"It
was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it
was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of
incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was
the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us,
we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going
direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period,
that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good
or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.” – Charles
Dickens
Opening
lines of books often can make or break them, and one of the most famous of all
time despite its “run-on” nature, is Dickens’ opening to A Tale of Two
Cities. It’s the intro to what would become one of the 100
greatest books of all time – about the universal nature of the book, the French
Revolution, and the drama depicted within its pages.
Born
in Portsmouth, England on Feb. 7, 1812, Dickens was the most popular novelist
of his time and remains one of the best known and most read. His works have never gone out of print and
have been continually adapted for the
screen since the medium was invented – the most famous being the beloved A
Christmas Carol. He wrote 15 novels,
5 novellas and hundreds of short stories and nonfiction articles. He also was a tireless letter writer; campaigned vigorously for social reforms and was a popular speaker in appearances
around the world..
And
he created dozens of memorable characters, many who took on lives of their own and
became part of our vernacular. Think “Scrooge,” for
example. His biographer Claire Tomalin regards him as the greatest
creator of character in English fiction after only William
Shakespeare. Dickens gave the world a view of Victorian England that
remains as vivid today as it was in its own time.
“The
most important thing in life,” Dickens said, “is to stop saying ‘I wish’ and
start saying ‘I will’.”
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