| Title | : | A Christmas Carol |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1561797464 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781561797462 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 104 |
| Publication | : | First published December 17, 1843 |
| Awards | : | Audie Award Classic (2005) |
Introduction and Afterword by Joe Wheeler
To bitter, miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, Christmas is just another day. But all that changes when the ghost of his long-dead business partner appears, warning Scrooge to change his ways before it's too late.
Part of the Focus on the Family Great Stories collection, this abridged edition features an in-depth introduction and discussion questions by Joe Wheeler to provide greater understanding for today's reader. "A Christmas Carol" captures the heart of the holidays like no other novel.
A Christmas Carol Reviews
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I read this every year at Christmas, and I always will do. Simply because of the atmosphere it evokes. This story is Christmas as far as I’m concerned. It wouldn’t be the same without it. It is perfectly festive and is also appropriately didactic. It is an allegory for what happens to those that are unnecessarily bitter and twisted, refusing to take part in a joyful occasion. It is a glimpse at what could happen to someone who rejects their family upon trivial grounds, and let’s themselves be set apart. It is also a suggestion that one shouldn’t be so concerned with money. Money isn’t everything; it certainly didn’t buy ol’ Scrooge happiness. But, Christmas did and will do so again.
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You can connect with me on social media via
My Linktree.
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One of my favourite books of all time. It's a beautiful reminder of the spirit of Christmas, what the holiday represents and how we can be more kind and mindful of our actions.
-
It has been a decade since I last read this classic, so I decided to look at it again, taking note of what I have forgotten or imperfectly remembered and also garnering any new insights my older (and I hope wiser) self could now find within it.
But first, I decided to do a little research, and discovered the great irony underlying the book’s creation: how this tale that warns against miserliness was born because of Dickens' acute need for money, and how its publication resulted in a dispute about the distribution of profits.
Dickens was already famous in 1843, but the sales of the recent installments of Martin Chuzzlewit were less than half of what he had received for the individual numbers of his previous novels. His publishers Chapman and Hall were so alarmed that they invoked a clause in Dickens contract which demanded that they be reimbursed for the printing cost of the Chuzzlewit installments. Dickens was alarmed too, but also hurt, offended...and worried. A large mortgage payment would soon be due, and his wife had just given birth to their fifth child. Still, he was convinced that his idea for a yuletide novella would yield an ample return and make up for the Chuzzlewit deficit.
He financed the sumptuous edition of A Christmas Carol himself—colored plates, colored title page, gilt embossed front cover, gilt-edged pages, etc.—and insisted that the price not exceed the sum of 5 shillings (still expensive: one third of Cratchit’s weekly salary). Dickens waited eagerly for the money to roll in, but, although the sales were indeed phenomenal, Dickens gained little money from them. Although the cost of producing the elegant volume must have cut deeply into the profits, Dickens was convinced Chapman and Hall were cheating him and he refused to do business with them for the next fifteen years.
But enough of money matters, for now! What follows are a few random observations on this, the latest of my many readings.
1) How thoroughly Marley’s Ghost is surrounded by iron objects: doorknocker (large Victorian doorknockers were typically iron), iron door nails, iron coffin nails, iron chain and iron metal strong box. Helps us see what hard, unrelenting old sinners Marley and his partner really are.
2) In addition to being hard of heart, Scrooge is a man with a deliberate philosophy of self-exoneration. It consists of two principles: 1) taxpayers fund the poor houses and prisons, thereby discharging in full their obligation to all of their fellow human beings, and 2) death by starvation, although it may seem regrettable, is actually a positive good as proven by science (because Malthus!), and relieves the rest of us of the burden of a surplus population. This philosophy is the shield that protects Scrooge from feeling the pains of sympathy and compassion.
3) The first emotion produced in Scrooge by the Ghost of Christmas Past is sadness at this own boyhood loneliness, but the second emotion is his joy in the books that consoled him and helped him empathize with others: The Arabian Nights, the old romances (Valentine and Orson), and realistic fiction (Robinson Crusoe). In Ebenezer’s coming transformation, the sadness and its memory are of course necessary, but no more necessary than this joy.
4) At Fezziwig’s Christmas party, the guest list is inclusive: the family and the clerks of course, but also the housemaid, the baker, the cook, the milkman, and a boy and a girl from down the street whom the Fezziwigs fear are mistreated by their masters and mistresses. Scrooge’s defense of his employer Fezziwig's little party which may only have cost “a few pounds” is even more eloquent than I remembered:He has the power to render us happy or unhappy; to make our service light or burdensome; a pleasure or a toil. Say that his power lies in words and looks; in things so slight and insignificant that it is impossible to add and count them up: what then? The happiness he gives, is quite as great as if it cost a fortune."
If I were dictator, I would compel our 21st century employers to listen to the above words at least four times a year. (Exception: employers who, in order to increase the volume of key strokes, forbid all family photographs and personal items in their data entry cubicles. No, those guys should have to listen to the above passage on a loop, eight hours a day, for the rest of their lives.)
