British literature brings readers joy and sorrow

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." --- A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens

A Tale of Two Cities, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution, depicts the aristocracy's cruel treatment of the peasantry, which leads to the French Revolution.

"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."

--- A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens