Even people with only the most cursory knowledge of the writings of Charles Dickens usually know about the fantastic start to A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”.
Never having read the book, I recently decided to put that right and discovered just how evocative the rest of the opening paragraph is.
Not only is the writing wonderfully paced, with clever use of gentle repetition at the start of phrases, but the images invoked could apply to many other eras, including our own:
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.
It is also an example of how the very best can break the rules the rest of us should wisely try to live by. How many English teachers would recommend writing such a long sentence? Yet even to modern eyes it flows easily and clearly. It reminds me too of the writing style of JK Galbraith. He also wrote sentences of such lengths that in the hands of a mere mortal such as myself would be cumbersome and tortuous. Yet in the hands of the brilliance of a Galbraith or a Dickens that length provides brilliance and clarity.
As for the last sentence in A Tale of Two Cities, that too is a strong contender for the best final sentence of a book. (Don’t worry if you haven’t yet read the book: revealing the last line below won’t spoil the suspense for you if you do go on to read the whole thing.)
The preceding plot gives the final words their emotional impact. But even without knowing the events that trigger them, it is easy to admire the beauty of the words and the delicate balancing of the phrasing:
It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest I go to than I have ever known.
FOOTNOTE: The myth about Dickens’s wordiness
As you’ll have noticed from the opening sentence to A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens was certainly not afraid of piling on the words at times. Brevity and simplicity are the hallmarks of many great authors, but not him.
There is a bit of an urban myth that this was due to money: that Dickens was paid by the word and so wrote more.
That’s not true, though there is a germ of truth hidden in the myth, as this excellent Twitter thread highlighted.
Alexandre Dumas was paid by the line, which helps explain his love of short, punchy dialogue that racks up the line count very quickly. Charles Dickens too had a pay-by-quantity incentive, but it was pay by instalment – and of course, more verbosity helps with getting to the end of an instalment.
A Tale Of Two Cities Opening Lines T-Shirt
The famous opening lines from Charles Dickens' seminal novel on the French Revolution: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way..."
SKU: rm000544
Range:
Men's T-Shirts Women's T-Shirts Kids' T-Shirts 100% Recycled T-Shirts Long-Sleeved T-Shirts Hooded-Tops Sweatshirts
Range:
£15.99
Colours and images are for illustration only and may differ slightly from the final product
The famous opening lines from Charles Dickens' seminal novel on the French Revolution: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way..."
SKU: rm000544
Our men's t-shirts are all high quality, heavyweight (190gsm), 100% ringspun semi-combed cotton. They are certified vegan and are ethically produced: read our full ethical policy here.
Size Guide (N.b. all sizes are guidelines and subject to manufacturing tolerances - our larger sizes run small in comparison to other brands, please check below carefully before ordering)
| Size | To Fit Chest | Height (a) | Width (b) |
| Extra Small | 35-36" (90cm) | 27 1/2" (70cm) | 19" (48cm) |
| Small | 36-38" (94cm) | 28 1/2" (72cm) | 20" (51cm) |
| Medium | 38-40" (99cm) | 29" (74cm) | 21" (54cm) |
| Large | 41-42" (106cm) | 30" (76cm) | 22 1/2" (57cm) |
| Extra Large | 43-44" (111cm) | 30 1/2" (78cm) | 23 1/2" (60cm) |
| XXL | 45-47" (117cm) | 31 1/2" (80cm) | 25" (63cm) |
| 3XL | 47-49" (122cm) | 32" (82cm) | 26" (66cm) |
| 4XL | 50-52" (130cm) | 33" (84cm) | 27" (69cm) |
| 5XL | 53-55" (137cm) | 34" (86cm) | 28 1/2" (72cm) |
(Height (a) = top of collar to bottom of garment; Width (b) = armpit to armpit)
N.b. in the event of garments from our usual supplier being unavailable/out of stock, we will substitute for an equivalent or better quality garment from an alternative supplier.
If you have very specific size requirements please contact us to discuss.
Women's Round-Neck T-Shirts
Our round-neck women's t-shirts are all high quality, 100% organic cotton.
All our garments are ethically produced: read our full ethical policy here.
Size Guide (N.b. all sizes are approximate)
| Size | To Fit Size | Height (a) | Width (b) |
| Small | UK8 | 23" (59cm) | 17" (43cm) |
| Medium | UK10 | 23.5" (60cm) | 18" (46cm) |
| Large | UK12 | 24" (61cm) | 19" (49cm) |
| Extra Large | UK14 | 24.5" (62cm) | 20.5" (52cm) |
| XXL | UK16 | 25" (63cm) | 22" (55cm) |
| 3XL* | UK18 | 26" (64cm) | 23" (58cm) |
| 4XL* | UK20 | 27" (64cm) | 24" (60cm) |
(Height = top of front collar to bottom of garment; Width = armpit to armpit)
*Available in black only
Women's V-Neck T-Shirts
Our women's v-neck t-shirts are a longer, looser fit than our standard round-neck women's, and are 100% cotton.