5) In my favorite movie version, the Alastair Sim Scrooge (1951), Ebenezer sees his former fiance as an old woman (still beautiful of course) nursing the sick and dying in the shadowy corners of the poorhouse. It is moving, certainly, but how much more effective—and crueler—is the Dicken’s original! There, Scrooge sees his former love happy in the recent past, a contented wife and mother surrounded by a whirlwind of children.
6) In the past I have viewed the temporal structure of the tale (ghost past, ghost present, ghost future) as an effective but obvious device. But the more I think about it, the more profound it seems, psychologically and spiritually. This, after all, is the pattern of every true conversion, the manner in which we grow in sympathy toward our fellow human beings: we reflect upon the emotionally charged sense impressions of the past, observe their consequences for good or ill manifested in the present, and then—on the basis of these observations—we make a decision to act in a new way, a way which draws us grow closer to love. Certainly St. Augustine would have understood, for it was how he envisioned the Trinity, as a model of love in action: memory, understanding, and will.
Oh, speaking of how painful memories can inspire a person to action, I forgot to tell you the rest of the story about A Christmas Carol and money. Another factor that reduced Dickens' yuletide revenue stream was a cut-rate bit of plagiarism issued two weeks after Carol by Parley’s Illustrated Library called A Christmas Ghost Story. Parley's claimed they owed Dickens nothing because what they had published was not a piracy, but an "analytical condensation" of the tale, and, in addition, they had improved upon the original. (For example, in their version, Tiny Tim sings a song about a little child freezing in the snow.) Dickens sued and won, but Parley’s went bankrupt, and instead of gaining any money from his legal ordeal, Dickens was forced to pay 700 pounds in court costs.
Now, here comes the good news: This painful experience so disillusioned Dickens with English civil law that he used it as his inspiration ten years later for what is arguably his finest, most mature creation, the masterpiece Bleak House. So I guess Dickens gained something from the experience after all.
On that high note, I will leave you. And God bless us, everyone! -
Bah! Humbug!
Ebenezer Scrooge is a bitter old man, working day after day in his office, mistreating everyone around him, caring only about making riches and little else. Christmas Eve is no exception, as he dismisses it as utter humbug. But that might change when a fatidic night, he is visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future; and shown the error in his ways.
I must admit I found this a very complicated reading, to the point I dragged this book for more than a month when it can be finished in a couple of days, or even hours. I could never grasp Dickens style of writing; excessively flowery, and overly convoluted. I skimmed quite a lot, and had difficulty understanding whatever else remained. Gave me quite a slump, for which in a way I’m grateful since it allowed me to review many past readings. Sadly I already knew much of the plot because I watched 'Scrooged' several decades ago. Maybe it also didn’t help that I’m kind of a Grinch regarding Christmas.
Still, an immortal Christmas classic that requires no introduction. Recommendable, for the right audience.
It’s public domain, you can find it
HERE.
*** A Christmas Carol (1984). Definitely the most faithful movie by far. Several quotations can be found through the whole film, which deviates little from the original script. George C. Scott plays a highly convincing Ebenezer. And also notable Warner, Rees and Tiny Tim. Aged well all things considered. Most recommendable for adults who want to enjoy a serious faithful adaptation.
*** A Christmas Carol (2009). An animated film made by Disney. A reasonably faithful adaptation, with many direct quotations and stars like Carrey, Oldman and Firth performing voice acting. Remarkable special effects and action scenes that not necessarily go well with the book. Recommendable mostly for children, and adults with a child at heart that don’t mind going a bit off script.
*** Scrooged (1988). A comedy retelling and the most unfaithful adaptation by far, and still my personal favorite! Bill Murray is magnificently hilarious from start to finish. Karen Allen also plays a completely adorable Claire (a crush for a time). Exceedingly easy to watch, funny, romantic, and very uplifting. Powerfully transmits that sickly sweet Christmas feeling, even to a Grinch like me. Highly recommendable for any audience.
And as Tiny Tim would say
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PERSONAL NOTE:
[1843] [104p] [Classics] [Conditional Recommendable]
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¡Bah! ¡Paparruchas!
Ebenezer Scrooge es un viejo amargado, trabajando día tras día en su oficina, maltratando a todos a su alrededor, importándole sólo ganar riquezas y nada más. La Navidad no es una excepción, a la que descarta como completas paparruchas. Pero eso podría cambiar cuando una fatídica noche es visitado por los Fantasmas de la Navidad Pasada, Presente y Futura; y comprender el error de sus maneras.
Debo admitir que hallé esto una lectura bastante complicada, hasta el punto de que arrastré este libro por más de un mes cuando puede terminarse en un par de días, o incluso horas. Nunca pude ajustarme al estilo de escritura de Dickens; excesivamente florido, y demasiado enrevesado. Salteé algo bastante, y tuve dificultad para entender lo que sea que quedaba. Me dio un bloqueo importante, por el que estoy agradecido en cierta forma porque me dio la oportunidad de reseñar muchas lecturas pasadas. Lamentablemente ya sabía bastante de la trama porque vi 'Scrooged' varias décadas atrás. Tal vez tampoco ayudó que soy medio Grinch con respecto a la Navidad.
