A Tale of Two Cities lecture notes

• ·        First conceived the idea for this novel while acting in the drama The Frozen Deep, which he helped write.

• ·         “I have so far verified what is done and suffered in these pages as that as I have certainly done and suffered it all myself.”

• ·         Personal intensity in his work.

• ·         Dickens played the role of Richard.

• ·         The play had a plotline of “self-sacrifice” which he returned in A Tale of Two Cities.

• ·         Dickens met a theatrical family and fell in love with Ellen.

• ·         Resulted in him separating from his wife.

• ·         Ellen played as lucy in the play.

• ·         Dickens creates Lucie in A Tale of Two Cities, giving her some of Ellen’s appearance and that final “e”.

• ·         Originally he thought of the names Richard or Dick, rather than Sydney.

• ·         The name Richard represents a connection to The Frozen Deep.

• ·         London had double the population of Paris.

• ·         Dickens visited Paris at least fifteen times.

• ·         The novel was published a few chapters at a time.

• ·         This helped him restrict his focus.