Two Cities

Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.6

Word count: 871K words
Chapters: 88

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Zwei Städte by Charles DickensAuthor: Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870,Language: German, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Oct 21, 2018

Editor's review

This is a German translation of Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities, released by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain ebook. Set in London and Paris, the novel places individual lives amid the social upheaval before and after the French Revolution and explores sacrifice, revenge, love, and redemption. For Chinese readers, this edition's main value is language learning and textual comparison: it can be read as German practice or alongside Chinese or English versions to observe how the same passages are expressed in different languages. The ebook is easy to search, annotate, and read across devices, making it suitable as a supplement for foreign literature courses or long-term self-study. Note that the text is in German and public-domain ebooks usually lack detailed notes and an introduction, so first-time readers should pair it with a reliable Chinese translation or literary history.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Learners with intermediate or better German who want to improve through the original text
Research-oriented readers studying foreign literature who need to compare multilingual texts
Dickens fans who want to collect a public-domain electronic edition
Organizers who need inexpensive electronic texts for classroom excerpts or reading groups

Not a good fit for

Ordinary Chinese readers with no German who just want to enjoy the story
Advanced researchers who need detailed notes, an introduction, and scholarly appendices
Collectors who prefer hardcover editions and care about typography and binding

Reading tips

Read a reliable Chinese translation first to grasp the plot, then tackle the German to lower the barrier.
Take bilingual notes chapter by chapter, recording key vocabulary and sentence patterns to combine literary understanding with language learning.
Briefly review the background of the French Revolution beforehand to better grasp characters' motives and the period atmosphere.
Use the ebook's search function to organize character relationships and recurring images, then review the overall structure after finishing.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this edition in Chinese or German?

The text is in German: it is a German translation of Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities, published by Project Gutenberg. The title "Zwei Städte" means "two cities" in German. Chinese readers need German reading ability or a Chinese translation to read alongside.

Can I read this book without any German?

Direct reading is not recommended. The German text is difficult for beginners, and public-domain ebooks usually have no vocabulary notes or background introduction. If you only want the story, choose a Chinese translation; if you want to learn German, reach an intermediate reading level first.

What is the difference between public-domain ebooks and commercial editions?

Public-domain ebooks are prepared and proofread by volunteers and freely available, easy to search and read across devices, but generally lack detailed notes, introductions, or scholarly appendices, and the formatting is plain. Commercial editions often add translator's notes, prefaces, and design for a fuller reading experience.

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About the author

Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870 Author

Charles Dickens (Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870) is one of the most influential novelists in the history of English literature. The library holds 115 of his works, including novels, novellas and short stories; representative titles include The Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield and A Christmas Carol. He was known for serialized fiction, with plot twists and vivid characters, and he used humor and satire to portray Victorian society, paying particular attention to poor children, the lower classes and education, and his works often convey warmth and moral concern. In the library his works are often classified under "inspirational growth," and many of his novels have been adapted for stage and screen and are widely circulated. Public information about the details of his life is limited, so no speculation is offered here.