Aun así, un clásico inmortal de Navidad que no requiere introducción. Recomendable, para la audiencia correcta.
Es dominio público, lo pueden encontrar
ACA.
*** Canción de Navidad (1984). Definitivamente la película más fiel por lejos. Varias citas pueden ser encontradas a lo largo de todo el film, que se desvía poco del guion original. George C. Scott hace un muy convincente Ebenezer. También notables Warner, Rees y el pequeño Tim. Añeja bien considerando todo. Más recomendable para adultos que disfrutan una seria y fiel adaptación.
*** Canción de Navidad (2009). Un lindo film animado hecho por Disney. Una razonablemente fiel adaptación, con varias citas directas y estrellas como Carrey, Oldman y Firth actuando las voces. Destacan efectos especiales y escenas de acción que no necesariamente van bien con el libro. Recomendable mayormente para pequeños, y adultos con corazón de niño que no resientan desviarse un poco del texto.
*** Scrooged (1988). Una versión comedia y la adaptación menos fiel por lejos, y aun así ¡mi favorita personal! Murray es magníficamente hilarante de principio a fin. Karen Allen también actúa una completamente adorable Claire (un flechazo por un tiempo). Excesivamente fácil de ver, graciosa, romántica, y muy inspiradora. Poderosamente transmite ese asquerosamente dulce sentimiento de Navidad, incluso para un Grinch como yo. Altamente recomendable para cualquier audiencia.
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NOTA PERSONAL:
[1843] [104p] [Clásico] [Recomendable Condicional]
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A Christmas Carol by
Charles Dickens
It's a very heartwarming story and will remind one to have a giving and loving spirit. Loved this story. The tale is as delightful as its messages are. Found the messages so touching. I have gotten so much empathy toward the characters that'll be hard to describe. It'll break your heart, uplift your soul, and make you believe in the power of humanity and the human spirit.
For it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas
A timeless classic. -
What is the best way to celebrate Christmas?
There are many ways we can answer the above question.. But my first answer always will be - To reread A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
My favorite three lines from this book.
"No space of regret can make amends for one life's opportunity misused"
"It is a fair, even-handed, noble adjustment of things, that while there is infection in disease and sorrow, there is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor."
"Really, for a man who had been out of practice for so many years, it was a splendid laugh!"
This is a book about love, family, empathy, and celebration. It will teach you how to prioritize things in your life correctly, love others, and laugh properly. It also will make you understand the importance of family in our lives. -
Update on December 24, 2020:
I listened to this on audio this time around; something a bit different for me. I enjoyed the narration quite a lot, but there's nothing that beats reading Dickens in print. This story never fails to cheer, inspire, and give me pause to reflect on those things that I hold most dear in my life. Here's to a 2021 that will hopefully shine much brighter than 2020!
Original review (2016):
When I think of Christmas and all those things that make Christmas so special, A Christmas Carol immediately comes to mind right along with family, friends, beautiful Christmas trees, Mom’s anise cut-out cookies, brilliant holiday light displays, gently falling snow, festive instrumental and choral concerts, quiet, reflective moments, and angel trees. A Christmas Carol truly is a timeless classic and a beloved tradition, whether you see the movie or read the book. The blessing of this treasure is that you don’t have to celebrate Christmas to enjoy and appreciate this novella. The message is there for anyone that celebrates life and family and giving to others, those who want to examine their life and make the most of it and share it with others. Furthermore, it’s a winner all the way around – aside from the powerful message, we are also rewarded with a wonderfully written and atmospheric story. So, if you have a morsel of time you can spare in the next couple of days, treat yourself to a well-deserved break and grab a copy of this book. As you journey into those Christmases of Past, Present, and Future with Ebenezer Scrooge, your heart will feel lighter and your spirit revived as you hopefully gear up for not simply the chaos of the holidays but also the gifts of love, fellowship and gratitude.
I wish for joy and peace for each and every one of you this holiday season and the coming year.
"I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future." -
Yet another re-read:
As amazing as ever! One of Dickens’ very best, I think! ❤️
Re-read:
Still my favorite Christmas story! Charles Dickens never ceases to make me smile and feel a multitude of emotions!
🥰🎄❄️
First Read:
Wonderful! Absolutely Wonderful!!🕯️📖🎄
I don't know why it has taken me so long to read this story! I also don't know why it has taken me this long to read anything by Charles Dickens!
It surpassed my expectations, because ironically they weren't great...😉
The concept and idea behind this story is brilliant! It surprised me with it's cleverness and wit, even though I went into it knowing the story so well. I just fell in love with Dickens' storytelling, especially when he would address the reader and make his narrative voice known! 🖋️
His commentary on Victorian life and his social criticisms are known to be key aspects of his books, and I can now attest to that fact!
