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"A Tale of Two Cities" blending of History over Imagination.

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DOI: 10.13140/2.1.4562.1126

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ENGL. 555 Themes and Trends in Fiction.

Professor Rewati Neupane.

July 2014.

"A Tale of Two Cities" blending of History over Imagination.

Charles Dicken in "A Tale of Two Cities" uses a narration blending Fiction and

History developing a factual fabricated tale. Charles Dicken brings the factual history

from the French revolution and draws fiction of imaginative characters with conscious

articulation for a tale. Even his beginning of the novel "It was the best of times, it was the

worst of times" (5). Depicts the feature of a tale: A tale is a series of events or facts told

or presented. Dickens chooses "The Best of times" because For him time designated

history and historical fact is evident throughout his novel "A Tale of Two Cities."

Dickens novel of the Revolution links the demand of the family with those of the nation;

the author is committed to superimposing these two different standards and values. Thus,

Novelist Dickens narrates the plot Fulfilling the basic feature of a tale i.e. an imaginative

narrative of an event blending it in particular to the French Revolution.

The present paper focuses on some historical fact evident to make the fictional

work of Charles Dicken, when writing ATale of Two Cities, This Timeline represents two

kinds of events. Fictional events, involving characters invented by Dickens, are

represented in plain type; historical events described or alluded to within the novel in

italics. This timeline excludes famous events of the French Revolution not described or

alluded to by Dickens; in other words, it is designed to suggest what parts and aspects of
the Revolution the novelist works to make visible and to intertwine, to a greater or lesser

degree, with the private, invented action of his narrative.

In 14 July 1789: Storming of Bastille, historical event took place and in "A Tale of

Two Cities" narrator brings forth the recovery by Defarge of Manette's confession,

searching One hundred and five, North Tower.

The sea of black and threatening waters, and of destructive upheavings of

wave against wave, whose depths were yet unfathomed and whose forces

were yet unknown. The remorseless sea of turbulently swaying shapes,

voices of vengeance, and faces hardened in the furnaces of suffering until

the touch of pity could make no mark on them. (229)

The above line from the Novel illustrates the up heaving of people on Bastille. Monika

Fludernik in "An introduction to Narratology" emphasises, "Whereas in historical writing

it is the historians who produce a story on the basis of their sources and set it down in

verbal form." (15) These historian nature of narrative is evident in Dickens writing by his

description of Bastille storming.

23 July 1792: Prussians issue the Brunswick manifesto, threatening revenge on

Paris and the Revolution. Lorry very worried about integrity of the documents at

Tellson's in paris. Narator describes this tension of scenario in his Novel craftily. "Again:

those nobles who had seen the coming storm in time, and, anticipating plunder or

confiscation, had made provident remitances to Tellson's,…heard of there by their needy

brethren" (224).
The above excerpt shows the historical event of Prussians Brunswick manifesto of

threatening revenge on Paris and the Revolution drawing a tension to Lorry in Tellson

Bank. Thus in these way the narrator brings historical event defining the inner turmoil of

fictitious character Lorry.

Certainly, Novelist Dickens was talented enough to take reference from history

for the narration of "A Tale of Two Cities." In fact, another contemporary of Dickens

Ralph Waldo Emerson, attending one of Dickens readings in Boston, "laughed as if he

must crumble to pieces", but discussing Dickens afterwards, he said: "I am afraid he has

too much talent for his genius; it is a fearful locomotive to which he is bound and can

never be free from it nor set to rest,…He daunts me I have not the key" (Encyclopedia

Britannica, 2013).

23 october 1792: Condemnation to death of returning emigrants. This historical event is

narrated by Novelist bringing forth the arrest of Charles Evremonde.

