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Wondering if any novel has ever had as profound an influence on how the English-speaking world understand a period of history as A Tale Of Two Cities, and the only one I can think of to rival it is Ivanhoe.
Yes! I remember in 1989 a French newspaper asked the G7 leaders to give their thoughts on the Revolution. 6 spoke respectfully of rights. Mrs Thatcher talked about the Terror. Not to be rude, but because, thanks to Dickens, that's simply the British take. https://twitter.com/conbrunstrom/status/1339351043243712513?s=20
Similarly, Ivanhoe is by far the most influential portrayal of the Middle Ages, because it sets up the Norman-Saxon polarity & grounds the stories of Robin Hood in a way that still conditions how people in the English-speaking see the period to this day.
Hugely influential ON a period of history, but its impact was due precisely to the fact that slavery was not just a matter of history when it was written. Gone With The Wind probably the most influential novel on how American history has been seen. https://twitter.com/chrishawtree/status/1339472913280487424?s=20
No, it doesn't! That's the entire point! People can have a sense of the Middle Ages or the French Revolution and have no idea that in its essentials it derives from a novel they may never even have read. That's how influence works. https://twitter.com/CrimbleEthel/status/1339475678836748289?s=20
Much too early to say. Personally, I think it unlikely, because the popular view of Henry VIII's reign is already pretty well set in stone. https://twitter.com/LeScull/status/1339344372270325761?s=20
The Scarlet Letter, Gone With The Wind, Waverley, All Quiet On The Western Front, I Claudius, Treasure Island & - perhaps a paradoxical one - The Lord of the Rings would complete my Top Ten. https://twitter.com/gurueluke/status/1339571240386891779