I loved how he described the different holiday scenes and made them vivid with life and magic!
The supernatural elements involving the spirits is pure genius!
Overall, I couldn't get over how in just a few chapters, and what people call a short story, he included so many important elements including the greatest character development in all of literature!! ❄️
This story is a blessing right from the hands of Tiny Tim and Ebenezer Scrooge! 💕 -
I’ve written a review on this book before. You know, back when I wrote mostly proper reviews!? It was a good one for once, but it’s disappeared, so there! 5 Stars ⭐️
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾 -
A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost-Story of Christmas, commonly known as A Christmas Carol, is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843.
A Christmas Carol tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an old miser who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come.
عنوانهای چاپ شده در ایران: «سرود کریسمس»؛ «آواز کریسمس»؛ «اسکروچ»؛ اثر: چارلز دیکنز؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش در سال 1974میلادی
عنوان: سرود کریسمس؛ اثر: چارلز دیکنز؛ مترجم: حسین سپهری نیک؛ تهران، چاپخانه بانک بازرگانی ایران، 1334، در 100ص؛ موضوع داستانهای کودکان از نویسندگان بریتانیا سده 19م
عنوان: سرود کریسمس - متن کوتاه شده؛ نویسنده: چارلز دیکنز؛ مترجم: محسن سلیمانی؛ تهران، نشر افق، 1375، در 64ص؛ شابک9646003141؛ چاپ دهم 1392؛ چاپ یازدهم 1394؛ 9789646742512؛ در 57ص؛
عنوان: آواز کریسمس؛ اثر: چارلز دیکنز؛ مترجم: کتایون حدادی؛ تهران، سازمان تبلیغات، 1375؛ چاپ سوم مهرماه 1376، در 83ص؛
عنوان: سرود کریسمس؛ اثر: چارلز دیکنز؛ اقتباس: سعید مقدم؛ تهران، جاده ابریشم، 1376، در 32ص؛ شابک 9646225144؛
عنوان: سرود کریسمس - متن کامل؛ اثر: چارلز دیکنز؛ مترجم: حسین ابراهیمی؛ تهران، مدرسه، 1378، در 174ص؛ شابک 9644365720؛ چاپ ششم 1392؛ چاپ دیگر: 1397؛ در 148ص؛ شابک 9789640816318؛
عنوان: سرود کریسمس - متن کوتاه شده؛ اثر: چارلز دیکنز؛ مترجم: مهین دانشور؛ تهران، نشر مرکز، 1375؛ در 111ص؛ چاپ دوم تهران، نشر مرکز، مریم، 1381، در 93ص؛ شابک ایکس - 964305201؛
عنوان: سرود کریسمس به نثر: داستان ارواح کریسمس؛ نویسنده: چارلز دیکنز؛ مترجم: فرزانه طاهری؛ تصویرگر: جان لیچ؛ تهران: نشر مرکز، 1394؛ در شش و 138ص؛ شابک 9789642132966؛
عنوان: سرود کریسمس: متن کوتاه شده؛ نویسنده: چارلز ديكنز؛ مترجم: شایسته ابراهیمی؛ ویراستار: سلاله حقی ناوند؛ تهران انتشارات بین المللی گاج، 1395؛ در 47ص؛ شابک 9786003593879؛
عنوان: سرود کریسمس؛ نویسنده چالز دیکنز؛ مترجم: فاطمه باغستانی؛ تصویرگر: روبرتو اینوچنتی؛ تهران انتشارات چکه، 1396؛ در 152ص؛ شابک 9786007216231؛
عنوان: سرود کریسمس؛ نویسنده: چارلز دیکنز؛ مترجم: سپیده حبیبی؛ تهران موسسه نگارش الکترونیک کتاب، 1396؛ در 47ص؛ شابک 9786008299523؛ مصور، رنگی؛ عنوان دیگر اسکروچ؛
عنوان: سرود کریسمس؛ نویسنده: چارلز دیکنز؛ مترجم: وجیهه آیت اللهی؛ تهران؛ بنگاه ترجمه و نشر کتاب پارسه، 1396؛ در 174ص؛ شابک 9786002532862؛
عنوان: سرود کریسمس؛ نویسنده: چارلز دیکنز؛ بازنویس جوان کالینز؛ تصویرگر جان هولدر؛ مترجم: المیرا کاسنژاد؛ تهران پینه دوز، 1396؛ در 52ص؛ شابک 9789642886975؛
عنوان: سرود کریسمس؛ نویسنده: چارلز دیکنز؛ مترجم: بهارک قهرمانی (قهرمان)؛ ویراستار صحرا مولایی؛ تهران دادجو، 1398؛ در 82ص؛ شابک 9786226210799؛
عنوان: سرود کریسمس؛ نویسنده: چالز دیکنز ؛ مترجم: عاطفه جلیلی مرند؛ تهران: نشر نودا، 1398؛ در 80ص؛ شابک 9786009868711؛
این داستان شاهکار را، نخستین بار در دوران دانش آموزی در دبیرستان «فیوضات» در «تبریز»؛ در یکی از سالهای دهه ی چهل از سده چهارده خورشیدی، و در کتابهای درسی آن روزگاران دبیرستانها، به زبان انگلیسی خوانده ام؛ داستان یک مرد پیر، «بی احساس»، و «خسيس»، به نام «ابنزر اسکروچ» است؛ همگان «اسکروچ» را میشناسند، و شمایان هم «اسکروچ»های بسیاری را دیده اید، و آنها را میشناسید؛ فیلمها و کارتونهایی که با اقتباس از این کتاب، ساخته و پرداخته شده اند را هم، لابد دیده، و به تماشا بنشسته اید؛ پس بیش از این نمینویسم؛ کتاب را نخستین بار جناب «حسین سپهری نیک» ترجمه، و در سال 1334هجری خورشیدی، در 100ص، به نشر سپرده اند؛ اما متن کامل کتاب را جناب «حسین ابراهیمی» ترجمه کرده اند، و متنهای کوتاه شده را بانو «کتایون حدادی» با عنوان «آواز کریسمس»؛ و بانو «مهین دانشور» با عنوان «سرود کریسمس»، و جناب «محسن سلیمانی» و جناب «سعید مقدم»؛ و ...؛ شاید دیگرانی هم باشند، که این فراموشکار هنوز ندیده است، همه چیز را همگان دانند