All our garments are ethically produced: read our full ethical policy here.
Size Guide (N.b. all sizes are approximate)
| Size | To Fit Size | Height | Width |
| Small | UK8 | 25" (64cm) | 17" (43cm) |
| Medium | UK10-12 | 26" (66cm) | 19" (48cm) |
| Large | UK14 | 27" (69cm) | 20" (51cm) |
| Extra Large | UK16 | 28" (71cm) | 22" (56cm) |
| XXL | UK18 | 29" (74cm) | 23" (59cm) |
(Height = top of collar to bottom of garment; Width = armpit to armpit)
N.b. in the event of garments from our usual supplier being unavailable/out of stock, we will substitute for an equivalent or better quality garment from an alternative supplier.
If you have very specific size requirements please contact us to discuss.
Our children's t-shirts
are all high quality, heavyweight, 100% ringspun cotton.
All our garments are ethically produced: read our full ethical policy here.
Size Guide (N.b. all sizes are approximate)
| Size | To Fit Chest | Height (a) | Width (b) |
| 1-2 Years | 24" | 15.7" (40cm) | 12.6" (32cm) |
| 3-4 Years | 26" | 16.9" (43cm) | 13.8" (35cm) |
| 5-6 Years | 28" | 17.7" (45cm) | 15" (38cm) |
| 7-8 Years | 30" | 19.3" (49cm) | 15.7" (40cm) |
| 9-10 Years | 33" | 20.9" (53cm) | 17.3" (44cm) |
| 11-12 Years | 37" | 23.6" (60cm) | 19" (48cm) |
(Height = top of front collar to bottom of garment; Width = armpit to armpit)
N.b. in the event of garments from our usual supplier being unavailable/out of stock, we will substitute for an equivalent or better quality garment from an alternative supplier.
If you have very specific size requirements please contact us to discuss.
Our ground-breaking
recycled t-shirts are made from 100% recycled materials and are, to our knowledge, the first commercially produced t-shirts made from recycled cotton. The fabrics are produced in India from 60% recycled organic cotton and 40% recycled polyester. The cotton waste from normal production is saved ("salvaged") and shredded until broken into individual fibres. These are then blended with locally recycled polyester and spun into yarn. The knitting, dying and manufacturing are carried out in
established facilities in Tamil Nadu, renowned for high ethical labour standards and low environmental impact. These products are certified under the Global Recycle Standard (GRS) and the Organic Content Standard (OCS), and carry the appropriate certification marks, licensed by the Control Union
All our garments are ethically produced: read our full ethical policy here.
Size Guide (N.b. all sizes are approximate)
| Size | To Fit Chest | Height (a) | Width (b) |
| Small | 37-38" (95cm) | 26.8" (68cm) | 19.7" (50cm) |
| Medium | 39-40" (100cm) | 28" (71cm) | 20.9" (53cm) |
| Large | 41-42" (105cm) | 28.7" (73cm) | 22" (56cm) |
| Extra Large | 43-44" (110cm) | 29.5" (75cm) | 23.2" (59cm) |
| XXL | 45-46" (116cm) | 30.2" (77cm) | 24.4" (62cm) |
(Height = top of collar to bottom of garment; Width = armpit to armpit)
If you have very specific size requirements please contact us to discuss.
Our long-sleeve t-shirts are all high quality, heavyweight, 100% combed cotton.
All our garments are ethically produced: read our full ethical
policy here.
Size Guide (N.b. all sizes are approximate)
| Size | To Fit Chest | Height (a) | Width (b) |
| Small | 37"-38" | 25" (64cm) | 19.5" (50cm) |
| Medium | 39"-40" | 25.5" (65cm) | 21.5" (54cm) |
| Large | 41"-42" | 26.5" (67cm) | 22.5" (57cm) |
| Extra Large | 43"-44" | 27" (69cm) | 23" (59cm) |
| XXL | 45"-46" | 27.5" (70cm) | 25" (64cm) |
| 3XL | 47"-48" | 28" (72cm) | 26" (66cm) |
| 4XL | 49"-50" | 28.5" (73cm) | 27" (69cm) |
| 5XL | 51"-55" | 29.5" (75cm) | 28" (71cm) |
(Height = top of collar to bottom of garment; Width = armpit to armpit)
N.b. in the event of garments from our usual supplier being unavailable/out of stock, we will substitute for an equivalent or better quality garment from an alternative supplier.
