A tale of two cities (1859) is a novel by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. This novel describes the plight of the French peasantry demoralized by the aristocracy previous to the revolution and the corresponding brutality demonstrated by revolutionaries towards the former aristocrats after the revolution, and many social parallels unfavorable to life in London during the same period of time. This novel follows the life of several characters through these times and events. “A tale of two cities” was published in weekly installments from April to November 1859 in the new Dickens literary newspaper.