faint an awful lot, remains a good enough friend to Carton to warrant his sacrifice. And she doesn't let him die unremembered and go back to life as usual.

"Tell the Wind and Fire where to stop, but don't tell me."

How badass is Madame Defarge? That was my MySpace name back when people had MySpaces. She seems to be Lucie's opposite; where Lucie is kind, loving, and blonde, Thérése Defarge is cruel, cold-hearted, and dark-haired. She doesn't knit for any constructive reason (say, clothes for children), but for reasons that are deliberately destructive in keeping the names of those she'll denounce. I love her fire and her ruthlessness, but she lets them consume her and literally becomes a victim of her own vengeance. Admit it, you didn't think Miss Pross (one of those comic Dickensian servants) had it in her.

For me, the ATTC's strength relies on the characters, especially how their fates all intertwine at the end. The last chapters set in Paris are so beautifully written, so tense, so dramatic. I always cry at the end. But it does take Dickens awhile to get there. He dances around some issues (barely alluding to the guillotine in the first chapter) and uses fancy pants words to describe others. He seems to alternate chapters of plot with those of exposition. This is why, though I adore this book, I'm wary about teaching it in the fall. It depends on what level classes I get; are they willing to slog through its weaknesses to get to the good stuff? Can high schoolers appreciate how it all comes together at the end? Will they last that long?


Yeesh, this blog post tended to be a little rambling and long-winded at times. Be kind; it's my first time out. Besides, Charlie Dickens did all right for himself...