J. Of College Of Education for Women
vol. 19 (1) 2008
The Historical Value of Dickens’s
A Tale of Two Cities
Inst. May Witwit*
Date of Acceptance 6/5/2008
Abstract
In "historical" fiction, characters that never really existed, give expression to the
impact of historical events on the people who really did live through them. The result
is not history, as an accurate record of actual events, but fiction in which an earlier
age is rendered through the personal joys and sufferings of characters. This paper
aims at investigating the historical realities presented in Dickens’s A Tale of Two
Cities.
`
Dickens believes that the function
the Revolution, and the narration of the
of a novelist is not the simple portrayal
historical episodes. And yet, Dickens’s
of history but the recreation of it, yet in
outlook
the preface to “A Tale of Two Cities”,
differed significantly from that of
he mentions a Mr. Carlyle referring to
Carlyle. As Irene Collins points out,
the Scottish essayist and historian
“Dickens dislikes the violence of the
Thomas Carlyle. It is said that Dickens
revolutionaries, both in its popular
requested some reference material
form
from the historian who out of good
institutionalized form (the Terror).
humor sent him a cartload. Dickens
Unlike Carlyle, he can no longer see
took the matter seriously and it is
justice in [the] violence”2. Moreover, it
reported that he read it all.1
is
on
(the
revolutionary violence
mob)
Dickens’s
novel,
and
in
rather
its
than
of
Carlyle’s history, which is responsible
Dickens’s criticism that Carlyle’s "The
for the popular image of the French
French Revolution" influenced the
Revolution.
It
is
commonplace
writer. Many critics have discussed
In the 1850s, Charles Dickens was
Carlyle’s influence on several aspects
concerned that the social problems in
of the novel, such as the narrative
England
technique, the imagery associated with
reaction. In a letter written in 1855, for
might
provoke
a
mass
example, he refers to the unrest of the
*
College of Education for womenDept. of English Language.
time as follows:
175
J. Of College Of Education for Women
vol. 19 (1) 2008
I believe the discontent to be so much the worse for
smoldering, instead of blazing openly, that it is extremely like
the general mind of France before the breaking out of the first
Revolution, and is in danger of being turned … into such a
devil of a conflagration as never has been beheld since.
(Quoted in I. Collins 42).
At the beginning of "A Tale of
Dickens reflects revolution in general
Two Cities" (1859), Dickens once
and not the history of the French
again expresses his concern. The novel
Revolution as many people believe.
opens in 1775, with a comparison of
The novel as a whole is only
England and pre-revolutionary France.
concerned with particular events of
While drawing parallels between the
real history. In the opening chapter of
two countries, Dickens also alludes to
Book I, Dickens allots equal space to
his own time: "the period was so far
the problems of both England and
like the present period, that some of its
France in 1775 and implies that the
noisiest authorities insisted on its being
two cities will be equally treated in the
received, for good or for evil, in the
narrative. In Book II, he satirizes
superlative degree of comparison only"
English justice, lawyers and courts of
(Bk. 1, Ch. 1). The rest of the chapter
law and divides the time almost
shows that Dickens regarded the
equally between the two countries.
condition to be an 'evil' one, since he
As Woodcook points out, the title
depicts both countries as rife with
suggests not only the balancing of two
poverty, injustice, and violence due to
the irresponsibility of the ruling elite
(1-3; Bk. 1, Ch. 1). As the novel
capitals,
two
societies,
peoples:
“It
suggests
and
the
two
basic
dichotomy on which the novel rests.”3
unfolds, however, England becomes a
Dickens
safe haven for those escaping the
presents
a
realistic
atmosphere and setting and as the
violence perpetrated by the French
novel is literally a tale about two cities
Revolution. In this paper, the historical
and the inhabitants of both, he shows
facts of A Tale of Two Cities shall be
the reader the temper of the English
reviewed in an attempt to prove that
mob as well as that of the French. In
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J. Of College Of Education for Women
vol. 19 (1) 2008
short, he portrays the people and
In 1788, the country as a whole
attitudes of two cities separated by a
seemed well off. The people were
narrow channel.