نقل از متن: («اسکروچ» با عصبانیت گفت: وقتی آدم در دنیای احمقها زندگی میکند، چرا عصبانی نشود؟ «کریسمس» مبارک! هه! اصلا «کریسمس» یعنی چه؟ فقط باید موقع «کریسمس» بیشتر از آنکه داری خرج کنی؛ و میفهمی که یک سال دیگر پیرتر شده ای، اما یک ساعت هم ثروتمندتر نشده ای؛ به نظر من، باید هر احمقی را که راه میافتد، و میگوید «کریسمس» مبارک! در همان غذای «کریسمس» اش بیندازند تا با غذا بپزد.)؛ پایان
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 06/06/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 20/05/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی -
“Oh! but he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire, secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shriveled his cheek, stiffened his gait, made his eyes red, his thin lips blue, and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice. A frosty rime was on his head, and on his eyebrows, and his wiry chin. He carried his own low temperature always about with him; he iced his office in the dog-days; and didn’t thaw it one degree at Christmas…”
- Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol is probably the most perfect story I have ever read. Not the best, mind you, and not even my favorite. But in its sublime unity of theme and execution, its graceful symmetries and memorable moments, it is tough to beat. It has been said that A Christmas Carol is the most adapted written work in the English language, and it seems a likely claim, having inspired countless movies, television specials, musicals, and theatrical productions. It is a testament to the essential worthiness of the source material that Dickens’s classic is so readily adaptable in so many mediums, and works just as well when interpreted by Mr. Magoo or Muppets or George C. Scott.
A Christmas Carol has long since transcended its status as a mere novella, and has become symbolic of Christmas itself. More than most books you come across, it is a mood as much as anything. In approximately one-hundred pages – depending on which of the nine-thousand editions you choose – you are confronted with a chilling protagonist who, over the course of five compact acts, will have his certainties challenged, his illusions shattered, and his heart changed.
All of this seems trite and melodramatic in summary; in practice, it is pure magic, a precious gem that waits to be reread each year, and each year just as good as the last.
***
You probably already know this, but A Christmas Carol tells the tale of an aging miser named Ebenezer Scrooge. He works in a counting-house with his poor, put-upon clerk Bob Cratchit. Once upon a time, Scrooge had a partner, Jacob Marley, but when the novella opens, Marley has been dead seven years, though Scrooge seems barely to notice.
Until, that is, Marley appears to him as a ghost, bearing a warning.“It is required of every man,” the Ghost returned, “that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death. It is doomed to wander through the world…and witness what it cannot share, but might have shared on earth, and turned to happiness!”
Marley himself is one of the condemned, as greedy and avaricious as his old partner, and now bearing a “ponderous chain” corresponding to his selfish life. He informs Scrooge that his own chain is even larger, yet there is the possibility of escape. This lifeline is comprised of three separate ghosts – Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come – who will visit him on three separate nights.
Though Scrooge is a bit hesitant of this deal, he is ultimately given little choice on the matter, and those three visits comprise the unforgettable spine of this book.
***
Dickens wrote some doorstoppers in his life. Big, shaggy, serialized novels like Bleak House and David Copperfield, filled with digression and convoluted plot-twists. A Christmas Carol is exceptionally different. It is lean and clean and fast. Dickens may have struggled during the writing, but the finished product bears no sign of it. A Christmas Carol hits every mark with assuredness. To read it is to feel like Dickens knew exactly what he was doing with every sentence, even if that was not actually how it happened.
