ए टेल ऑफ़ टू सिटीज़ ( A Tale of Two Cities): डिकेंस का एक लोकप्रिय उपन्यास

Hareshwar Roy,


ए टेल ऑफ़ टू सिटीज़: डिकेंस का एक लोकप्रिय उपन्यास
चार्ल्स डिकेंस 19वीं सदी के सबसे लोकप्रिय उपन्यासकारों में से एक हैं। वे इंग्लैंड से ताल्लुक रखते हैं। उन्हें शहरी जीवन के रिपोर्टर के रूप में स्वीकार किया जाता है। उन्होंने शहर के रहन-सहन और मध्यम वर्ग की दयनीय स्थितियों का सटीक चित्रण किया है। एक समाज सुधारक के रूप में डिकेंस अपनी सामाजिक अपील के लिए एक मंच के रूप में कथा साहित्य का उपयोग करते हैं। उनके लेखन की दुनिया में हास्य और करुणा एक साथ हैं। संक्षेप में वे एक प्यारे उपन्यासकार हैं।
डिकेंस का ए टेल ऑफ़ टू सिटीज़ एक लोकप्रिय उपन्यास है। उन्होंने फ्रांसीसी क्रांति के दौरान दो शहरों - पेरिस और लंदन की घटनाओं को प्रस्तुत किया है। लेखक ने बिना किसी पूर्वाग्रह के दोनों शहरों की घटनाओं और चरित्रों का वर्णन किया है। यहाँ रचना के पात्र पेरिस से लंदन तक स्वतंत्र रूप से घूमते हैं। इसलिए लेखक ने उपन्यास को ए टेल ऑफ़ टू सिटीज़ नामक शीर्षक प्रदान किया है।
इस कल्पित कृति का कथानक सुगठित, सुनिर्मित, किफायती और नाटकीय है। यह सस्पेंस, ड्रामा और जिज्ञासा से भरपूर है। यहाँ उपन्यासकार का उद्देश्य फ्रांसीसी क्रांति का विस्तार से वर्णन करना नहीं है। उन्होंने क्रांति की कुछ घटनाओं को ही लिया है। इसी पृष्ठभूमि में उन्होंने अपना प्लॉट बुना है। उन्होंने आम आदमी की समस्याओं और परेशानियों का वर्णन किया है। वह लोगों के जीवन के बारे में उनकी राजनीतिक और सामाजिक समस्याओं के बारे में बात करते हैं।
ए टेल ऑफ़ टू सिटीज़ की कहानी बहुत ही दिलचस्प है। डॉ एलेक्जेंडर मैनेट को 18 साल की कैद हो जाती है। उनकी बेटी लूसी रिहाई के बाद उन्हें लंदन ले आती है। उसकी देखभाल के कारण डॉ. मैनेट शारीरिक और मानसिक रूप से ठीक हो जाते हैं। इसी दौरान मिस लूसी को डारने से प्यार हो जाता है। डारने के पिता और चाचा उसके पिता की पीड़ा के लिए जिम्मेदार थे। इसके बावजूद डॉ. मैनेट डारने को अपनी बेटी से शादी करने की अनुमति प्रदान कर देते हैं। तत्पश्चात उनके वैवाहिक जीवन की अच्छी शुरुआत हो जाती है।
मुश्किल समय में भी डारने पेरिस जाता है। वह गैबेल की जान बचाने के लिए अपनी जान जोखिम में डालता है। चूंकि फ्रांसीसी क्रांति चल रही थी इसलिए उसे वहीं गिरफ्तार कर लिया जाता है तथा उसे मौत की सजा दे दी जाती है। डॉ. मैनेट और लूसी उसे बचाने के लिए वहां जाते हैं। उनके प्रयास से उसे छोड़ दिया जाता है लेकिन उसे फिर से गिरफ्तार कर लिया जाता है। अब सिडनी कार्टन अपनी प्यारी लूसी की खातिर डारने की जान बचाने की योजना बनाता है। डारने से शादी के बाद भी कार्टन लूसी को ईमानदारी से प्यार करता रहता है। वह जेलर की मदद से बेहोश डारने को जेल से बाहर निकालता है। कार्टन जेल में डारने की जगह स्वयं ले लेता है और लूसी की ख़ुशी की खातिर अपनी जान दे देता है।
इस तरह हम पाते हैं कि ए टेल ऑफ़ टू सिटीज़ एक बहुत ही रोचक उपन्यास है। डिकेंस ने कहानी का तानाबाना बेहतरीन तरीके से बुना है। उन्होंने पाठकों पर अपना जादू बिखेरा है। एक पाठक के रूप में उपन्यास के प्रति हमारी रुचि कभी कमजोर नहीं होती। सस्पेंस बढ़ता ही जाता है। इस उपन्यास उन्होंने हास्य और करुणा का बेहतरीन मिश्रण किया है। इसी खूबी के लिए इस उपन्यास की हमेशा सराहना की जाती है।
Sandal S Anshu, Satna


Location: B-37, City Homes Colony, Jawahar Nagar Satna, Madhya Pradesh, India
Sandal S Anshu is a mechanical engineer. He is an M.A. in English too. At present he is an aspirant of UPSC. He has deep interest in History & English Literature.

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