A Tale of Two Cities : Les Miserables.
Charles Dickens? A Tale of Two Cities and Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, reflect the historical changes of 19th century France. The authors applied their personal experiences in a fictitious structure to shape their novels. Dickens and Hugo's similarity of views allowed their novels to be alike in characters, plot, and setting. The characters in their novels were based on the authors? acquaintances and knowledge of the character's class. The plots were built from similar French Revolutionary periods. In their lives they contrast.
Charles Dickens was born into a third estate English family on February 7, 1812 near Portsmouth (Wilson 7). His father, a Navy pay office clerk, didn't make enough money for a middle class living; his salary only allowed for lower class meals due to his lack of financial tenacity (Wright 5). Dickens didn't go through an easy childhood. He would often go through tantrums after the age of five and his mother couldn't provide for him with comfort of life (Wright 6). Since his mother couldn't provide the solidity that he needed, he built closeness to his older sister Fanny whom provided him with the motherly affection he needed to prosper (Bloom 268).
By the time Dickens was eleven, his father's carelessness of financing caught up with him. In 1823, John Dickens was thrown in Marshalsea debtor's prison (Martin102). That forced Dickens to work in order to help support his family at Warrens Blacking Factory (Martin 102). He worked tediously on blacking pots (Martin 17). But Dickens? father would not allow little Charles to work shamefully in the factory and demanded that he return to school. Dickens, near the end of 1824, enrolled in the Wellington Academy in London (Martin 102). After he successfully completed his education at the academy, Dickens proceeded on to become a solicitor's clerk, where he perfected his shorthand to become a reporter (Martin 17).