No matter what else you think about Dickens – and I find him to be strikingly hit-or-miss – the man knew how to create an indelible character. There isn’t much of a roster in A Christmas Carol, but everyone makes the best of their moment on stage. For the most part, this is Scrooge’s show, as he is the only one given even a hint of psychological depth or shading. But that’s okay, because Scrooge has become one of the most recognized figures in literature, if not in all of western pop culture.
The supporting cast, including Cratchit, nephew Fred, and the ghosts themselves, are mostly foils for Scrooge. Still, Dickens presents them flawlessly, using them both to define Scrooge’s contours, and to land emotional blows. We may not know what makes Tiny Tim tick, but we sure aren’t going to forget him.
***
The writing in A Christmas Carol just sparkles. At certain times, Dickens leans hard into the spooky, gothic-horror aspects. At others, he is playful and wry, with conversational exchanges that crackle and pop. Indeed, these two approaches are often combined to wonderful effect, as in Scrooge’s first meeting with Marley, which is both ominous and funny. One of the telling indicators of the prose – especially the dialogue – is that most adaptations simply transfer Dickens’s words wholesale, without making a change.
Dickens always had a finely honed social conscience, and that is on display here. Mostly, though, he keeps his touch light, without losing any impact. Only the Ghost of Christmas Present tends towards pedantry, and that’s only towards the end of his tour. Mostly, Dickens makes his points through highly-polished vignettes, such as Scrooge’s observations of the Cratchit family.
***
The Christmas cynic says that the season is hypocritical, and that even those people who volunteer, give money, and donate food and gifts only do so once a year.
The optimist says that maybe the Christmas spirit can be contagious, like a benign virus, and that the goodness of the season, or even just the day, can spread.
The realist understands that most people – myself included – need a kick in the butt to give more, and to help more, and to be kinder. Even if that only happens for the roughly thirty-day period between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, it’s at least something. It’s a start.
That’s the lesson of A Christmas Carol. The Ghosts don’t change Scrooge; he changes himself. And as Dickens famously writes, he kept that going the rest of his days: “He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man as the good old City knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough in the good old world.”
Maybe we won’t undergo a late-December miracle, but maybe we can all be a little bit better, at least until March.
***
“Timeless” is probably an overused adjective, yet A Christmas Carol has earned that sobriquet. It spoke to audiences in 1843, and continues to speak to us, almost one-hundred-and-eighty years later. Of course, it is not entirely unique or original. Dickens was obviously influenced by writers such as Washington Irving, whose own holiday stories he read, and by the emerging Christmas zeitgeist. Beyond that, I’m sure most cultures have a similar archetypal account of a rich man forced to transform his ways.
Dickens’s accomplishment is in taking existing elements and fitting them into a seamless, endlessly satisfying structure, putting Scrooge through his paces so that his eventual redemption is earned, rather than forced.
Also, he totally crushes the names.
***
It is our reality as humans that most of our lives exist in what we can remember. After all, we have control only of the instant second, and already, that second is passing.
For me, Christmas is a marker of time. I have forgotten the vast majority of my days on earth, but can recall most of my Christmases. They are these brilliant nodes of recollection, as real now as they ever were: the Christmas I – like Ralphie Parker – got my first BB gun; the last Christmas I had with my grandparents, and the first one without; the Christmas after my parents divorced; the first Christmas I spent with my wife; the Christmas that occurred ten days after the birth of my first child. Most are sweet, some bittersweet, and all of them locked behind a door in my mind, waiting for the right key.
That key comes in many forms: an ornament on my mom’s tree that has been reflecting light since the Great Depression; the smell of pine; the first few chords of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.
A Christmas Carol is part of that. It is a vessel, a vein to be tapped. Once opened, it unleashes a flood of visitors: not three spirits, but ten-thousand memories and one. -
How many of you know an Ebenezer Scrooge? How many of you are Ebenezer Scrooge?
Written in 1843, A Christmas Carol is a novella that has stood the test of time.
This year, we didn’t put up a Christmas tree, and I haven’t been feeling the “Christmas spirit.” But this book squarely right sided the situation.
A Christmas Carol hits on some important societal issues, and it has iconic, unforgettable characters. It also has some laugh-out-loud moments.
Here is one of my favorite quotes:
“What shall I put you down for?”
“Nothing!” Scrooge replied.
“You wish to be anonymous?”
“I wish to be left alone,” said Scrooge.
As Scrooge explores what each of the ghosts has to show him, I loved how the ghosts use Scrooge’s own words against him.
This year, A Christmas Carol hit very differently. Over the past few years, I lost my ability to control my left leg due to a genetic defect.
Tiny Tim talks about going to church and says, “it might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk, and blind men see.”
This passage really got to me, and I started to cry. In February, I started an experimental treatment, and I was able to walk again. When I go to church, there are usually no seats left except in the front. As part of my genetic defect, my body can’t process protein. There are extremely high levels of protein in my blood including my brain, and it makes me unbearably tired.
