"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."
The first paragraph of A Tale of Two Cities is considered one of the most famous in literature. It is renowned for its use of contrasting pairs to effectively establish the setting of the novel. By capturing the complexities and contradictions of the time period, it leaves a profound impact on readers, setting the stage for the turbulent events that follow in the story.