Does anyone else do eDigital research online? Please get in touch. Anyone know how to fix a broken...
Does anyone else do eDigital research online? Please get in touch. Anyone know how to fix a broken lens for a semi-manual Ricoh SLR? I sweat over Simon Scharma and nobody reads it; you all prefer my Lemon cake review!
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A Tale of Two Cities starts with one of the most famous opening lines in English literature - 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times'.
Over the English Channel in Paris, the French Revolution is underway at the end of the eighteenth century. This means that the world for ordinary people is turning upside down. The decadent king, Louis XIV and his queen, Antoinette, will be excuted by guillotine as the people demand an end to absolutist government. Until then, the theory that kept the monarchy on the throne was that they were appointed by God - in other words, they had divine dispensation to rule as they liked.
There was also an incredible gap between rich and poor. The newly emerging middle classes were starting to demand representation in the French Parliament, and new ideas such as the Rights of Man abounded.
However, the Guillotine, used to execute people who were enemies of the Revolution, soon began to be used against anyone who dared to speak out or criticise the men who had seized power. This then, was the best and worst of times.
Dickens set his story against this background, fascinated by the new ideas fermenting in Paris. At the time, there was a threat that these ideas may spread to England. As such, it is Dicken's only historical novel. It is also my favourite, not that I do not like David Copperfield and his others. He manages to avoid the over-sentimentality that some characters indulge in.
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I had to read this for my GCSEs and I found it sooooo tedious. We watched it as well and my favourite but was the very end. Not just because it was over(!)
Advantages: Everything good about Dickens' style is displayed in a challenging and consuming read. Disadvantages: Perhaps starts a little slowly before gaining speed, very challenging in parts, but is rewarding.
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