Charles Dickens

TALE OF TWO CITIES

- Born in Portsmouth, England- Lower middle class family

- Moved several times as a young person due to financial troubles with his father finding a job.

- Dickens’s father was eventually imprisoned for debt in London’s prison. - Dickens was sent to work in a shoe polish factory to bring in income

because of this. - This event “scarred” Dickens and is often referred to in his writing.

- He held a sympathy for the poor because of these events.

MEET CHARLES DICKENS

Serial publication of Pickwick Papers began in 1836.

Dickens became in overnight success.

Dickens was the most popular author of his time.

His works:

Oliver Twist

Tale of Two Cities

Hard Times

David Copperfield

Great Expectations

Barnaby Rudge

A Christmas Carol

DICKENS THE WRITER

- He was married with 10 children. - Worked on causes to improve education, and acted in

plays. - Traveled widely and did reading tours.

- In 1869 during one of these tours his health failed and he returned home.

- He died while working on The Mystery of Edwin Drood - He is buried in the poets corner of West Minster Abbey.

DICKENS ADULT YEARS…

A Tale of Two Cities was published in 1859.

Dickens was most popular author of his time.

Was dismayed at social inequality in British society.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”

While it was the best of times for England’s wealthy, with their town homes and country estates, Dickens believed that times had never been worse for the nations poor.

During the writing of the novel he had met and fallen in love with Ellen Ternan who many believe is the model for

the character Lucie Manette.

TALE OF TWO CITIES

Novel was published serially in weekly or monthly installments in popular magazines.

The installment usually included one or two chapters and an illustration of an important or dramatic scene.

Novel was published in book form after serial was finished.

A Tale of Two Cities was the first serial to be published in his own new magazine.

The serial form required a “cliffhanger” at the end of each chapter.

Why?

TAL E OF TWO CITIES

The novel tells of people whose lives are interrupted or wasted, then reawakened with new purpose.

Several of the characters are symbolic representations of ideas rather than real-life individuals.

It’s rich in detailed descriptions.

Tale of Two Cities has been filmed many times.

Dickens hoped to create the historical events of the French Revolution understandable.

A TAL E OF TWO CITIES

The action of A Tale of Two Cities takes place over a period of 18 years.

It is told in a flashback (present time =1859; novel begins = 1775).

The key events take place just before and during the French Revolution.

Novel is set mostly in London and Paris

TIME & PLACE

One of the most important events of 1700’s

The revolution began in 1789 with an attack on the notorious prison, the Bastille. (key event in story).

Several people were elected throughout the revolution in France, but many resorted to terrorism to defeat their

political opponents.

Kings were worried that thrones were in jeopardy.

Some political leaders threatened to over throw the current government.

Many of the events in Tale of Two Cities are real life events.

The book is meant to depict the cruelty and poverty the French poor had to endure at the hands of the corrupt

nobility.

FRENCH REVOLUTION

1. France could not produced enough food to feed its people.

2. The newly wealthy middle-class was without political power

3. Peasants hated the ancient feudal system in which they were forced to work for local nobles.

4. New ideas about social and political reform were spreading

4 REASONS THE REVOLUTION OCCURRED

Oprah Introduction of Tale of Two Cities

INTRODUCTION OF TALE OF TWO CITIES

An implied or indirect reference in literature to a familiar person, place or

event.

Examples: • “Beam me up Scotty”!

• “May the force be with you”!

ALLUSION

If the audience is familiar with the event or person, they will also know background and

context. Thus, just a few words are enough to create a certain picture (or scene) in the

readers’ minds.

The advantages are as follows: - We don’t need lengthy explanations to clarify the problem.- - The reader becomes active by reflecting on the analogy.

- The message will stick in the reader's mind.

WHY USE ALLUSIONS?

Examples:The Scrooge Syndrome (allusion on the rich,

grieve and mean Ebeneezer Scrooge from Charles Dicken’s “Christmas Carol”)

The software included a Trojan Horse. (allusion on the Trojan horse from Greek mythology)

ALLUSION EXAMPLES

"Christy didn't like to spend money. She was no Scrooge, but she seldom purchased anything except the bare necessities".

Did you spot the allusion to Scrooge? That name should bring to mind an image of someone who 'pinches pennies'

and hoards money with a passion. But the allusion only works if the reader is familiar with Charles Dickens' story 'A

Christmas Carol'. 

ALLUSION EXAMPLE

“I got the moves like Jagger” – Maroon 5 alludes to Mick Jagger, the lead singer of the rolling stones.

