Article #98-2 | Gutenberg Articles

Excerpt

Excerpt from A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of
wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it
was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the
season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of
despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were
all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in
short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its
noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for
evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

There were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a plain face, on the
throne of England; there were a king with a large jaw and a queen with
a fair face, on the throne of France. In both countries it was clearer
than crystal to the lords of the State preserves of loaves and fishes,
that things in general were settled for ever.

It was the year of Our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five.
Spiritual revelations were conceded to England at that favoured period,
as at this. Mrs. Southcott had recently attained her five-and-twentieth
blessed birthday, of whom a prophetic private in the Life Guards had
heralded the sublime appearance by announcing that arrangements were
made for the swallowing up of London and Westminster. Even the Cock-lane
ghost had been laid only a round dozen of years, after rapping out its
messages, as the spirits of this very year last past (supernaturally
deficient in originality) rapped out theirs. Mere messages in the
earthly order of events had lately come to the English Crown and People,
from a congress of British subjects in America: which, strange
to relate, have proved more important to the human race than any
communications yet received through any of the chickens of the Cock-lane
brood.

Explanation

**Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens**

This famous opening passage from A Tale of Two Cities (1859) is one of the most recognizable in English literature. Below is a close analysis of the text itself—its structure, themes, literary devices, and historical context—while keeping the focus primarily on the excerpt provided.

1. Context of the Source

A Tale of Two Cities is a historical novel set against the backdrop of the French Revolution (1789–1799) and the decades leading up to it. The novel explores themes of revolution, resurrection, sacrifice, and the duality of human nature. Dickens wrote it during a period of social unrest in England, drawing parallels between the instability of pre-revolutionary France and the tensions in Victorian Britain.

The excerpt introduces the novel’s central contrast: the extreme contradictions of the late 18th century, particularly in London and Paris (the "two cities" of the title). Dickens immediately establishes a world of paradox, instability, and impending chaos, foreshadowing the violent upheaval of the Revolution.

2. Themes in the Excerpt

A. Duality and Contradiction

The passage is structured around opposing pairs, emphasizing the extremes of human experience:

"Best of times" vs. "worst of times"
"Age of wisdom" vs. "age of foolishness"
"Season of Light" vs. "season of Darkness"
"Spring of hope" vs. "winter of despair"
"Everything before us" vs. "nothing before us"
"Going direct to Heaven" vs. "going direct the other way"

This juxtaposition suggests that the era was one of radical instability, where progress and decay, faith and skepticism, hope and despair existed simultaneously. The repetition of these contrasts creates a sense of inevitability—that such extremes must lead to a breaking point (the Revolution).

B. Historical Upheaval and False Stability

Dickens critiques the illusion of permanence among the ruling classes:

"In both countries it was clearer than crystal to the lords of the State preserves of loaves and fishes, that things in general were settled for ever."

"Lords of the State preserves of loaves and fishes" → A biblical allusion (Matthew 4:19, "I will make you fishers of men") mocking the aristocracy and clergy who hoard wealth and power while believing their rule is divinely ordained.
"Settled for ever" → Irony. The nobility and monarchy assume their power is unshakable, but the reader (and history) knows the French Revolution is coming, proving their confidence misplaced.

C. Superstition vs. Rationality

The passage references supernatural beliefs and prophecies of the time:

Mrs. Southcott (1750–1814) – A self-proclaimed prophetess who predicted the apocalypse.
The Cock-lane ghost (1762) – A famous hoax involving a "haunted" house where "spirits" communicated through knocks.
"Spiritual revelations" vs. "mere messages in the earthly order" → Contrasts superstition (ghosts, prophecies) with real political upheaval (the American Revolution, which Dickens calls more significant than any supernatural event).

Dickens suggests that while people were distracted by mysticism and hoaxes, real revolutionary forces (like the American colonies' rebellion) were reshaping the world.

D. The Illusion of Progress

The final line of the first paragraph is crucial:

"the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."

"Noisiest authorities" → Politicians, media, and elites who exaggerate the greatness or terribleness of their time.
"Superlative degree of comparison only" → People in 1775 (like those in Dickens' own time, 1859) believed their era was uniquely extreme—either the best or worst in history. Dickens is satirizing human tendency to see their own age as unprecedented, when in reality, history repeats itself.

3. Literary Devices

A. Parallelism & Anaphora

The repetition of "it was" at the start of clauses (anaphora) creates a rhythmic, almost hypnotic effect, reinforcing the inescapable duality of the era.
The balanced pairs (e.g., "wisdom/foolishness," "Light/Darkness") give the passage a poetic, almost biblical cadence, making it memorable.

B. Irony & Satire

"Settled for ever" → Dramatic irony, since the reader knows the French Revolution will overthrow the monarchy.
"Spiritual revelations" being compared to political messages from America → Satire of how people prioritize superstition over real change.
"Noisiest authorities" → Mockery of politicians and media who sensationalize their own time.

C. Allusion

Biblical references ("loaves and fishes," "Heaven") → Critiques the hypocrisy of the Church and nobility, who preach morality but exploit the poor.
Historical references (Mrs. Southcott, Cock-lane ghost) → Grounds the novel in real 18th-century anxieties, blending fact with fiction.

