A Tale of Two Cities is in part a historical novel, which sets it apart from Dickens's other work. Although Barnaby Rudge deals with the Gordon Riots in England, it discusses them only peripherally. In A Tale of Two Cities Dickens narrates aspects of a major historical event, the French Revolution. Because Dickens focuses on the effect of political upheaval more than on character development and wit, A Tale of Two Cities feels atypical among readers who know his other novels, and critics continue to debate its relative place in the English literary canon.