France, 1775

[What Would Jesus Do?]

France, less favoured on the whole as to matters spiritual than her sister of the shield and trident, rolled with exceeding smoothness down hill, making paper money and spending it. Under the guidance of her Christian pastors, she entertained herself, besides, with such humane achievements as sentencing a youth to have his hands cut off, his tongue torn out with pincers, and his body burned alive, because he had not kneeled down in the rain to do honour to a dirty procession of monks which passed within his view, at a distance of some fifty or sixty yards.

-- Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

Liberals (paper money) and ISIS (torture and horrific death for insufficient religious fervor).

No wonder they had a revolution.

 

[Lone Clone]

France, less favoured on the whole as to matters spiritual than her sister of the shield and trident, rolled with exceeding smoothness down hill, making paper money and spending it. Under the guidance of her Christian pastors, she entertained herself, besides, with such humane achievements as sentencing a youth to have his hands cut off, his tongue torn out with pincers, and his body burned alive, because he had not kneeled down in the rain to do honour to a dirty procession of monks which passed within his view, at a distance of some fifty or sixty yards.

-- Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

Liberals (paper money) and ISIS (torture and horrific death for insufficient religious fervor).

No wonder they had a revolution.

Is that a reference to the monarchy, or is it to the revolutionists? Been a long time since I read the book. Neither group was the kind you'd take home to mother.

 

[naturalmwa]

Is that a reference to the monarchy, or is it to the revolutionists? Been a long time since I read the book. Neither group was the kind you'd take home to mother.

Has to be the monarchy in 1775.

 

[Lone Clone]

Has to be the monarchy in 1775.

Why does it have to be the monarchy? The book spans the revolution. Madame Defarge and her ilk did some seriously nasty stuff.

I'm not being argumentative. I have no idea. It sounds like something a monarchy would do. But it also sounds like something an anarchist would do.

 

[naturalmwa]

Why does it have to be the monarchy? The book spans the revolution. Madame Defarge and her ilk did some seriously nasty stuff.

I'm not being argumentative. I have no idea. It sounds like something a monarchy would do. But it also sounds like something an anarchist would do.

Because in 1775 the revolution hadn't any teeth and consisted of bread riots. Additionally the revolution leaders didn't hold catholic monks in such esteem. So context and timing would lead me to presume this is the Monarchy.

 

[TJ8869]

Because in 1775 the revolution hadn't any teeth and consisted of bread riots. Additionally the revolution leaders didn't hold catholic monks in such esteem. So context and timing would lead me to presume this is the Monarchy.

Natty is correct. When Dickens wrote "she entertained herself", 'she' referrred to the French government. The revolutionaries despised the church because it was so closely tied to the government.

The type of torture and execution described by Dickens is quite likely one of the many factors that contributed to the revolution.

 

[ANYCHawk]