A Tale of Two Cities Critical Approach

A Tale of Two Cities has been the most sold novel in history for quite a few years now, and there is most certainly a reason for that.  The book has everything that a reader could ask for: love, death, murder, mystery, the list goes on for a while.  But the book develops quite slowly.  The entire first chapter sets up the plot for the entire story, and Dickens goes very in depth in his description of everything.  Dickens is one of the most distinguished writers to ever live, and he uses his talent throughout the novel.  His attention to detail is critical in the development of the plot, and his use of duality most certainly helps the plot seem three demensional.  Dickens was from England, so of course he is quite biased when he writes about the French, but that is expected when he is writing to an English audience.  If I have to disagree with anything that happens in the book, I would have to say that I do not understand why Madame Defarge desire revenge so badly.  I understand that it helped move the plot forward, and helped give the story a tragedy, but her desire for revenge consumes the entire novel.  I am sure that I do not agree with this because I am not in the time period in which the novel was written, but I believe that people's desire for revenge and retribution is not as strong as it was back in the 18th and 19th centuries.  People, for the most part, are a little more civilized and allow the judicial system to deal the punishment for crimes that have been committed.  Anyway, the novel was written by a master of his craft, and he most definitely showed his mastery when he was writing A Tale of Two Citites.  The book has a well developed plot and has very three dimensional characters throughout.  This book was most certainly worth the read, and I would recommend that people read it in future years, but of course that is why you chose the novel.