satisfied with monarchy but wanted
medieval economy replaced. They
Literary
Facts
Realisation
of
Historic
wanted
power
transferred
to
the
cultured and educated middle class.4
To assess the historical reality of
Had the king done that; he would have
the novel a quick historical review is
probably
needed together with the major causes
the year 1775 and the bad conditions in
chapters in the novel.
both England and France. France under
In 1774, Louis xvi inherited the
Louis
throne together with all the woes of the
all
years as a result to the mistakes or
both
the
French
treat
each
other
the novel provide an overview of the
had no real interest in politics. He had
whole era with all its contradictions
only two interests; hunting and playing
“wisdom” and “foolishness”, “light”
at his hobby of locksmithing (this
and “darkness”, “hope” and “despair”.
could be compared with Dr. Manette’s
The “King with a large jaw and a
finding solace in shoemaking)
queen with a plain face on the throne
At the age of sixteen, the king
of England” are George III and
married Marie Antoinette. Influenced
Charlotte Sophia (1760-1820). The
by her mother, the Empress of Austria,
“King with a large jaw and a queen
she tried to advance the interest of her
with a fair face on the throne of
homeland at the French court, thus
with
France” are Louis xvi and Marie
the
Antoinette (1774-1793).
opportunity of discrediting her and
qualities
on
The famous lines at the opening of
wanted to end all kinds of abuses, but
good
bankrupt
the coming revolution.
timid and honest ruler, Louis xvi
her
is
inhumanely. Fate and Death forewarn
misjudgment of previous rulers. As a
enemies
xvi
economic and religious levels. Above
nation that have accumulated along the
turning
from
The opening chapter begins with
hold a comparison with the relevant
her
France
revolution.
leading to the bloody events, so as to
providing
saved
to
Dickens refers to the conditions in
a
both countries showing the economic
disadvantage.
inflation, the political and religious
corruption,
177
foreshadowing
the
J. Of College Of Education for Women
vol. 19 (1) 2008
Revolution in France, while, England
“…behold…how the multitude flows
is shown to be no better with robbery
on, welling through every street; tocsin
and murder as everyday occurrences
furiously pealing, all drums beating…”
and law being a mere mockery of
The role of women during the
justice.
siege also comes from Carlyle, who
In reality, the French people had
had devoted eleven chapters of his
no understanding of a constitutional
history to “The insurrection of the
government and wanted a republic
women”, and one of his female leaders
without really knowing what a republic
was Demoiselle Theroigne, later in
was. So the French Revolution once
Carlyle’s
launched became a series of frenzied
Theroigne cries” “Vengeance Victoire
riots with intervals of calm. This fact is
ou la morte!”, Dickens named Madam
largely reflected in chapters “Echoing
Defarge’s
Footsteps”, “The Sea Still Rises”, and
Vengeance, as is shown in chapter xxii.
“Fire Rises”.
account,
chief
Demoiselle
lieutenant,
The
The following chapter “The Sea
In “Echoing Footsteps”, Dickens
Still Rises” begins one week after the
presents Paris at the very moment in
storming of the Bastille. Dickens
which
shows how atrocity piles up on top of
the
peasants
are
arming
themselves with every kind of weapon
atrocity.
imaginable and marching with a roar
In the lynching of Foulon, a
that overflows all of France towards
government official and enemy of the
the Bastille. Hour upon hour they
people who had once told the peasants
storm the massive stonewall and great
to eat grass if they did not have food,
towers. Finally the Bastille surrenders.
