What does 'It was the best of times it was the worst of times' mean?

Answer 1

It's the first line in Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities.

The whole first paragraph is made up entirely of contrasting pairs like that one describing the era in which the novel is set (The French Revolution.) The fact that they are pairs is especially important, as "pairs" is one of the major motifs of the novel--things come in twos left and right throughout the story (A Tale of Two Cities, for example.)

Answer 2

This phrase from Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities" contrasts the extreme experiences of joy and despair during the French Revolution. It highlights the dual nature of life, where the best moments can be intertwined with the worst, capturing the complexity and unpredictability of human experiences.

Answer 3

Dickens was trying to express the dramatic extremes that existed in both England and France at the time.