"The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense." --Tom Clancy
Over the years critics have debated about Dickens' use of coincidence as a plot device. A Tale of Two Cities contains a number of amazing coincidences and Dickens' never apologized for it, declaring that coincidences happen all the time in real life, so why shouldn't they happen in fiction? Do you agree with Tom Clancy or with Charles Dickens--should fiction always be completely believable? Does Dickens' use of coincidence add to or take away from the book?
20 comments:
i don't think that the way that dickens uses coincidence takes away from the book at all it in fact makes the story more interesting because it puts real life into fiction.
by spoiledprincess
Without all the coincidences there would be no way for the plot to take hold, at least the way that dickens wrote it. his story is based on coincidences, and it would be even more boring and the last chapter darnay would probably have died.
-quakken
there shouldnt be so much coincidence most of the plot line of the book borders on miracle especially with all the impossible conections between the main charecters
-trevz
If the coincidences make sense, then the storyline just becomes more and more interesting. I know that from our perspective as humans we don't see all of the coincidences that actually occur in our lives... so unless we're making up our own world or all knowing, I think that it's too hard to judge.
-The Beast
hey quakken i totally agree with you dude coincidences make the book that much more interesting and therefore not entirely boring but also though it makes the book interesting i mean come on who would make two characters look alike.
-JrEagles09
I think that the coincidence is good because it sometimes adds a twist to the story and just like "spoiled princess" said, it puts real life into fiction.
-2lex
I think that the coincidence in the book made it good. it added a little twist to it, and it shows how the characters are connected. coincidence also makes things interesting.
-giggles745
I have coincidences happen all the time in my life. Why should Dicken's apologize for them? That's how I met most of my long-time friends. Was through simple and pure coincidence. I think that Dicken's coincidences add to the book. Because everything seems just so, simply because it's the way of life. 'Sides, it does make sense. So. PTTH!
-Shukumei
If Dickens didn't use coincidence in his writing, there wouldn't be a good book. Nothing would come together and intertwine. Part of the book that really makes it interesting is that everything intertwines and then comes together in the end. Coincidence, even though it's a part of reality, seems fairly fictional and some things seem like they wouldn't really happen in real life, but that's just because sometimes we don't believe in coincidence
~stephanie
Why would it matter if there are coincidences or not? It made the book more interesting. If the book was to close to real life no one would like it. People read to temporarily escape reality.
-Mona Lisa
there is a conscience its a matter of how much you have... the more u dont listen to it the more. its there people just dont listen to it.
--beachbum
not the coincidences make the book totally unreliable, because there are never that many coincidences in real life which makes the book harder to get into especially the last couple chapters, who at that point wasnt just reading for the violence
-trevz
Trevz, our whole lives are based on coincidence. You can not even say that there are never that many coincidences! Now, yeah... the last two chapters were a bit far-fetched... but it could happen!
-Shukumei
so fiction is supposed to be like 'fantasy' type stuff right, things that aren't facts.
If coincidences are a reality, then why should they show up in fiction?
So the confusing part about this question is that the book is based off of facts about the revolution but is still considered fiction.
it could go either way..
i think that coincidences make life more interesting and when an author uses them i think people will stay hooked longer. it's almost like a mystery.
-mccrizzle92
I think that yes, coincidences happens sometimes but not all the time so I'm kind of torn both ways because yaa... I don't really know but I think that some examples of coincidence should be used in fiction novels but not too much to overdo it. *Sunshine*
i agree with dickens and spoiled princess because it does put real life into the book in an entertaining way and thats the reason for fictional books. they aren't out there to educate, they're out there to entertain people and dickens does an excellent way of doin that. im glad he didn't apologize, i wouldn't have either! fight the power!!! just kidding
-snapple
I still think that coincidence is what makes the book.
spoiled princess
I don't think Dickens uses coincidences as much as the idea of Fate, which adds greatly to his books, this one especially, because Dickens writes so that each and every detail is entertwined with another, which keeps the reader interested and you always have that "Oh yea...revelation" moment which gives his books a sense of chaos in the beginning and control in the end. That is the story of what mankind wants...to make control out of chaos. In this sense, I agree with both Clancy and Dickens in that fiction should make sense when it's put all together, but there has to be a sense of not quite understanding what's going on, almost of unbelief before it all comes together. Plus, in order for something to make sense, we must connect it to our lives, thus, nothing can make sense if our reality doesn't.
-Mariah B.
I will not approve on it. I think warm-hearted post. Specially the designation attracted me to be familiar with the intact story.
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