5
(Bk. II, xxii). The peasants on the
A great deal of description of the
Hotel de Ville seize Foulon and drag
storming of the Bastille is borrowed
him mercilessly through the streets,
directly from Carlyle. For example,
hoist him up on the ropes then they put
Dickens’s passage reads, “…the living
his head on a pike and stuff his mouth
sea rose, wave on wave, depth on
with grass. Later in the day, another
depth, and overflowed the city to that
enemy of the people Foulon’s son-in-
point. Alarm bells ringing, drums
law is also seized and his head also put
beating, the sea raging and thundering
on pikes.
on its new beach, the attack begun…”
while
Carlyle’s
passage
In “Fire Rises” changes are taking
reads
place in many villages throughout
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J. Of College Of Education for Women
vol. 19 (1) 2008
France. In the village of the dead
streets. This demonstration was the
Marquis, villagers meet at night.
first of a number of demonstrations,
Monsieur
chief
each of which left its imprint on the
functionary, house is surrounded but he
nation. In provinces fear drove the
manages to escape. He is luckier than
people
other functionaries in other villages
Chateaux, tax offices and jails were set
who are hoisted up on ropes and
on fire in local uprising.6
Gabelle’s,
the
to
chaos
and
anarchy.
pullies. In this chapter Dickens shows
In 1792 war was declared against
how terror continued. The firing of the
Austria. The king had hoped to save
Chateaux owned by aristocrats was a
the monarchy through war but things
familiar sight at that time.
got out of hand in July when Prussia
In reality, in May1789, after the
joined Austria. The enemy issued a
States General (under edict of the
manifest threatening the destruction of
king), met at Versailles, over 900
France if the royal family were not
deputies
500
shown respect. The Parisian mob
deputies chosen to represent the Third
decided to get rid of the king and they
Estate, joined by members of the lower
attacked
clergy and
nobles
revolutionary tribunal was set up. This
proclaimed themselves the National
is shown in Dickens’s “Triumph”. This
Assembly. They voted that taxation
chapter shows Darnay as one of twenty
without consent was illegal which
prisoners to be tried. Many of those
meant the usurpation of king's power
prisoners are of aristocratic heritage
thus paving way for the Revolution.
and breeding. Fifteen out of the twenty
The king had to decide whether to
are sentenced to death. This chapter
support the people or the privileged
marks the beginning of the Reign of
class. The king chose to support the
Terror.
convened.
In
many of
June,
the
the
Tuileries,
and
a
nobles and asked his foreign troops to
The chapters “Grindstone” and
come to Paris and Versailles to support
“Triumph” shed light on the September
him. Rumors spread through Paris that
Massacre. In them, Dickens captures
quantities of gunpowder had been
the fury and violence of the French
transferred to the Bastille and people
Revolution. “Grindstone” is described
marched
of
as one of the most horrifying scenes in
oppression and feudalism, killed the
the novel. The novelist shows how
governor and guards then rioted the
chaos
towards
the
symbol
179
brings
out
man’s
beastly
J. Of College Of Education for Women
vol. 19 (1) 2008
qualities. He describes a crowd of men
were killed on mere suspicion, and
and women, smeared with blood,
finally the guillotiners themselves were
holding pieces of linen and lace (torn
guillotined.
from the clothing of aristocrats) and
sharpening
their
red-stained
In chapters “Wood Sawyer”, “The
and
Game Made”, “Fifty Two”, “The
dripping weapons at the grindstone.
Knitting Done” and “The Footsteps
“They are murdering the prisoners”,
Die out Forever”, Dickens records how
the readers are informed when Mr.
the revolutionists continued to daily
Lorry whispers to Dr. Manette.
feed the guillotine with victims from
In “Calm in Storm”, Dickens’s
description
of
anarchy
every social stratum in France, thus
raging
immortalizing the ferocious dance of
throughout France and his satiric
the revolutionists- the Carmagnole.
treatment of la “Guillotine” and the
In the “Game Made” some facts
“Samson,” who works it, take on a
are recorded such as the flourishing
savagery seldom equaled in literature.
trade of body snatching and the state of
In “Triumph” the writer also
lawlessness where a man, Charles
prepares the reader for the awful turn
Evremonde is tried twice within two
of events about to come and draws
days. In “Fifty Two” Dickens presents
attention to a fact about the mob. The
the pursued members of the aristocracy
same mob that celebrates Charles’s
or
release today, can chop off his head
members of some class escaping from
tomorrow.
