A Tale of Two Cities

A Tale of Two Cities is a historical novel by Charles Dickens. It tells the story of two men, Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton, who look very alike, but are two totally different types of men. Darnay is a French aristocrat, Carton a cynical attorney. The two are in love with the same woman, Lucie Manette. When revolution breaks out in France, Darnay is detained because of his family's past crimes. Carton, for Lucie's sake, changes places with him.

Other major characters in the book include Dr Manette (Lucie's father) and Madame Defarge, a female revolutionary with a grudge against Darnay's family.

The two cities of the title are London and Paris. The opening line, "It was the best of times. It was the worst of times" is one of the most famous in all literature.

The book has been adapted for the cinema several times::

1907[?], director unknown

1911[?], directed by William Humphrey[?]

1917[?], directed by Frank Lloyd[?]

1922[?], directed by W. Courtney Rowden[?]

1935, directed by Jack Conway[?] and Robert Z. Leonard[?] (uncredited)

1958[?], directed by Ralph Thomas[?]

External Link

• A Tale of Two Cities (http://www.dickens-literature.com/A_Tale_Of_Two_Cities/index) - searchable, indexed e-text.