Charles Evremonde, called Darnay, was accused by the public prosecutor

as an aristocrat and emigrant, whose life was forfeit to the republic, under

the decree which banished all emigrants on pain of death. There he was,

and there was the decree; he had been taken in France and his head was

demanded. (293)

The above excerpt from the Novel "A Tale of Two Cities." clearly shows how historical

events emphasizes for narrator Dickens to construct the plot of his novel in the arrest of

the novel's protagonist Charles Evremonde. Whose trial is the most important plot of the

novel in Book the third "THE TRACK OF THE STORM" based on upon the autumn of
the year 1792. Novelist Dickens with historical primary sources intricates an

interweaving into the fictional tale of a family, bringing forth the epic drama of the

French Revolution.

21 January 1793: Execution of Louis XVI. This historical event is narrated by Novelist

bringing forth in his narration:

The new era had began; the king was tried, doomed, and beheaded; the

Republic of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, or Death, declared for victory or

death against the world in arms; the black flag waved night and day from

the great towers of Notre-Dame; three hundred thousand men, summoned

to rise against the tyrants of the earth, rose from all […] the figure of sharp

female called La guillotine. (282-83)

The excerpt describes of the historical event of the execution of Louis XVI in the novel

"A Tale of Two cities." The joy that this historical event brought to the French people is

inclusively described by Dickens to the structure of his narrative. This is an important

event in the French Revolution and the denouement towards the novels plot too. Blending

this two: one historical event and the fictional tale of Dickens. Novelist Charles Dicken to

make the tale visible in the intertwining with the French Revolution with his own self-

invented imaginative plot brings forth "A Tale of Two cities."

Monika Fludernik in "An introduction to Narratology" emphasises,

Narratives are based on cause-and-effect relationships that are applied to

sequences of events. In historiography, a number of different narrative

explanatory models have been applied. From a safe distance one might –
 to borrow a metaphor from biology – talk about the birth, maturity and

demise of a nation. (13)

In historiographical context, the author borrows several facts from sources to describe the

historical event of the French Revolution. Which is the blending of History over his

Imaginative narration in the novel "A Tale of Two Cities."

Novelist Dicken sometimes in his narration strides crossing the gaps of time

between dates to which John Mullan in his book "How Novels Work" points out in

Structure the Chronology: "Novelists sometimes highlight chronology by using dated

sections to structure narrative. Such a Narrative moves in jumps, crossing gaps of time

between the dates, allowing the novel to take them through changing times" (160-61).

In these cases, the evidence relevant of this narrative from "A Tale of Two Cities"

is the shifting of Book the first "RECALLED TO LIFE" based on 1775 to Book the

second "THE GOLDEN THREAD" In which the event unfolds after five years i.e. 1780.

Later followed by Book the third "THE TRACK OF THE STORM" based on upon the

autumn of the year 1792. Novelist Dickens with historical primary sources intricates an

interweaving; into the fictional tale of a family, bringing forth the epic drama of the

French Revolution.

Therefore, Novelist Dickens takes reference from sources to complete the

historical narration of his novel. Making the novel "A Tale of Two Cities" a Narration

that blends history over Imagination on the events of French Revolution. Every history,

moreover, can be traced back to a particular time and a particular perspective. It betrays

the view of the author, his/her nationality and place of origin, the age in which s/he writes
(or wrote), and it is tailored to a readership which has certain prejudices, historical

convictions and expectations. Despite these restrictions, historical discourses do not tell a

single, unambiguous story since each historian has a particular view of things and tends

to emphasize certain aspects of the age and the events being described while omitting

others. Thus the present paper brings forth the conclusion that "A Tale of Two Cities" is a

blending of History of French Revolution over a fictitious tale of a family.

 Works Cited.

Collins, Phil. "Interviews and Recollections." London: Macmillan, 1981.

"Dickens, Charles." Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Ultimate

Reference Suite. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2013.

Fluernik, Monika. "An Introduction to Narratology." NewYork: Routledge, 2006. (1-20)

"French Revolution, The." Encycloaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Ultimate

Reference Suite. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2013.

Mullan, John. "How Novels Work." New York: Oxford University press, 2013. (160-61)

Maxwell, Richard. Introduction: "A Tale of Two Cities". New Delhi: Penguin Classics,

2000. (38-39)

"Tale of Two Cities, A." Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Ultimate

Reference Suite. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2013.

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