A Tale of Two Cities: Paradox 1 key example

These paradoxes identify irreconcilable tensions that persist throughout the novel. The passage raises the question—how can it be the best and worst of times at once? Perhaps it depends on who you ask. The French Revolution was a clash between two opposites—the rich and the poor, the peasants and the elite. It is easy to imagine that the exploitative political system of pre-revolutionary France might have been “the best of times” for landowners and “the worst of times” for the working class. Similarly, the “light” and “wisdom” of the Enlightenment philosophy that inspired the revolution could easily appear foolish to those who wished to preserve the status quo. The revolution itself presents a paradox—how could a movement against a corrupt regime, founded on the ideals of liberty, equality, and brotherhood, result in so much horrific violence?

Dickens goes on to relate revolutionary France to Victorian England, suggesting that the two are similar in many ways. The Victorian era was marked by its own political turmoils and class antagonisms. By drawing a parallel between the two eras, Dickens cautions readers that the events of the French Revolution could happen again.