FACULTY OF ARTS, HUMANITIES AND LINGUISTICS
ASSOCIATE AND BACHELOR’S DEGREES
MAJOR: ENGLISH LITERATURE
SUBJECT: LITERATURE STUDIES
Chapter 1: The Period
Lecturer: Loeung Sophat, Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Linguistics – MA in
TESOL
A Tale of Two Cities
Chapter 1: The Period
A Tale of Two Cities is a
historical novel published
in 1859 by English
author Charles Dickens,
set in London and Paris
before and during the
French Revolution.
The story begins with
the reunion of Dr.
Manette and his
daughter Lucie, who
had been separated for
years due to his
imprisonment in the
Bastille.
As its title promises, this brief
chapter establishes the era in
which the novel takes place:
England and France in 1775.
The age is marked by competing
and contradictory attitudes—“It
was the best of times, it was the
worst of times”—but resembles
the “present period” in which
Dickens writes.
In England, the public worries over
religious prophecies, popular
paranormal phenomena in the form
of “the Cock-lane ghost,” and the
messages that a colony of British
subjects in America has sent to
King George III.
France, on the other hand, witnesses
excessive spending and extreme
violence, a trend that anticipates the
erection of the guillotine.
Yet in terms of peace and order,
English society cannot “justify much
national boasting” either—crime and
capital punishment abound.
Chapter 1 is a largely a
description of the current states
of England and France in 1775.
Though the countries were not
similar in every way, they
shared the reality that their
respective royals were living
lives of indulgence, while their
citizens suffered.
What does the
first chapter of
A Tale of Two
Cities mean?
The first chapter of "A
Tale of Cities" is an
introduction to the
setting of the text,
1775 France and
England.
Its purpose it to set the
stage for the
inevitable revolution
that is coming to both
of these countries.
What happens
in the
beginning of A
Tale of Two
Cities?
In the beginning of "A Tale of Two Cities,"
Dickens paints a vivid picture of the social,
political, religious, and economic turmoil
festering in 1775 England and France.
By highlighting the vast dichotomy of life as
an aristocrat versus life as a common citizen,
he introduces his main thematic idea of
disconnection between the social classes, an
idea that will be present throughout the entire
work.
A Tale of Two Cities: Book 1,
Chapter 1
Summary Summary & Analysis
On a stormy night in late November 1775, the mail
coach from London slogs its way toward Dover.
Three passengers sit in the carriage. Everyone is
suspicious of each other. When he hears an
approaching horse, the coach driver stops the
carriage: it's a messenger seeking one of the
passengers, Mr. Jarvis Lorry of Tellson's Bank. Mr.
Lorry recognizes the man as Jerry Cruncher, who
works odd-jobs for Tellson's.
A Tale of Two Cities: Book 1,
Chapter 1
SummarySummary & Analysis
Jerry gives Mr. Lorry a note that reads
"Wait at Dover for Mam'selle." In reply, Mr.
Lorry tells Jerry to return to Tellson's with
the message: "Recalled to life." The coach
drivers overhear the mysterious message but
can make nothing of it. Neither can Jerry,
though he worries that "recalling to life"
would be bad for his other work.
The port city of Dover
was the main port for
passage between England
and France.
The road from London to
Dover, battered by storm
and fraught with suspicion
and highwaymen,
represents the worsening
political conditions in
both countries.
"Recalled to life" sets up the
theme of resurrection. At both
ends of the book, someone
liberates another person from
prison and saves them from the
grave.
Jerry's odd thought establishes
the mystery of what his other
work might be.