If you have very specific size requirements please contact us to discuss.
Our hooded-tops are
all high quality, heavyweight, 80% combed cotton/20% polyester mix.
All our garments are ethically produced: read our full ethical policy here.
Size Guide (N.b. all sizes are approximate)
| Size | To Fit Chest | Height (a) | Width (b) |
| Small | 37"-38" | 26.8" (68cm) | 20.9" (53cm) |
| Medium | 39"-40" | 27.6" (70cm) | 22" (56cm) |
| Large | 41"-42" | 28.3" (72cm) | 23.2" (59cm) |
| Extra Large | 43"-44" | 29.1" (74cm) | 24.4" (62cm) |
| XXL | 45"-46" | 29.9" (76cm) | 25.6" (65cm) |
| 3XL | 47"-48" | 30.7" (78cm) | 26.8" (68cm) |
| 4XL | 49"-50" | 31.5" (80cm) | 28" (71cm) |
| 5XL | 51"-55" | 32.3" (82cm) | 29.1" (74cm) |
(Height = top of collar to bottom of garment; Width = armpit to armpit)
N.b. in the event of garments from our usual supplier being unavailable/out of stock, we will substitute for an equivalent or better quality garment from an alternative supplier.
If you have very specific size requirements please contact us to discuss.
Our sweatshirts are
all high quality, heavyweight, 80% combed cotton/20% polyester mix.
All our garments are ethically produced: read our full ethical policy here.
Size Guide (N.b. all sizes are approximate)
| Size | To Fit Chest | Height (a) | Width (b) |
| Small | 37"-38" | 26" (66cm) | 20.5" (52cm) |
| Medium | 39"-40" | 26.8" (68cm) | 21.7" (55cm) |
| Large | 41"-42" | 27.6" (70cm) | 22.8" (58cm) |
| Extra Large | 43"-44" | 28.3" (72cm) | 24" (61cm) |
| XXL | 45"-46" | 29.1" (74cm) | 25.2" (64cm) |
| 3XL | 47"-48" | 29.9" (76cm) | 26.4" (67cm) |
| 4XL | 49"-50" | 30.7" (78cm) | 27.6" (70cm) |
| 5XL | 51"-55" | 31.5" (80cm) | 28.7" (73cm) |
(Height = top of collar to bottom of garment; Width = armpit to armpit)
N.b. in the event of garments from our usual supplier being unavailable/out of stock, we will substitute for an equivalent or better quality garment from an alternative supplier.
If you have very specific size requirements please contact us to discuss.
Postage and packing charges are calculated on a flat-rate basis, regardless of how many items are ordered.
The table below summarises our current rates for postage and packing:
| United Kingdom | £3.95 | €4.95 | $5.45 | Nb. FREE UK delivery for orders over £50.00 |
| European Union | £8.95 | €10.95 | $11.95 | |
| Rest of the World | £9.95 | €11.95 | $12.95 |
If you have any queries about RedMolotov.com or this website please visit our Frequently Asked Questions pages or contact us
If you receive a shirt but decide that it is either too large or too small we will be happy to exchange it for the correct size. Simply send it back to us at the address below
unworn and unwashed. Please make sure that you also complete and return the returns form that is enclosed with your order detailing your name, address, and correct size.
The address for all returns is:
RedMolotov.com
T34 Limited,
First Floor, 17 Worcester Rd,
Bromsgrove,
Worcestershire,
B61 7DL
We are so confident that you will be happy with the quality of your shirts that we offer a 100% money-back, no quibble returns policy. All that we ask is that the
shirt is returned unworn and unwashed, and that you specify why you are unhappy with the goods on the returns form that is included with all orders.
If you have lost your returns form, you may download a new one.
For full details of our returns policy, please read our Terms and Conditions.
At RedMolotov.com we specialise in producing high-quality, ethically-sourced t-shirts. We pride ourselves in using the best materials we can find, which is why our t-shirts will not fall out of shape after a few washes like other cheaper varieties you may find for sale elsewhere.
We also use our printing expertise to put our designs onto other clothing - in fact, we can print designs on an amazing variety of things. Just email us if you have a special requirement.
By ordering using our safe and secure on-line payment gateway - which utilises the very latest encryption and security measures - we can accept payment online securely using most major credit and debit cards including PayPal, MasterCard, Visa and Maestro.
From time to time we also run promotions and money-off deals. Please be sure to sign-up for our mailing list for all the latest offers.
RedMolotov.com is a trading name of T-34 Limited, a company incorporated under the Companies Act 1985. Company No. 5985663. VAT Registration No. 912 7482 24.
People who bought this also bought
You Recently Viewed