CHELSEA TSANG

CONTEXT ESSAY

2013

Knowing the context is vital to understanding a novel. It is important to understand the

historical and cultural context of A Tale of Two Cities to understand the complexity that
has been woven through it by Charles Dickens. Understanding the cultural context is
extremely essential to understanding the ideas of enlightenment that are shown
throughout the novel, ideas of enlightenment are held in tension by Dickens when he
creates a paradox and help the readers to understand the action and conviction of his
characters. The Historical context is perhaps the most important as Dickens makes
many references the French Revolution and events that occurred in that time period.
The historical context is crucial to understanding the complexity and set up of the book
A Tale of Two Cities. Dickens uses many allusions, their ideas to which are parallel to
the events of the French Revolution. The author obviously expects the reader to have
some knowledge of the date and events of the French Revolution as Dickens uses mainly
symbolism to depict the events and class system in his writing. An example of this
would be the caricature Monseigneur is about to partake in his chocolate. It took all
four mento conduct the happy chocolate to Monseigneurs lips, this is used to
symbolise immense grandeur, wealth and how the nobility in the French Revolution
were drunk on power deep would be the blot on his escutcheon if his chocolate had
been ignobly waited on by only three men; he might have died with two. Monseigneur
is clearly a symbol representing all nobility and anyone with some knowledge of the
classes of the French Revolution would see the relation between the text and the
historical context. It is important to know the context to understand the novel, without
knowing the historical context a person could not understand A Tale of Two Cities
properly as Dickens makes numerous references and creates allusions that represent
the events and types of class in the French Revolution.
To perceive the events that take place in A Tale of Two Cities one must know the
historical context. Dickens creates allusions and metaphors to represent and
foreshadow events like The Terror and the famine that take place in the French
Revolution, and to comprehend what Dickens is conveying a person would need an
understanding of the events of the French Revolution.
An illustration of this would be at the end of Paragraph 8 in Book 2, there is clear
example of Dickens foreshadowing and creating metaphors Monseigneur, hear my
petition! My husband died of want; so many die of want; so many more will die of want.
This want is the need for food and equality amongst the poor people of France and a
foreshadowing of what will come, more death because people dont have enough food or
rights which is another direct reference to the French Revolution. In the haunted air of
the people there was yet some wild-beast thought of the possibility of turning at bay.
Dickens is conveying to the reader and making a foreshadowing to the uprising and the
anger the poor turned onto the nobility in French Revolution when that wine too would
be spilled on the street-stones, and when the stain of it would be red upon many there
which refers to The Terror when the poor rebelled and there was massacre. Without
knowing the events of the French Revolution like The Terror a reader would not be able
to make that connection. Knowing the historical context also adds realism to the novel
and one would know it was real and not completely fiction. It is imperative to know
about the historical context in which the novel is set in to fully understand the hints and
foreshadowing that Dickens uses to directly point to the events of the French
Revolution.
The importance of understanding the cultural context of the novel A Tale of Two Cities is
vital to understanding the enlightenment ideas that Dickens has woven through his
story. Dickens shows many enlightenment ideas and that the characters in his book
were living in an age on tension by contradicting himself and creating paradoxes. He
starts of the book with several paradoxes, an example it was the epoch of belief, and it

CHELSEA TSANG

CONTEXT ESSAY

2013

was the epoch of incredulity. Dickens obviously expects the reader to know that in the
time of enlightenment and the French Revolution that there were many new ideas about
how to live life Liberty, equality, fraternity or death. This shows the ideas that the poor
in the book were starting to believe in, and also what the poor in the French Revolution
thought. Dickens creates parallels Depressed and slinking though they were, eyes of
fire were not wanting among themThe trade signs were, all, grim signs of want and
through illustrations such as these show that the poor people wanted equality and
rights which are the main ideas of the enlightenment. Dickens creates these allusions
and parallels to help the reader to better understand the characters and by also
comprehending the cultural context behind all the actions it influences the
understanding of the text to become more realistic and more confronting.
Contexts influence the understanding of A Tale of Two Cities. As shown in this novel
historical context and cultural context are both crucial to fully understanding it.
Knowing both the contexts adds realism and helps readers better understand the events
that take place in the book because of their parallel to the events in the French
Revolution. Historical context and cultural context have a lot of influence over A Tale of
Two Cities and to really appreciate the novel, one should first know the context to better
understand it.

Bibliography:
1. Charles Dickens (2008) A Tale of Two Cities, London: Vintage
2. French Revolution (Part 1), http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDWqwcTtZa0
Date accessed: (18/3/2013)
3. The French Revolution: Crash Course World History #29, 10th August 2012,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTTvKwCylFY
Date accessed: (18/3/2013)