ShmoopTube

00:01

A Tale of Two Cities, a la Shmoop: It was the best of videos, it was the worst of videos.

00:12

Even if you haven't read Dickens' immortal classic A Tale of Two Cities...

00:15

...you're no doubt familiar with that opening line:

00:18

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."

00:22

How could it be the best of times and the worst of times... at the same time?

00:28

What was Dickens trying to say here... or was he just trying to cover his butt?

00:34

Okay, considering that Dickens is one of the greatest writers who has ever lived...

00:39

...and taking into account that his opener is a pretty famous one...

00:43

...let's give him the benefit of the doubt and say that... he was likely trying to make

00:47

an important point here. But what?

00:52

Is he saying that it was the best of times for some, and the worst of times for others?

00:57

Dickens paints a picture with a pretty clear divide between the upper and lower classes.

01:02

One half of the population was the upper crust...

01:05

..while the other half had to settle for the upper crust's... crumbs.

01:11

Or is he insinuating that it's a matter of perception?

01:14

Some of the characters in this novel live in poverty, but are courageous, loyal, or

01:18

strong of heart.

01:20

Others... members of the aristocracy... live lavish existences, but are corrupt, unkind

01:26

or inhumane.

01:27

Were the folks Dickens writes about experiencing both the best of times and the worst of times...

01:33

simultaneously? Were their hearts full, but their stomachs

01:36

empty...

01:37

...or vice versa?

01:39

And why exactly were there so many empty stomachs... had these people never heard of Ramen noodles?

01:46

All right, so the line might be referring to a divide between the classes...

01:51

...or it could have to do with a sort of... duality of man...

01:54

...but consider a third option.

01:56

Maybe it doesn't have anything to do with people's lives at all.

02:01

Perhaps Dickens was commenting on the state of the world as a whole.

02:04

It was the worst of times, because the French Revolution was raging on, and evils such as

02:11

self-indulgence and brutality reared their nasty heads...

02:15

...but it was the best of times, because the human spirit rose up when faced with such

02:20

adversity and hardship...

02:22

...and remained strong even in the face of death.

02:25

And trust us... it's tough to be strong in the face of death. That is one ugly mug.

02:30

So... which way are you leaning?

02:33

Does Dickens' famous first line relate to the highs of the rich and the lows of the

02:38

poor...

02:38

...the differing perceptions of happiness that existed within each character in the

02:42

story...

02:43

...or to an all-encompassing assessment of the state of humankind?

02:48

Shmoop among yourselves.

Full Transcript