Dickensblog

Big 'Tale of Two Cities' news!

If you were in the Dickensblog Facebook group or on Twitter today, you might have seen me celebrating the news that A Tale of Two Cities is finally, finally getting a TV adaptation, written by Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, His Dark Materials). As others pointed out to me, we've been burned before, but this time I choose to believe it's the real thing. It has to be the real thing sometime, right?

And I'm glad that it's not the team behind the BBC/FX Christmas Carol doing it. Although oddly enough, it struck me at the time that that team might actually do a better job with ATOTC, as there are already plenty of dark, ugly secrets in that story for them to dive into. Still, as you know, I found their work pretty bleak and depressing, and I'm hoping for better things from Thorne.

Feel free to use the comments section below for dreamcasting! :-) 

 

(P.S. Thorne also wrote the adaptation of Christmas Carol that just ran on Broadway. Somehow I missed that!!)

TCM alert

As part of the channel's 31 Days of Oscar celebration, David Copperfield (1935) will air at 7:45 Eastern this morning, and A Tale of Two Cities (1935) immediately after at 10:15.

TCM alert

If you should happen to have insomnia tonight, you can always catch A Tale of Two Cities (1935), airing at 3:45 a.m. Eastern!

Happy Easter!

Over at The Imaginative Conservative, Paul Krause offers an interesting Easter-ish take on A Tale of Two Cities. A sample: "Dickens does an incredible thing in intertwining two men heading to their Calvary but for different reasons. Of course, the genius of Dickens is in how this intertwining of two men being recalled to life plays itself out. . . . Darnay’s death to the law, need for replacement, and restored life only from an act of sacrifice, is a resurrection that all should be familiar with. It is easy to get wrapped up in the replacement Christ-figure that is Sydney Carton, but to do so misses a greater part of the wholeness of A Tale which mirrors the story of man’s salvation."  Read more here.

Meet 'The Seamstress'

Have you ever wanted to know the story of the seamstress who goes to the guillotine together with Sydney Carton? You're in luck!

Yesterday was launch day for The Seamstress by Allison Pittman. I've already had a chance to read and endorse the novel, which digs deep into revolutionary French history to tell the story of Renée the seamstress, her cousin, Laurette, and their guardian, Émile. Allison has built a plausible and absorbing backstory for this character of whom we had only had a glimpse before, and I loved getting to know her better. Her talent, loyalty, and quiet strength take her farther than she ever could have dreamed, but also lead her directly into danger. But though we already know her unjust fate, it's impossible to wish that she had lived her life any other way.

Now there are two things I should tell you hardcore Dickensians going in (because you'd never forgive me if I didn't): (1) Renée's story doesn't converge with Sydney's until the end, which is understandable, since she doesn't meet him until the last moments of her life. I do like the way he's brought in, though. (2) There are some slight changes made to Dickens's account of things. You'll have to judge that part for yourself. But to do that, you'll need to read the book, and I hope you will! Aside from adding a bit of depth, color, and background to the story we already know and love, it's an excellent story in its own right.

TCM alert

The 1935 film of A Tale of Two Cities will air Saturday at 12 p.m. Eastern.

Recent Dickens mentions

A number of good new "books about books" have recently come out, quite a few of which offer Dickens recommendations. (I've read all the way through the first two -- with the others, I've just read the Dickens sections so far!)

• My friend Karen Swallow Prior, author of Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me, has a new book out called On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books, in which she uses various novels and short stories to highlight different virtues. A Tale of Two Cities illustrates the concept of justice. (I got to read an early version of the chapter and offer feedback, which was an honor and a treat!) Karen's excellent book recently was named one of the Best Books of 2018 by Publisher's Weekly.
• In I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life, Anne Bogel (who blogs at Modern Mrs. Darcy) names David Copperfield as one of the books that helped her to come of age as a reader.
• Book Girl: A Journey through the Treasures & Transforming Power of a Reading Life  by Sarah Clarkson states, "There is no one quite like Dickens" and names him one of the author's "most beloved" writers. Clarkson pays tribute to David Copperfield for its striking imagery and understanding of human nature, Bleak House for its quietly faithful heroine, and Oliver Twist for its suspense. And she quotes a friend who recommends Dombey and Son and Martin Chuzzlewit. 
• James Mustich's 1,000 Books to Read before You Die: A Life-Changing List has a great chapter on Dickens. "It's as if the author has not set out to write a novel," he observes, "but has been dropped into a pulsing reality he has to write his way through, much in the way we must construct a life." Mustich specifically recommends David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, A Christmas Carol, Dombey and Son, A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectations.

 

On dying well (Dickensian style)

Thomas Maloney of The Guardian lists Sydney Carton's death as one of the best fictional deaths, though he finds the character's "honorable" reflections not quite believable. (Honestly, if you can't think honorable thoughts when you're about to die, I don't know when you can think them.)

New 'Tale of Two Cities' necklace

Etsy shop Poppet's Widgets recently held a contest to submit literary quotations to appear on new necklaces. I sent in a quote from A Tale of Two Cities, which was one of the three winners! To see the quote and to get the necklace, go here. (Special thanks for great customer service; when I had trouble using the fastener on the ball chain, they quickly sent a different chain for free!)

TCM alert

A Tale of Two Cities (1935) airs this morning at 10:30 a.m. Eastern.