The End of a Tale

A story of a terrorized country, corrupt governments, poverty, immigration, love, and justice. America in 2017?

No, it's A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, one of my favorite books of all time. Dr. Manette has been released from the formidable and terrible Bastille, prior to the French Revolution. His friends use the phrase "Recalled to Life." But although he returns to life outside of prison, Dr. Manette has to learn again how to live. His daughter Lucie helps him, and soon he is enjoying life in London with her and her family. Their lives are far from settled, though, because the Reign of Terror will still have it's impact.

* * *

On this day in history, November 15, 1859, Charles Dickens published the last installment of A Tale of Two Cities in his magazine, All the Year Round.

Can you imagine that? For all of us book lovers, the idea of reading a series we love and having to wait a year for the author to release another book kills us! What would it feel like to have to wait for the next installment of the same story?

This was common practice, though. Have you ever read some of the classics and wondered why they have page-long paragraphs and interminable descriptions? I'm thinking of Alexander Dumas's Count of Monte Cristo and Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment.

The practice of publishing Victorian era novels a bit at a time in newspapers and magazines was the result of the new technology of moveable type that was invented during the Renaissance. Publishing a few hundred pages and binding it into a book was still an expensive process, but the average citizen was generally more literate than in the previous centuries and looked forward to each installment. "Serials" made fiction accessible to the masses.

Millions of people still love to read fiction. New technology have made bound novels, audio books, and electronic devices easily accessible to everyone. I will admit I was, at first, against ebooks, but I've come to accept their permanence, and as long as you're reading, right?

What is your favorite way to consume words? Which is your favorite novel to consume repeatedly? (I already said mine is A Tale of Two Cities.)