狄更斯的“雙城記”指的是法國和英國，故事發生在法國推翻貴族的法國大革命時期， 兩個男人愛上同一個女人，這兩個男人一個是英國律師， 一個是法國貴族後裔， 英國律師為成全另他戀人的愛而心甘情願為他的情敵冒名頂替的走向斷頭台，成為替死鬼。  

金言警句：

這是最好的時代，也是最壞的時代；是智慧的時代，也是愚蠢的時代；是信仰的時代，也是懷疑的時代；是光明的季節，也是黑暗的季節；是充滿希望的春天，也是令人絕望的冬天；我們的前途擁有一切，我們的前途一無所有；我們正走向天堂，我們也正直下地獄。

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.

我所做的，是我一生做過的最好的~最最好的事情；我即將得到的，將是我一生最安詳~最最安詳的休息。

It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.

那時候，英國的寶座上坐的是一位地閣方圓的國王和一位容顏欠佳的王後；法國的寶座上坐的是一位地閣方圓的國王和一位容顏姣好的王後(1)。在這兩個國家那些享有高官厚祿的肉食者們看來，有一點比水晶還要明澈透亮，那就是江山永固，國運綿長。