A Tale of Two Cities

(Book 2 Chapters 7-13) Why does Dickens call the monseigneur’s private rooms the Holiest of the Holiests? What is the sarcasm in this?

(Book 2 Chapters 7-13)

Why does Dickens call the monseigneur’s private rooms the Holiest of the Holiests? What is the sarcasm in this?

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The corruption of the upper class is conveyed through the ironic religious language used to describe Monseigneur. His personal room is called the "Holiest of Holies," a direct translation from the Latin sanctum sanctorum and ultimately from the Hebrew Bible, referring to the especially sacred inner chamber of a temple.

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