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Essay on A Tale of Two Cities- A Historical fiction

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A Tale of Two Cities- A Historical fiction

A Tale of Two Cities is a novel categorized as historical fiction. Historical fiction is a composite material, with a portion of history embedded in a matrix of fiction. A Tale of Two Cities is appropriately titled, as the novel is the story of England and Revolutionary France; as a result it can be categorized as historical fiction. A Tale of Two Cities is parallel to history in many different respects. The English setting, and atmosphere, is similarly portrayed, as it actually existed in the seventeenth century.
In the novel, Dickens goes into more detail about Revolutionary France in history with regards to setting, politics and the social structure, as well as the events, which occurred …show more content…

Whether it was the best of times or the worst of times depended on one's point of view. The quote describes the spirit of the era in which this story takes place.

Dickens also shows that crime ran rampant and robbery and murder were common occurrences in England at the time. “Daring burglaries by armed men, and highway robberies, took place in the capital itself every night” (Dickens 36). This shows the terror that the highwaymen brought to the people in England.

The Old Bailey, a court of law, which stands beside the famous Newgate Prison, is the place where Charles Darnay was tried for treason. The Old Bailey was a real court in London. Prisoners were kept in the gaol, brought next door for trial, and hung on the street outside, until 1866 (Dickens 406). “ ‘You know the Old Bailey well, no doubt?’ said one of the oldest of the clerks to Jerry the messenger” (Dickens 89). The Old Bailey was a court of law until it was renovated and called the Central Criminal Court.

The Tellson’s Bank, where Mr. Lorry works is based on a real life bank called Thelusson’s Bank. “Tellson’s Bank by temple bar was an old fashioned place even in the year one thousand seven hundred and eighty” (Dickens 83). Dickens needed a name for the organization, which brings Lucie and Dr. Manette from France to England; he had read about Thelusson’s Bank in Carlyle’s work and shifted the name to Tellson’s Bank, which

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