Friends of Montclair Library

Screenwriter Jonathan Nolan recently described in an interview how the latest Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises, which opens this weekend, was inspired by Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities.

I was looking to old good books and good movies. Good literature for inspiration…A Tale of Two Cities was, to me, one of the most harrowing portraits of a relatable, recognizable civilization that completely folded to pieces…

Try reading (or listening to or e-reading) Dickens’ novel before seeing the movie, to enhance your understanding of the movie’s direct and indirect allusions to the book.

If you’re not up for Dickens as a little light summer reading, how about getting in the spirit of the movie with one of the many Batman books available at Montclair library, including picture books, easy readers, children’s graphic novels and lots of young adult graphic novels.