“Love Story” by Taylor Swift - refers to Romeo and Juliet, characters from the Shakespearean play

ALLUSIONS IN SONG LYRICS

In its widest sense, dialogue is simply conversation between characters or speakers in a literary work; in its most restricted sense, it refers specifically to the speech of characters in a drama.

“Quotations are often used in writing to off set that a character is speaking out loud” said Miss

Barron.

A quote from a novel would be in quotations as well, but a quote does not have to be dialogue. It

can be ANYTHING!

DIALOGUE

A regional or social variety of a languages distinguished by pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary, especially a way of speaking that differs

from the standard variety of the language.

An accent is the way that particular person or group of people sound.  It’s the way somebody pronounces

words, the musicality of their speech, etc.

A dialect describes both a person’s accent and the grammatical features of the way that person talks.

DIALECT

Examples: Ya’llHero vs. Sub vs. Hoagie

Soda vs. PopYous guysReal quick

Take a showerGonna

DIALECT EXAMPLES

Diction can be defined as style of speaking or writing determined by the choice of word by a speaker or a writer.

Individuals vary their diction depending on different contexts and settings.

It may be “formal” where formal words are used in formal situations:

- press conferences

-presentations

- school

We use “informal” diction in informal situation:- letters to a friend

- texting- e-mail

“Slang” is the use of words that are impolite and newly coined.

DICTION

Language that cannot be taken literally since it was written to create a special effect or feeling.

It often will imply a meaning or provoke emotion

There are 7 categories of figurative language.

Imagery

Simile

Metaphor

Alliteration

Personification

Onomatopoeia

Hyperbole

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

SIMILE

A comparison of two things using “like, as than,” or “resembles.”

“She is as beautiful as a sunrise.”

METAPHOR

A direct comparison of two unlike things

“All the world’s a stage, and we are merely players.”

- William Shakespeare

EXTENDED METAPHOR

A metaphor that goes several lines or possible the entire length of a work.

ALLEGORY

A form of an extended metaphor.Objects, persons, actions, are equated with a

meanings that lie outside the narrative itself. Underlying meaning may have moral, social,

religious, or political significance.

Characters are often personifications of abstract ideas such as greed, envy, charity,

etc.

A figure of speech in which an animal, object, or idea is given human form or characteristics.

Dickens was a master of this technique and often used it to help create striking descriptions or moods in his novels.

Chapter 5: The concept of hunger is described as “staring down from the chimneys of the poor and rattling its dry bones”.

The Guillotine is personified throughout the novel many times.

PERSONIFICATION

A character that symbolically embodies well-known meanings and basic human experiences, regardless of when or where he/she lives.

1) Hero (think of the classic hero journey & qualities of hero)

“The main character leaves his or her community to go on an adventure, performing deeds that bring honor to the community” (Herz and Gallo 121).

 

2) Mother figure

Fairy Godmother (surrogate mother)—comforts and directs child, especially when he or she is confused and needs guidance. Represents powers that can be called on for help when it is needed. Helps young person to solve own problems

(Knapp 71).

Earth Mother

Stepmother

 

3) The great teacher/mentor

Wise old men/women—protects or helps main character when he or she faces challenges.

 

UNIVERSAL CHARACTER

4) The innocent

Child/Youth

Inexperienced adult

5) Underdog

 

6) Double

Split personality—the other side of an individual

UNIVERSAL CHARACTER

To give reasons through an explanation. To convey and represent the meaning or understanding of a text.

All of these elements in this unit contribute to your ability to interpret what you read.

INTERPRET

When a person, place, thing, or event that has meaning in itself also

represents, or stands for, something else.

SYMBOLISM

= Innocence

= America

= Peace

PERSONAL: A meaning uniquely associated with our experiences.

CONTEXTUAL: A private meaning created by the author. Also known as a literary symbol. This type of symbol is an

“invented” symbol.

CULTURAL: A meaning uniquely influenced by our current culture.

UNIVERSAL: A meaning given to a thing by most people and cultures. Can be historical at times.

TYPES OF SYMBOLS

EXAMPLES

:)

To be called a symbol, an item must suggest a meaning different in kind from its literal meaning; a symbol is something more than its class or type.

A symbol may have more than one meaning. This does not mean that the symbol can mean anything

you want it to because possible meanings are always controlled by the context.

TIPS ABOUT SYMBOLS

To identify a symbol, note if an object seems to:

appear repeatedly

have an unusually vivid quality

be described with language conveying much emphasis

have more significance than its literal reality would suggest

DETERMINING WHAT OBJECTS ARE SYMBOLIC

Remember: A symbol has a literal meaning in a story but suggests or represents other

meanings.

Not all symbolism is obvious; often it is subtle and indirect.

