Beauty Of Tension In Charles Dickens'A Tale Of Two Cities

Charles Dickens(1812-1870)is a great realistic writer and social critic in Victorian period.His work A Tale of Two Cities enjoys great popularity throughout the world.Critics have explored A Tale of Two Cities from various angles and in various approaches.Yet as far as the beauty of tension is concerned,there seems to be very large room for research.Tate's tension only involves in the semantic level of poetry,while other critics' extension of tension makes its meaning closer to the physical definition,the function of conflict and fusion between two opposing forces.This thesis is a discussion of tension in Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities in respects of character,plot and theme.Based on tension theory in New Criticism,this thesis intends to explore the construction and beauty of tension in A Tale of Two Cities,which also shows how Dickens skillfully portrays characters,establishes plots,and sublimates themes.In A Tale of Two Cities,Dickens' juxtaposes plenty of contradictory elements in pairs,such as the character of good and evil,the plot of smoothing and tenseness,and the theme of life and death,which are perfectly interwoven and aesthetically impact our sense organs,generating a beauty of tension.This thesis consists of three parts: the introduction,the three-chapter body,and the conclusion.The introduction includes five parts.The first section gives information about Charles Dickens and A Tale of Two Cities.The second section summarizes scholar'reviews on this novel both in abroad and in domestic.The third section mainly introduces tension theory,which involves the definition,background,development and significance of tension.The fourth section includes the reasons,methods and significance of this thesis.The fifth section shows the organization of the thesis.The body can be divided into three parts.It centers on three aspects of tension in character,tension in plot and tension in theme to illustrate the beauty of tension embodied in A Tale of Two Cities.First of all,tension in character is reflected in tension between different characters and tension within individual characters.Secondly,tensionin plot is revealed in smoothing in secret preparation before the French Revolution,and tenseness in violent eruption during the French Revolution.Thirdly,tension in theme includes tension between fraternity and violence,as well as tension between death and resurrection.Tension reflected in these three elements brings conflicts into balance,forming the beauty of tension.The last part is the conclusion part,which reveals that the novel's beauty of tension is achieved by Charles Dickens' choice of contradictory images in character,plot and theme.It is the beauty of tension formed by the interaction between conflict and fusion that makes A Tale of Two Cities special and magnificent.