"If Sydney Carton ever shone anywhere, he certainly never shone in the house of Doctor Manette. He had been there often, during a whole year, and had always been the same moody and morose lounger there. When he cared to talk, he talked well; but, the cloud of caring for nothing, which overshadowed him with such a fatal darkness, was very rarely pierced by the light within him."
Here you will find some information I've compiled about Sydney. I am no professional critic, however, I do love the character.
Introduction; About Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, some small bits about Carton, and why you should read this book. This section is spoiler-free, however, the rest of this site isn't.
My Learned Friend; A basic summary of Sydney's story, for those of you who need some refreshers or don't care very much about spoilers. Includes name analysis! Woo!
Freedom Bleeds; Information about the context of the novel, particularly the French Revolution and all of its particular kind of glory.
The Jackal Sydney's law practice, professional life, and sad and sordid past. This includes his interaction with Stryver, and of course, more about the general brilliance of Carton.
The Golden Haired Doll; About the novel's other two heroes- Lucie and Darnay. They haven't aged so well, but they are essential to Sydney's story.
Sacrifice; Sydney's low sense of self-esteem and where it leads him. This is probably the defining trait of his character, so I thought I'd explore it in more depth.
Resurrection Man; The idea of redemption and thus resurrection is a powerful theme central to the novel, and no where is it more evident in the character of Sydney Carton.