POLITICAL CRITICISMS ON FRENCH REVOLUTION IN CHARLES DICKEN’S A TALE OF TWO CITIES

Abstract

People who read works of literature realize that literary forms, such as novel, poetry, short story have relationship with human beings. It can give us some advantages. It makes us better people provides us with more knowledge then we could ever hope to get through experience, help us to be full mind of tolerance, understanding and even wise people. In this research the writer analyzes Charles Dickens’ novel “A Tale of Two Cities” written in 1859. It has many different themes depending on the individual’s interpretation. As a whole, it tells us about the condition of France and England before and after the French Revolution. While the French Revolution occurred many years earlier, there was still a great social tension in England. The purpose of this research is to find out Charles Dickens’ political criticisms and the factors that influence his ideas. The problems of this research are what political views Charles Dickens portrays and what factors which influence his views in his novel. In this research, the writer uses sociological approach and historical approach. It also uses inductive method to analyze the data. The source of the data is the original novel of Charles Dickens revised edition 1949. In A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens’ views that the French Revolution was caused by social, judicial, and economic problems which involve taxation, poverty, social class system, and unjust judicial system. In chapter IV the researcher describes those problems as the description of Charles Dickens’ political views. The analysis is based on the interpretation with reference to the novel. While analyzing Charles Dickens’ ideas, the researcher also makes cross- checking with the real history of the French Revolution and England in Victorian Era. The last step, the researcher draws the conclusion from the analysis.