English IV Honors

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Charles Dickens

A Tale of Two Cities

 

Charles Dickens

• Recurring Themes in this historical novel: Alienation, Guilt and ...
• Use of setting and Historical background in the novel
• Great links for Dickens
• America's Industrial Revolution marks the divide between American and British "English"
• 19th Century Realism and Naturalism
• Notes from early chapter discussions and class project of character web pages

Literary Influences and Residues

• Biblical allusions
• Shakespeare's influence, particularly Lady MacBeth
• Dickens' place in English literature
• Further reading beyond Dickens
• Dickens' influence on John Irving

Vocabulary Units:

• vocabulary with pithy etymological points

This image of London is interactive: wait for it! The map indicates the growth of the city throughout the whole 19th century. Compare this map with the other interactive map of London on that great Charles Dickens Home Page. Now, recall how Tellson's Bank and Newgate reside in the middle of the city and some characters live at apartments at Temple. Remember also how the location of the working class section, the East End, falls victim to the prevailing winds from the west and northwest, which not only produce the potential for fire but also provide the continual fog and haze of industrial and human stench.