A Tale of Two Cities

Thomas Carlye's famous work of the period of the French Revolution provided the canvas upon which Dickens wrote his story of the period. The tale of London and Paris was serialized in 1859 in Dickens' new magazine, "All Year Round".

Dickens painted a vivid picture of the French Revolution with melodrama set on a background of villainy and violence. Build on the coincidence of an Englishman and a Frenchman who look alike, Dickens created a moving tale. In the end a dissolute man, rasied by a women's love becomes the hero.