Introduction & Overview of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

A Tale of Two Cities Introduction

A Tale of Two Cities occupies a central place in the canon of Charles Dickens's works. TIns novel of the French Revolution was originally serialized in the author's own periodical All the Year Round Weekly publication of chapters 1-3 of Book 1 began on April 30, 1859. In an innovative move, Dickens simultaneously released installments of the novel on a monthly basis, beginning with all of Book 1 in June and concluding with the last eight chapters of Book 3 in December. Dickens took advantage of the novel's senal publication to experiment with characterization, plot, and theme. He described the work in a letter to his friend John Forster, cited in Ruth Glancy's A Tale of Two Cities: Dickens's Revolutionary Novel, as "a picturesque story rising in every chapter, with characters true to nature, but whom the story should express more than they should express themselves by dialogue." The novel...
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