A Tale of Two Cities: Which Chapters Do You Prefer, Those Set in Engla

On reading ‘A Tale Of Two Cities’, my general impression is that the French chapters   are a lot more interesting to read.   I prefer the chapters set in France because they are much more exciting and I am carried away by the novel whereas I found, that in the English chapters, they were all about Lucie and her undying love for her father and husband. This was, quite frankly, tedious and a waste of Dickens’ effort to put some sentiment into these chapters which are set in London, a long way from the action in Paris.   However, Dickens does need to put some sentiment into his book(perhaps he showed a little too much)to give reasons for the characters’ actions. I much prefer Dickens when he manages to move you by the sad death of somebody such as Nancy in ‘Oliver Twist’ or indeed Sydney Carton in ‘A Tale of Two Cities.’   This particular sentence illustrates my point very well.





“It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.”





I felt much sadder when I read these words than Dickens’ paragraphs about angels.   I think nowadays people are more inclined to pass over those sentiments and read on because, to us, they sound ridiculous and the symbolic nature of these words is lost.





“Thus, the rustling of an Angel’s wings got blended with the other echoes, and they were not wholly of this earth, but had them in that breath of Heaven.   Sighs of the winds that blew over the little garden tomb were mingled with them also, and both were audible to Lucie.”





When the chapters set in France are read, they make me feel as though I am with the characters, in the midst of the revolution, thinking their thoughts, walking through the streets of Paris with them.   I see the same people, who scare you with their dancing and howls. One such example is The...