双城记 查尔斯·狄更斯- 第1部分

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Charles　Dickens
The　author
American　Notes
Barnaby　Rudge
Bleak　House
Dombey　and　Son
Great　Expectations
Hard　Times
Martin　Chuzzlewit
Little　Dorrit
Nicholas　Nickleby
The　Old　Curiosity　Shop
Oliver　Twist
Our　Mutual　Friend
The　Pickwick　Papers
A　Tale　of　Two　Cities
Biography
Charles　Dickens　（1812…1870）。—Novelist；　born　at　Landport；　near　Portsmouth；　where　his　father　was　a　clerk　in　the　Navy　Pay…Office。　The　hardships　and　mortifications　of　his　early　life；　his　want　of　regular　schooling；　and　his　miserable　time　in　the　blacking　factory；　which　form　the　basis　of　the　early　chapters　of　David　Copperfield；　are　largely　accounted　for　by　the　fact　that　his　father　was　to　a　considerable　extent　the　prototype　of　the　immortal　Mr。　Micawber；　but　partly　by　his　being　a　delicate　and　sensitive　child；　unusually　susceptible　to　suffering　both　in　body　and　mind。　He　had；　however；　much　time　for　reading；　and　had　access　to　the　older　novelists；　Fielding；　Smollett；　and　others。　A　kindly　relation　also　took　him　frequently　to　the　theatre；　where　he　acquired　his　life…long　interest　in；　and　love　of；　the　stage。　After　a　few　years’　residence　in　Chatham；　the　family　removed　to　London；　and　soon　thereafter　his　father　became　an　inmate　of　the　Marshalsea；　in　which　by…and…by　the　whole　family　joined　him；　a　passage　in　his　life　which　furnishes　the　material　for　parts　of　Little　Dorrit。　This　period　of　family　obscuration　happily　lasted　but　a　short　time：　the　elder　D。　managed　to　satisfy　his　creditors；　and　soon　after　retired　from　his　official　duties　on　a　pension。　About　the　same　time　D。　had　two　years　of　continuous　schooling；　and　shortly　afterwards　he　entered　a　law　office。　His　leisure　he　devoted　to　reading　and　learning　shorthand；　in　which　he　became　very　expert。　He　then　acted　as　parliamentary　reporter；　first　for　The　True　Sun；　and　from　1835　for　the　Morning　Chronicle。　Meanwhile　he　had　been　contributing　to　the　Monthly　Magazine　and　the　Evening　Chronicle　the　papers　which；　in　1836；　appeared　in　a　collected　form　as　Sketches　by　Boz；　and　he　had　also　produced　one　or　two　ic　burlettas。　In　the　same　year　he　married　Catherine　Hogarth；　and　in　the　following　year　occurred　the　opportunity　of　his　life。　He　was　asked　by　Chapman　and　Hall　to　write　the　letterpress　for　a　series　of　sporting　plates　to　be　done　by　Robert　Seymour　who；　however；　died　shortly　after；　and　was　succeeded　by　Hablot　Browne　（Phiz）；　who　became　the　illustrator　of　most　of　D。’s　novels。　In　the　hands　of　D。　the　original　plan　was　entirely　altered；　and　became　the　Pickwick　Papers　which；　appearing　in　monthly　parts　during　1837…39；　took　the　country　by　storm。　Simultaneously　Oliver　Twist　was　ing　out　in　Bentley’s　Miscellany。　Thenceforward　D。’s　literary　career　was　a　continued　success；　and　the　almost　yearly　publication　of　his　works　constituted　the　main　events　of　his　life。　Nicholas　Nickleby　appeared　in　serial　form　1838…39。　Next　year　he　projected　Master　Humphrey’s　Clock；　intended　to　be　a　series　of　miscellaneous　stories　and　sketches。　It　was；　however；　soon　abandoned；　The　Old　Curiosity　Shop　and　Barnaby　Rudge　taking　its　place。　