What do people see when they see me sleeping in the third row of church? Do people see me as someone who gave what little energy they had to God? Or do they see someone lazy and disrespectful? Or should I not care and just be happy that I made it to church and that I can walk again?
A Christmas Carol is a great reminder to bring Christmas cheer. When talking about Scrooge, so many people choose to go positive and wish him a Merry Christmas. Who can we show kindness to this holiday season?
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How many times have I seen a version of A Christmas Carol? Probably too many times to count, but I can try:
- A stage version at least half a dozen times
- The Disney version with Scrooge McDuck
- The Disney version with Jim Carrey
- A Muppet Christmas Carol
- Scrooged with Bill Murray
- Probably more that I am forgetting
Finally, I have taken it upon myself to read the source material! Did I like it? Two words: BAH, HUMBUG!
In Dickens-ese that means I did. I have enjoyed pretty much every adaptation I have seen and, in general, they seem very close to the original story. So, I have no complaints!
One thing you will find with the book is that each ghost has one or two more scenes that they show Scrooge. It seems like adapters of the book have generally agreed on which stories to leave out as I don't think I was familiar with any of the "new" tales.
Do you love Christmas stories? Classics? Adaptations of this story? I am not saying you should read this, I am saying you pretty much have to! -
The Christmas classic that everyone knows – even if they haven’t read it. It's quite short, and at some levels quite an easy read, but there is plenty of depth, so I think it's worth reading it in a thoughtful and slightly leisurely way.
Plot
It is a simple tale of how a normal man turns cold-hearted and mean and how, when confronted with memories of his past and the possible outcomes of his actions and inactions, he is redeemed by making positive changes to his life and thus that of others.
Image: Three-cell summary by John Atkinson/Wrong Hands (
Source)
Typical Victoriana or not?
The book opens with wonderful bathos, “Marley was dead, to begin with.” So right from the outset it is clear it is not a straightforward factual tale. Apart from the famous ghosts (of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come), which were not unusual in literature of the time, it has time travel and parallel worlds, where each significant choice leads to a branching of reality, which is a staple of much great sci fi. Not such a typical Victorian novel after all.
Whilst it is a book whose unhurried and detailed descriptions of Christmas are the epitome of the season (“apoplectic opulence”), it is a book of great contrasts: humbug/festivities, hot/cold, company/solitude, poverty/wealth, worthy poor/wastrels, past/future etc.
There is humour too, such as observing that a coffin nail would be deader than the proverbial doornail.
Corruption and redemption
Scrooge’s name has become synonymous with meanness and sociopathy, which is unfair.
The whole point of the book is that he changes for the better, and right from the start there are hints that he wasn’t and isn’t irredeemably bad. For example, he never removed Marley’s name from the sign above his office. I don’t think the reason was solely parsimony because during and after the ghostly encounters, we see different aspects of Scrooge, surely exposed by the ghosts, not actually created by them. So maybe part of the reason for leaving the name was a fondness for the memory of his friend and partner - a link to happier times.
Certainly Scrooge had sunk to nasty depths, and maybe "It was all the same to him" reflects Scrooge's conscious and observable attitude, rather than the deeper, painful mix of happy and sad memories that he tried so hard to suppress, even though Scrooge would have denied it and believed his denial.
Charity is shown to be not merely financial, but personal too (being pleasant, complimentary, thinking creatively about what to do). A counterpoint to that is that regret is pointless and self-indulgent: the way to overcome it is through reparation – which takes us back to charity.
Image: Scrooge by Quentin Blake for 1993 postage stamp (
Source)
Ghostly significance
The ghostly visitors are not of the Christian kind, but ghost stories were popular in Victorian England. Each ghost is very distinctive in appearance and manner.
* The first is pale, shadowy (long forgotten?) and “like a child; yet not so like a child as an old man” (the child is father of the man?).
* The second is a convivial festive spirit wanting to share joy.
* The third is dark, solemn and scary, reflecting Scrooge’s fears of death and also the sadness that will emanate from him if he does not change, but also with an indistinct face and shape, perhaps suggesting the potential malleability of the future.
Christmas Weather and Traditions
This story is perhaps almost as much part of collective British consciousness about Christmas as the nativity: the presence of snow, gifts, family - and turkey all feel an essential part of the festivities, possibly more so than when Dickens wrote it.
Apparently, snow features strongly in a Dickensian Christmas because of an unusual number of white Christmases in Dickens' childhood; for him, the two went together in his mind, if not always in his adult life.
Christian or Secular?
It has been suggested that it is a surprisingly secular book, but we live in a less religious society and so don’t always notice religious symbolism and allegories unless they’re spelt out. The whole story is a parallel of the Christian gospel, and the fact it’s set at Christmas emphasises that. The main message of Christianity is that no sinner is beyond salvation if they genuinely repent, and that is also the story of Scrooge.
There are other links too: three people profiting from the spoils of the dead man (like the Roman soldiers at the cross, albeit they cast lots to decide who got what) and Peter Cratchit reading from the Bible in Christmas yet to come.
