Cliffs Notes on Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities

by James Weigel

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. The latest generation of titles in this series also feature glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format.

In CliffsNotes on A Tale of Two Cities, you experience one of Charles Dickens's most important works as he recounts the horrors of the French Revolution in what amounts to a cautionary tale warning of the possibility of revolution in 18th-century England. From its first line ("It was the best of times, it was the worst of times") to its last ("It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known"), Dickens's novel of revolution, sacrifice, and redemption continues to captivate modern imaginations.

Chapter summaries and commentaries lead you through Dickens's "Tale," and critical essays give you insight into the women of A Tale of Two Cities and the French Revolution. Other features that help you study include

Character analyses of the main characters

A character map that graphically illustrates the relationships among the characters A section on the life and background of Charles Dickens A review section that tests your knowledge A Resource Center full of books, articles, films, and Internet sites

Classic literature or modern modern-day treasure — you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.

Genres: Reference

78 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 1960

Reviews

[Mike the Magnificient]

I read this in conjunction with reading the novel itself. I found the first two thirds of Dickens' story to be a little too obscure to follow completely, so Cliff Notes was a real help in this reading exercise. It was truly what kept me going to the end of the book, for without its synopsis and analysis, I might have given up. As it is, it was an invaluable aid to an enjoyable reading experience.

BTW I was particularly pleased to find that the text was available free of charge on the web.

[Matt Dillard]

After enjoying "A Tale of Two Cities" so much, I decided to read the corresponding Cliffs Notes & Monarch Notes to get a little more insight into the story. Interestingly, each of these "summaries" presented surprisingly different insights. The chapter summaries were short & too simplified, but the chapter analysis was decent. I especially liked the "vocab" section for each chapter, as it cleared up some confusing terms and references. The Character Map at the beginning would have been a handy reference while reading, although it reveals too much about the story line to be useful until after the reader has read the story. There was an interesting essay about the history of the French Revolution at the end.

[Elevetha]

Though despising the setup (book by book, rather than chapter by chapter), it did have some very useful commentary, as well as summing up the book in less than 50 pages, versus 320 pages. I was especially glad I had this when I got to the last 4 or 5 chapters of A Tale of Two Cities, because I was really tired and trying to finish it and missed a lot. I had no idea who was related to whom and how, or what was going on, and this did clear that up for me.

[Greg Bittner]

I read this *after* reading "A Tale of Two Cities" to fill in some gaps in my understanding. It did that, but I disagreed with Cliff's commentaries in several places. He judges the Victorian era through the short-sightedness of the 20th century, downplaying the social reforms under Queen Victoria, some of which were even influenced by Dickens. The author instead ridicules "weak" Victorian femininity despite its namesake monarch who was bold, humanitarian, and beloved by her people. My favorite part of the book is its introductory biography of Charles Dickens, which describes settings and characters in Dickens' life that influenced his other stories.

[Cheryl]

Even with the help of this guide, I can not manage to read the original myself. I have good memories of it from high school (decades ago) and don't want to spoil them with a painful struggle now.
Oct. 2021

[Apzmarshl]

This helped a lot with the historical Revolution.

[Kyndra Lemke]

I see that I definitely use these as a crutch... but I like feeling like I have the answer sheet.

[A]

Good will overcome evil, but not without suffering and sacrifice.

[Lucy]

The Cliff Notes are so helpful in interpreting the story and really brings enjoyment to reading the classics.

[Kathy]

Whenever I read a classic, I like to read along using Cliff notes. I find it helps a great deal to understand the author, and the time it was written. Often this helps explain why it is such a classic.

[Jonathan Moran]

Read this as a refresher about a year and a half after having read the book. Brought out a lot of "themes" that I missed in my first read of the novel. I like Cliff Notes for this reason. Wish it had more direct quotes from the actual text though, love Dickens' prose.

[J Crossley]

I found this book helpful while reading The Tale of Two Cities for the first time. i would read a section in the Cliff Notes, and then i would read that section in the novel. It gave me a deeper understanding of the plot line, and it helped me to sort out the characters.

[Ben]

god bless cliff.

[Cheryl S.]

Marked this as read just to get if off of my currently reading list.

[Donna]

Cliffs are a wonderful companion book. Dickens is so intense that this just makes things make more sense. Hey, I'm a poet and didn't know it.

[Shawn]

Helped me get a grasp for the book before I started reading it and had me thinking on the various themes and subjects brought up throughout the story.

[Pierre]

I didn't really use it that much at all.

[John]

Read in 8th grade. Great study guide for an incredibly shitty book that I never actually finished

[Sophie]

Very useful and interesting. Would recommend.