The　latter；　dealing　with　the　Gordon　Riots；　is；　with　the　partial　exception　of　the　Tale　of　Two　Cities；　the　author’s　only　excursion　into　the　historical　novel。　In　1841　D。　went　to　America；　and　was　received　with　great　enthusiasm；　which；　however；　the　publication　of　American　Notes　considerably　damped；　and　the　appearance　of　Martin　Chuzzlewit　in　1843；　with　its　caustic　criticisms　of　certain　features　of　American　life；　converted　into　extreme；　though　temporary；　unpopularity。　The　first　of　the　Christmas　books—the　Christmas　Carol—appeared　in　1843；　and　in　the　following　year　D。　went　to　Italy；　where　at　Genoa　he　wrote　The　Chimes；　followed　by　The　Cricket　on　the　Hearth；　The　Battle　of　Life；　and　The　Haunted　Man。　In　January；　1846；　he　was　appointed　first　edition　of　The　Daily　News；　but　resigned　in　a　few　weeks。　The　same　year　he　went　to　Switzerland；　and　while　there　wrote　Dombey　and　Son；　which　was　published　in　1848；　and　was　immediately　followed　by　his　masterpiece；　David　Copperfield　（1849…50）。　Shortly　before　this　he　had　bee　manager　of　a　theatrical　pany；　which　performed　in　the　provinces；　and　he　had　in　1849　started　his　magazine；　Household　Words。　Bleak　House　appeared　in　1852…53；　Hard　Times　in　1854；　and　Little　Dorrit　1856…57。　In　1856　he　bought　Gadshill　Place；　which；　in　1860；　became　his　permanent　home。　In　1858　he　began　his　public　readings　from　his　works；　which；　while　eminently　successful　from　a　financial　point　of　view；　from　the　nervous　strain　they　entailed　on　him　gradually　broke　down　his　constitution；　and　hastened　his　death。　In　the　same　year　he　separated　from　his　wife；　and　consequent　upon　the　controversy　which　arose　thereupon　he　brought　Household　Words　to　an　end；　and　started　All　the　Year　Round；　in　which　appeared　A　Tale　of　Two　Cities　（1859）；　and　Great　Expectations　（1860…61）。　Our　Mutual　Friend　came　out　in　numbers　（1864…65）。　D。　was　now　in　the　full　tide　of　his　readings；　and　decided　to　give　a　course　of　them　in　America。　Thither　accordingly　he　went　in　the　end　of　1867；　returning　in　the　following　May。　He　had　a　magnificent　reception；　and　his　profits　amounted　to　￡20；000；　but　the　effect　on　his　health　was　such　that　he　was　obliged；　on　medical　advice；　finally　to　abandon　all　appearances　of　the　kind。　In　1869　he　began　his　last　work；　The　Mystery　of　Edwin　Drood；　which　was　interrupted　by　his　death　from　an　apoplectic　seizure　on　June　8；　1870。　
One　of　Dicken’s　most　marked　characteristics　is　the　extraordinary　wealth　of　his　invention　as　exhibited　in　the　number　and　variety　of　the　characters　introduced　into　his　novels。　Another；　especially；　of　course；　in　his　earlier　works；　is　his　boundless　flow　of　animal　spirits。　Others　are　his　marvellous　keenness　of　observation　and　his　descriptive　power。　And　the　English　race　may　well；　with　Thackeray；　be　“grateful　for　the　innocent　laughter；　and　the　sweet　and　unsullied　pages　which　the　author　of　David　Copperfield　gives　to　＇its＇　children。”　On　the　other　hand；　his　faults　are　obvious；　a　tendency　to　caricature；　a　mannerism　that　often　tires；　and　almost　disgusts；　fun　often　forced；　and　pathos　not　seldom　degenerating　into　mawkishness。　But　at　his　best　how　rich　and　genial　is　the　humour；　how　tender　often　the　pathos。　And　when　all　deductions　are　made；　he　had　the　laughter　and　tears　of　the　English…speaking　world　at　mand　for　a　full　generation　while　he　lived；　and　that　his　spell　still　works　is　proved　by　a　continuous　succession　of　new　editions。　
