Abstract:Charles Dickens (1812-1870) is regarded as one of the greatest masters in the literary world of the19th century. His masterpiece A Tale of Two Cities is an essentially religious novel, which reflects the religiosity of the author. The writer of this thesis tries to show how Charles Dickens shows the two religious themes of self-sacrifice and resurrection in the novel. By this analysis, we may better understand Charles Dickens’s religious thoughts about redemption.

Key words: Charles Dickens; A Tale of Two Cities; self-sacrifice; resurrection; Christianity

Table of Contents

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction-1

2. Self-sacrifice in A Tale of Two cities-2

2.1 The Christian belief in self-sacrifice-2

2.2 Personal self-sacrifice-2

2.2.1 The sacrifice of life-2

2.2.2 The sacrifice of will-3

2.3 Societal self-sacrifice-4

3. Resurrection in A Tale of Two cities -6

3.1 The Christian faith in resurrection-6

3.2 Personal resurrection-6

3.2.1 The renascence of earthly life-6

3.2.2 The resurrection of soul-7

3.3 Societal resurrection-8

4. The Significance of Self-sacrifice and Resurrection in A Tale of Two cities-9

4.1 The relationship between self-sacrifice and resurrection-9

4.2 The importance of Charles Dickens's Christian belief-9

5. Conclusion-11

Bibliography-12

Acknowledgements-13