REMEMBER

 A motif can be an element or idea that repeats throughout that piece of literature. A motif could be expressed by a collection of related symbols.

For example, the motif of fragmentation (of a family, for instance) could come from several symbols that appear in a book:

shattered glass

an unfaithful spouse

a runaway (pet, teen, car)

Sometimes a motif can be a contrast, like "light and dark." A series of symbols that could represent this motif might be:

moon shadows (shades of darkness)

a candle (a light in the darkness)

storm clouds (temporary darkness)

a ray of sunshine (emerging from darkness)

a tunnel (through the darkness)

MOTIF

DEFINITION OF SATIRE….

A literary work that ridicules its subject through the use of techniques such as exaggeration, reversal,

incongruity, and/or parody in order to make a comment or criticism about it.

Matrix Clip

EXAGGERATION

-To enlarge, increase, or represent something beyond normal bounds so that it becomes ridiculous and its faults

can be seen

-Example: Princess Fiona fights and successfully defeats Robin Hood and all of his Merry Men without any help

and without any weapons.

-Comment on Society: The traditional story of the knight rescuing the damsel-in-distress is not a realistic depiction of the roles filled by men and women in modern society.

REVERSAL

To present the opposite of the normal order (e.g., the order of events, hierarchical order).

Shrek Matrix Clip

Example: The roles of the hero and the damsel in distress have been reversed. In this clip, it is Princess Fiona, the

rescuee, who fights and defeats the foe.

INCONGRUITY

To present things that are out of place or are absurd in relation to its surroundings.

Example: Princess Fiona uses her ponytail to deliver a knockout punch

to one of the Merry Men. While frozen in a mid-air martial arts kick, Princess Fiona pauses to fix her disheveled hair before

knocking out two of the Merry Men.

PARODY

To imitate the techniques and/or style of some person, place, or thing.

Matrix Parodies

CRITICISM ABOUT SOCIETY?

The traditional story of the knight rescuing the damsel-in-distress is not a realistic depiction of the roles filled by men and women in modern society.

Example: Current Hollywood action movies like The Matrix have become ridiculous because they are too focused on special effects.

UNIVERSAL SIGNIFICANCE

The generally accepted importance or value of work to represent human experience regardless of culture or time

period.

These books often comment on:

1) Politics

2) Society

3) Religion

4) Science, Math, Geography

5) Universal Characters that touch the world

These books represent some of the most important works that examine politics, economics, and philosophy that affect

government.

1) The Rights of Man by Thomas Paine . Paine’s book states that the government’s role is to protect the rights of its citizens, and when the government cannot do so, it should be

overthrown. This book was written to defend the French Revolution and was an inspiration for democracy around the

world.

2) Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriett Beecher Stowe . Written by a middle aged, white woman in 1851, Uncle Tom’s

Cabin has been credited for changing the views of slavery in the north and continues to serve as a reminder of the effects

of slavery and other inhumane acts.

UNIVERSAL SIGNIFICANCEPOLITICS

1) Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. This landmark book details the days of a Jewish family in hiding during the Nazi takeover in the Netherlands. The innocence of this young girl so full of hopes and dreams is in sharp

contrast to the reality of her ending at the hands of the Nazis. This book has become a symbol and reminder

against racial persecution.

2) Walden by Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau underwent an experiment of living isolated on Walden Pond in order to better understand society. He wrote the results of this experience in Walden, which has subsequently become a source of inspiration for those seeking a simpler, more

self-sufficient life.

UNIVERSAL SIGNIFICANCESOCIETY

1) The Bible. This sacred text brought Christianity to the world and has continued to serve as a source of inspiration for millions of people. It is the most translated and the most

frequently purchased book in the world.

UNIVERSAL SIGNIFICANCE RELIGION

Characters and stories that have become ingrained in cultures around the world to upsetting censorship to inspiring the

imagination of many, these works of literature have all touched the world in significant ways.

1) A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. From the time this book was first published in December of 1843, it has enjoyed enormous popularity. During the time that Dickens’ wrote the story, Christmas traditions were going out of style. He is often

credited with saving the old traditions of Christmas.

2) Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Often considered one of the great novels of the 20th century. Huxley’s novel looked unfavorably on the loss of an individual’s identity through

technological advancements. Some of the developments Huxley wrote about have become startlingly accurate as the future he

predicted in 1931 has come closer to reality.

UNIVERSAL SIGNIFICANCECHARACTERS

The generally accepted importance of a work representing a given culture.

Works that represent a given culture:

Declaration of Independence

Torah

CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE

CP: One quote analysis (formal typed paper) will be completed at the end of the novel Tale of Two Cities. We

will be peer editing and turning them in for a grade.

QUOTE ANALYSIS