A Tale of Two Cities (1st ten pages)

Dickens first starts by explaining the parallels between Paris and London, and explaining the sort of situation that the cities are in. He delves deeply into the dismay and lawlessness that take place in London, and the indulgence and power-hungry French aristocracy. You can understand why he wrote about both things the way he did by remembering how he grew up poor and in a harsh environment. Then you can see why he knows so much about the ways of the London streets, and is resentful of the nature that was present in Paris pre-revolution.