France. He also warns, in this chapter,
In
reality
by
non-revolutionary
English men that if the abuse of masses
death.
is continued and if governmental laws
Danton and Madame Roland were
and social reforms are not immediately
guillotined, and Marat was stabbed to
instituted, Britain too can suffer a
death in his bathtub.
revolution as horrifying as the French.
leaders
one
other
the
revolutionary
one
any
met
One tyranny yielded to another
In “Knitting Done” and “The
and by 1793 The Reign of Terror was
Footsteps Die out Forever” readers are
in full swing. It continued for fourteen
shown how chief revolutionary agents
months and came to an end in July
were disposed of – The Vengeance
1794
searches vainly for Mme. Defarge to
when
Revolutionary
the
last
tyrants,
of
the
Robespierre,
take her empty seat by the guillotine.
was overthrown. Thousands of people
180
J. Of College Of Education for Women
In the last chapter, Dickens issues
a
warning
to
Other details such as the execution
humanity: “Crush humanity out of
with torture of Damiens (Bk. II, xv)
shape
similar
and the feudal privileges of the nobles
hammers, and it will twist itself in to
in (Bk. III, x) are also mentioned.
the same tortured forms.”
Nevertheless, the novelist introduces
more,
oppressors
- The Tribunal Book III, vi and ix.
of
once
all
vol. 19 (1) 2008
under
From the previous comparison
no historical figures and no major
between actual events and the incidents
realistic events save for a distant view
described in the novel, readers may
of the French court, the lynching of
conclude that Dickens had made a
Foulon
vivid recreation of the disordered times
Chateaux. The political forces of the
of the French Revolution in a skillful
Revolution remain unseen while the
style. It is clear that he was fascinated
bloodthirsty mob counting heads are
by the problems of France. In Book III,
portrayed. This lack of reference to the
Dickens focuses entirely on The Reign
actual course of events adds very little
of Terror, which is a historically
to the knowledge of the average reader.
significant
There is no suggestion at all that the
period
because
of
its
and
the
burning
of
the
influence on the modern era.
Revolution had any intellectual or
Dickens’s most important scenes as
idealistic content.
regards his reference to reality are as
Though Dickens seems to have
follows:
seen clearly that the French Revolution
- The taking of the Bastille in Book
was bound to happen, he fails to see
II, xxi.
revolutionaries as people fighting for a
- The lynching of Foulon in Book II,
cause. To him they are mere savages
xxii.
spreading horror all over the country,
- The burning of Chateaux in Book II,
whereas apologists of any revolution
xxiii.
try to minimize its horrors.
- The Barriers, the Revolutionary
The rapid succession of dramatic
Army, the prisoners in Book
scenes presenting every horrifying
III, i.
aspect of the years 1789-92 provide a
- The Grindstone in Book III, ii.
lurid background to the actions and
- The Guillotine in Book III, iv and
speech of all the main characters.
xv.
Despite the novelist's lack of a
- The Carmagnole III, v.
broad philosophical outlook for this
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J. Of College Of Education for Women
vol. 19 (1) 2008
kind of fiction, he manages to fix the
Notes
French Revolution firmly in the minds
1
of his readers. While sympathetic to
Coles Notes, A Tale of Two Cities,
(Toronto:
the cause of the overtaxed, starving
Coles
Publishing
Company 1982), p.7.
peasants, he is antagonistic to the
2
extremist frenzy of the new republic.
Irene Collins, Irene. "Charles Dickens
and
His exaggeration seems to point
the
French
Revolution."