D. Symbolism

"Light" vs. "Darkness" → Represents enlightenment vs. ignorance, hope vs. despair.
"Spring of hope" vs. "winter of despair" → The cyclical nature of history; revolutions bring both rebirth and destruction.

4. Significance of the Passage

A. Foreshadowing the French Revolution

The contrasts in the opening lines mirror the tensions that will explode in the Revolution:

The aristocracy’s blind confidence ("settled for ever") will be shattered.
The oppressed masses’ despair ("winter of despair") will fuel rebellion.
The false prophecies (like Mrs. Southcott’s) will be replaced by real political upheaval.

B. Universal Relevance

Dickens is not just writing about 1775—he is commenting on all eras, including his own (Victorian England) and ours:

The "present period" he mentions is 1859, a time of industrial unrest, class struggle, and fears of revolution.
The extremes of wealth and poverty, political instability, and public hysteria (then over ghosts, now over media sensationalism) recur in every age.

C. Introduction to Key Themes

Resurrection (a major theme in the novel) is hinted at in the cyclical nature of hope and despair.
Sacrifice is foreshadowed by the extremes of human experience—people will be forced to choose sides.
Duality (Sydney Carton’s "best and worst" nature, the two cities) is established from the first line.

5. Conclusion: Why This Passage Matters

This opening is more than just a famous quote—it is a masterclass in literary technique and historical commentary. Dickens:

Sets the tone for a novel about revolution, contradiction, and human resilience.
Uses paradox and irony to show how society’s extremes lead to collapse.
Blends history and fiction to make the past feel urgent and relevant.
Challenges the reader to see their own time in the mirror of 1775.

The passage remains powerful because it captures the essence of human history: an endless swing between hope and despair, progress and ruin, with the ever-present question—will we learn from the past, or repeat its mistakes?

Final Thought:

Dickens’ words resonate today because every generation believes it lives in "the best of times" or "the worst of times." The genius of this passage is that it doesn’t take sides—it simply presents the contradictions and lets the reader decide: Are we doomed to cycle through history’s extremes, or can we break free?

Questions

Question 1

The opening paragraph’s repeated contrasts (e.g., "best of times" vs. "worst of times") function primarily to:

A. Establish a neutral, journalistic tone by presenting historical facts without emotional inflection.
B. Create a sense of destabilizing paradox that mirrors the socio-political tensions preceding revolutionary upheaval.
C. Demonstrate the narrator’s omniscience by cataloguing the full spectrum of human experience in 1775.
D. Parody the melodramatic style of 18th-century broadsheet newspapers, which thrived on sensationalist binaries.
E. Argue that historical progress is illusory, as every era’s advances are counteracted by proportional regressions.

Question 2

The phrase "lords of the State preserves of loaves and fishes" (paragraph 2) is best interpreted as a critique of:

A. The clergy’s failure to provide spiritual guidance during periods of political crisis.
B. The monarchy’s reliance on divine right to justify hereditary power structures.
C. The aristocracy’s aesthetic pretensions, symbolized by their lavish banquets amid public starvation.
D. The bourgeoisie’s economic exploitation of the proletariat through mercantilist trade policies.
E. The ruling class’s self-serving delusion that their privilege is both eternal and divinely sanctioned.

Question 3

The passage’s treatment of "spiritual revelations" (paragraph 3) serves to:

A. Validate the psychological comfort that supernatural beliefs provided in an era of scientific uncertainty.
B. Juxtapose public credulity toward mysticism with the overlooked significance of tangible political revolutions.
C. Suggest that prophetic warnings (e.g., Mrs. Southcott’s) were metaphorically fulfilled by the French Revolution.
D. Contrast the irrationality of the masses with the rational governance of the English Crown.
E. Imply that all historical change, whether spiritual or political, is fundamentally cyclical and thus predictable.

Question 4

The "noisiest authorities" (paragraph 1) who insist on the "superlative degree of comparison" are most analogous to which contemporary phenomenon?

A. Academic historians who overemphasize the uniqueness of their specialized periods.
B. Revolutionary ideologues who dismiss incremental reform as complicit with oppression.
C. Media pundits who amplify societal divisions by framing every event as unprecedented.
D. Technological utopians who herald each innovation as either salvation or ruin.
E. Political theorists who reduce complex systems to binary oppositions (e.g., freedom vs. tyranny).

Question 5

The passage’s closing observation—that "mere messages in the earthly order" from America proved more consequential than supernatural communications—primarily underscores:

A. The inherent superiority of secular governance over theological dogma.
B. The narrator’s bias toward empirical evidence as the sole arbiter of historical importance.
C. The ironic trivialization of colonial grievances by the British establishment.
D. The inevitability of democratic revolutions once economic disparities reach a critical threshold.
E. The tendency of societies to misplace attention on spectacles while ignoring tectonic shifts in power.

Solutions and Explanations

1) Correct answer: B

Why B is most correct: The opening paragraph’s relentless parallelism does not merely describe the era but enacts its instability. The juxtaposition of extremes ("wisdom/foolishness," "Light/Darkness") creates a rhetorical tension that mirrors the socio-political fractures of pre-revolutionary Europe. This destabilizing paradox is not decorative; it foreshadows the violent ruptures of the French Revolution, where contradictory forces (liberty/tyranny, hope/despair) collide. Dickens’ structure thus embodies the era’s volatility, making B the most defensible answer.