Summary。—Born　1812；　parliamentary　reporter　circa　1835；　published　Sketches　by　Boz　1836；　Pickwick　1837…39；　and　his　other　novels　almost　continuously　until　his　death；　visited　America　1841；　started　Household　Words　1849；　and　All　the　Year　Round　1858；　when　also　he　began　his　public　readings；　visiting　America　again　in　1867；　died　1870。　
Life　by　John　Foster　（1872）；　Letters　edited　by　Miss　Hogarth　（1880…82）。　Numerous　Lives　and　Monographs　by　Sala；　F。　T。　Marzials　（Great　Writers　Series）；　A。　W。　Ward　（Men　of　Letters　Series）；　F。　G。　Kitton；　G。　K。　Chesterton；　etc。　
BOOK　THE　FIRST
RECALLED　TO　LIFE
CHAPTER　I
The　Period
It　was　the　best　of　times；　it　was　the　worst　of　times；　it　was　the　age　of　wisdom；　it　was　the　age　of　foolishness；　it　was　the　epoch　of　belief；　it　was　the　epoch　of　incredulity；　it　was　the　season　of　Light；　it　was　the　season　of　Darkness；　it　was　the　spring　of　hope；　it　was　the　winter　of　despair；　we　had　everything　before　us；　we　had　nothing　before　us；　we　were　all　going　direct　to　Heaven；　we　were　all　going　direct　the　other　way……in　short；　the　period　was　so　far　like　the　present　period；　that　some　of　its　noisiest　authorities　insisted　on　its　being　received；　for　good　or　for　evil；　in　the　superlative　degree　of　parison　only。
There　were　a　king　with　a　large　jaw　and　a　queen　with　a　plain　face；　on　the　throne　of　England；　there　were　a　king　with　a　large　jaw　and　a　queen　with　a　fair　face；　on　the　throne　of　France。　In　both　countries　it　was　clearer　than　crystal　to　the　lords　of　the　State　preserves　of　loaves　and　fishes；　that　things　in　general　were　settled　for　ever。
It　was　the　year　of　Our　Lord　one　thousand　seven　hundred　and　seventy…five。　Spiritual　revelations　were　conceded　to　England　at　that　favoured　period；　a　sat　this。　Mrs。　Southcott　had　recently　attained　her　five…and…twentieth　blessed　birthday；　of　whom　a　prophetic　private　in　the　Life　Guards　had　heralded　the　sublime　appearance　by　announcing　that　arrangements　were　made　for　the　swallowing　up　of　London　and　Westminster。　Even　the　Cock…lane　ghost　had　been　laid　only　a　round　dozen　of　years；　after　rapping　out　its　messages；　as　the　spirits　of　this　very　year　last　past　（supernaturally　deficient　in　originality）　rapped　out　theirs。　Mere　messages　in　the　earthly　order　of　events　had　lately　e　to　the　English　Crown　and　People；　from　a　congress　of　British　subjects　in　America：　which；　strange　to　relate；　have　proved　more　important　to　the　human　race　than　any　munications　yet　received　through　any　of　the　chickens　of　the　Cock…lane　brood。
France；　less　favoured　on　the　whole　as　to　matters　spiritual　than　her　sister　of　the　shield　and　trident；　rolled　with　exceeding　smoothness　down　hill；　making　paper　money　and　spending　it。　Under　the　guidance　of　her　Christian　pastors；　she　entertained　herself　besides；　with　such　humane　achievements　as　sentencing　a　youth　to　have　his　hands　cut　off；　his　tongue　torn　out　with　pincers；　and　his　body　burned　alive；　because　he　had