Department of English

Although the origins of the historical novel could be traced back to seventeenth century France, the genre did not begin its rise to prominence until the nineteenth century as authors began to utilize the historical novel as a way to mitigate the confusions of a world ridden by revolutions and political changes. This thesis argues that, rather than mitigating historical perplexity, Charles Dickens’ historical novel A Tale of Two Cities (1859) further exposes the contradictions of the French Revolution, creating an ambivalent depiction of the period at large and ultimately revealing that historical retrospection itself must be ambivalent. This thesis will be discussing how Dickens amplifies a sense of ambivalence about the most important historical event of his age through acts of historical retrospection. Through his repeated use of parallels of time and space, of events, and of the characterization of his characters, Dickens doubles the reader’s vision of history. In particular, I look at how through the use of metaphors, such as Dr. Manette’s letter, Dickens strengthens the ambivalence of his historical novel by using the letter as a way to mimic his own novel, creating a scenario that proves how historical recollection lies within human memory. Furthermore, I show how the ambivalence of A Tale lies in Dickens’ usage of the unnamed narrator and this narrator’s ability to exert himself into the detached, omnipresent persona who functions as the historian of the novel.