Re: reading TALE OF TWO CITIES
Charles Dickens (cdickens@RMPLC.CO.UK)
Fri, 2 May 1997 12:05:48 -0100
My dear John,
Thank you for your communication. The books of the
Bronte ladies were never greatly to my taste, so your
question is something of a challenge. But never let it
be said there are challenges Boz doesn't rise to!
I suppose my book and Miss Bronte's resemble each
other in the way they are both concerned with redemption
through love and self-sacrifice. Charles Darnay's life
is wretched and without purpose. His love for Lucie
transforms it. His self-sacrifice at the guillotine, to
save the husband she loves, enobles him and makes a
tender place for him in the memories of those for whom
he cares.
The life of Miss Bronte's heroine is passed in mean
circumstances, with few rewards. It is transformed for
her by her love for Mr Rochester. When she discovers the
facts of his unhappy marriage, she sacrifices her own
happiness, convinced that its achievement, in the
circumstances, would be good neither for her nor for the man
she loves. When she returns to Mr Rochester, mutilated
in an unsuccessful attempt at saving the life of his mad
wife, she sacrifices her youth, to care for a disabled man,
and achieves joy in doing so.
Feel free, my dear John, to make use of these thoughts.
Faithfully yours,
Charles Dickens
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>hi, i am doing a research paper on comparing 2 victorian novelists,
Charles Dickens and Charlotte Bronte. i chose Tale of 2 Cities and Jane
Eyre to compare. I am having trouble finding similiarties and differences.
It would be very appreciated if you could be of some assistance. My email
address is bohemath@aol.com and any help that you could give me i would be
grateful for.
>Thank You
>
>
>John
>
>
======================
Charles Dickens
charles_dickens@rmplc.co.uk
Author