Literature and History 1.1 (1990):
out that his A Tale of Two Cities is
p.46
about revolution in general, and not
3
just the French Revolution reflecting
Friedman, Barton R. "Antihistory:
faith in social regeneration. Even in the
Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities."
darkest scenes there is a suggestion for
Dickens's Later Work: Assessments
a brighter future. A Tale of Two Cities
since 1870. Ed. Michael Hollington.
may be described as a bold experiment
East Sussex: Helm, 1995. pp 481-5.
4
that depended on what he reached out
for rather than what he achieved.
Leonre Mossoff, Charles Dickens A
Tale of Two Cities, (New York:
Barrons and Noble Inc. 1968), p. 16
5
Coles Notes, p. 9
6
Ramji Lall, Charles Dickens A Tale
of Two Cities, (New Delhi: Arti
Book Centre 1985), p. 137
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Two
Cities:
Notes
on.
Toronto: Coles Publishing
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¾ Collins, Irene. "Charles Dickens
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French
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History 1.1 (1990): 40-57.
¾ Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two
Cities.
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¾ Leonre,
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‫‪vol. 19 (1) 2008‬‬
‫اﻟﻘﯿﻤﺔ اﻟﺘﺎرﯾﺨﯿﺔ ﻟﺮواﯾﺔ "ﻗﺼﺔ ﻣﺪﯾﻨﺘﯿﻦ"‬
‫ﻟﻠﺮواﺋﻲ ﺗﺸﺎرﻟﺰ دﯾﻜﻨﺰ‬
‫اﻟﻤﺪرس ﻣﻲ وﺗﻮت‬
‫ﻛﻠﯿﺔ اﻟﺘﺮﺑﯿﺔ ﻟﻠﺒﻨﺎت – ﻗﺴﻢ اﻟﻠﻐﺔ اﻻﻧﻜﻠﯿﺰﯾﺔ‬
‫اﻟﻤﻠﺨﺺ‬
‫ﻓﻲ اﻟﺮواﯾﺎت اﻟﺘﺎرﯾﺨﯿﺔ ﺗﻌﻜﺲ اﻟﺸﺨﺼﯿﺎت اﻟﺨﯿﺎﻟﯿﺔ ﺗﺄﺛﯿﺮ اﻻﺣﺪاث اﻟﻮاﻗﻌﯿﺔ ﻋﻠﻰ اﻻﺷﺨﺎص اﻟﺬﯾﻦ ﻋﺎﺷﻮا ﺗﻠﻚ‬
‫اﻟﺤﻘﺒﺔ ﻣﻦ اﻟﺘﺎرﯾﺦ‪ .‬وھﻜﺬا ﻻ ﯾﻤﻜﻦ اﻋﺘﺒﺎر اﻟﻌﻤﻞ ﺳﺠﻼً ﺗﺄرﯾﺨﯿ‪s‬ﺎً ﺻ‪s‬ﺮﻓﺎ ً واﻧﻤ‪s‬ﺎ ادﺑ‪s‬ﺎً ﻗﺼﺼ‪s‬ﯿﺎً ﯾﺼ‪s‬ﻮر اﺣ‪s‬ﺪاث ﺧﻘﺒ‪s‬ﮫ‬
‫ﺳﺎﺑﻘﺔ ﺗﻨﺴﺠﮭﺎ اﻓﺮاح وھﻤﻮم اﺑﻄﺎل اﻟﺮواﯾﺔ‪.‬‬
‫ﯾﮭﺪف ھﺬا اﻟﺒﺤﺚ ﻟﺘﻘﺼﻲ اﻟﺤﻘﺎﺋﻖ اﻟﺘﺎرﯾﺨﯿﺔ اﻟﻤﺴﺠﻠﺔ ﻓﻲ "ﻗﺼﺔ ﻣﺪﯾﻨﻨﺘﯿﻦ" ﻟﻠﻜﺎﺗﺐ اﻟﺮواﺋﻲ ﺗﺸﺎرﻟﺰ دﯾﻜﻨﺰ‬
‫‪184‬‬