Tale of Two Cities Book 2 Chapter 8: Monsieur in the Country

1. Tale of Two Cities Book 2 Chapter 8: Monsieur in the Country By: Jani Johnston

2. Summary • The chapter opens with Monseigneur the Marquis in a carriage going to his estate in the countryside. • They go up a large hill and the sun is setting a color of crimson red on his face. • At the bottom of the hill there was a village. A village that is filled with a lot of poverty. • He is the lord of this village. • When he arrives at the village all of the people first look at him then bow. They bow to him because they are starving and struggling not to please him. The Monseigneur out of all the people picks out a man who he recognized from early who was working on the roads. • The Monseigneur asked what he was looking at and the man said he had saw someone at the bottom of his carriage. He described him as being as white as a ghost. • When they looked the man he saw was not there anymore.

3. Summary Continued • The Monseigneur tells one of his people to be on the look out for a stranger. • Monseigneur the Marquis continues on to head off to his estate. • On his way he passes a graveyard. • There is a woman there who asks him to look at petition for a small stone to put over where her husband who died of hunger was buried. • She is scared her husband will forgotten. • Monseigneur the Marquis quickly has his carriage speed away leaving the woman far behind. • When he arrives at his large estate in the countryside he asks if a Monsieur Charles has arrived from England to meet with him.

4. Title Meaning Monseigneur means lord. That’s what the people call him. Monsieur means Mr. or Sir. I think that the title is very literal. I also think that it can be a smaller version of what is really happening in France. How he treats his people poorly and doesn’t care. And how the monarchy treats their people poorly and they don’t care.

5. Literary Devices Repetition: “The village had its one poor street, with its poor brewery, poor tannery, poor tavern, poor stable-yard for relays of post-horses, poor fountain, all usual poor appointments. It had its poor people too. All its people were poor, and many of them were sitting at their doors, shredding spare onions and the like for supper, while many were at the fountain, washing leaves, and grasses, and any such small yieldings of the earth that could be eaten.” (118-119) Personification: “But, there remained a broken country, bold and open, a little village at the bottom of the hill, a broad sweep and rise beyond it…” (118) Symbolism: “Monseigneur, he was whiter than the miller. All covered with dust, white as a spectre, tall as a spectre!” (120) Spectre means ghost. Looming death and revolution.

6. Essential Quote “Truly, you did well,” said the Marquis, felicitously sensible that such vermin were not to ruffle him, “to see a thief accompanying my carriage, and not open that great mouth of yours. Bah! Put him aside, Monsieur Gabelle!”

7. Questions?