In those days, religion was so much part of quotidian life for most people that it almost fades into the background at times, like having a wash. Dickens had no need say the quotation is from the Bible or to talk about baby Jesus being part of Christmas because all his readers would know that and most of them would believe it. In our secular times, perhaps that makes the story more powerful now than when it was written?
Image: Bob Cratchitt and Tiny Tim by Quentin Blake for 1993 postage stamp (
Source)
Fresh insights - 2020 UPDATE
I really enjoyed this 45-minute podcast by a trio of twenty-somethings I know:
Teaching My Cat to Read - A Christmas Carol
Their lively and creative discussion views the story in ways I hadn't considered, demonstrating why it remains so relevant and enjoyable. It also touches on Lord of the Rings, Beowulf, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, The Hogfather, The Muppets (or course), and capitalism and healthcare.
One aspect that especially resonated with me was that they kept coming back to the importance personal connections - something many of us miss acutely in this Christmas plagued by plague. It's not just about charity and money. Scrooge wasn't always "Scrooge", but became that way because of unresolved hurt and trauma. Early on, three people reach out to him to embrace the spirit of the season. He rebuffs them, so it falls to actual spirits.
There's plenty more in the podcast...
Finally:
Brian Bilston's "Tense Christmas"
It's included in Days Like These: An alternative guide to the year in 366 poems, which I am reviewing
HERE. -
We can look at this one of two ways, either I'm a bit late to do a
Christmas Book Haul video or I'm hella early for next year.
(Click the link to see what other books arrived via the polar express). -
What a fantastic story! How terrible it was to be poor in the Victorian Era. Dickens was a humanitarian and saw first hand the poverty in the streets of London. The starving urchins trying to steal an apple or a handkerchief. The void between the rich and the poor. This story, like Oliver Twist in my opinion is a masterpiece.
The musicals are just, brilliant. 👍🐯
Christmas is coming, we know its near
Evenings are darker, the cold weather is here
Will there be snow? The sky is white
Or have they been Chem- Trailing? All through the night?
Corporations love it! Consume, buy, consume, buy
Temptation, pretty colours, prices way too high
We know we can't afford it, so credit cards we use
When ones child is surrounded by all these things, how could one refuse?
More and more credit, people just don't see
It's all a lure, to take your hard earned money!
The bank is in the red, cards no credit left
Spending money we have not got, it is all akin to theft
When the party is over, it is a New Year
Reality hits home, and many are filled with fear
All the booze has gone, the cakes and turkey too
Everything purchased, has been used or consumed
Not a pot to piss in, just a huge vacuum
Hung over, depressed, lots of work to do, back to the mundane
Was it ever worth it? We all must be insane
Not the CEO's though, happy they are
Their bank accounts are bursting, and probably have a new expensive car
The rest of us sadly, continue as before
A working persons life, is really a chore
Up early, commute, and work all bloody day
Obey a boss, yes sir no sir, everything is OK
Repeat it day in day out, for a pittance of pay
Repetition, repetition, its like Ground Hog Day
We pay our taxes, National Insurance too, Why?
Yet when we need benefits, or an operation, no matter how we try
We never tick their boxes, computer says no!
One is talking to a human but, they never show
Any compassion, empathy or emotion, no semblance of care
They are only doing their job, and the box has no tick in there
One does not tick the box, one has no chance
No matter whatsoever, one's circumstance
Computer says no, the Beast see's no profit, even though one's contributions were paid in
That's the Corporations, corpses, bleeding us dry, we are drowning
NHS has no money, it is failing fast, what a damn cheek!
No money in the NHS yet, footballers earn £250,000 a week!
A crazy world we live in, it's all inverted and upside down
Could have had a crazy woman as US president but, ended up with a Clown
All these Elites are crazy, and not there for us
When the shit hits the fan, we will be under the bus
These people are all part of a secret clique
And we are not invited, as we are weak
We work through the Week Days
Like in a field, a sheep, that never strays
And come the Weekend, we are weakened, and need a rest
Sunday is the sabbath, relax, cos' Mon one is needed to be at their best
For one has to pay their taxes, their debts too
It's a never ending cycle, insane, loopy loo
Perpetual debt, slavery, stocks and bonds, assets frozen and Banksters
Liquidation, cash flow, currency, CEO's are Wankers
Most of one's earnings taken, and sucked in by the Beast
We will eat budget foods while CEO's feast
Money is our bondage, this paper we crave, we are simply debt Slaves
Maritime Law, Piracy Of The High Seas, and Britannia Rules The Waves🐯👍
By Leo.
Remember this one growing up? Nostalgia...
Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat
Please put a penny in the old mans hat
If you have not a penny, a halfpenny will do
If have you not a halfpenny, then God bless you
A pleasant nursery rhyme🐯👍
Or
Christmas is coming, the rich are getting fat
Devoured everything, and that is that
Taken all the money, everything else too
And absolutely nothing left, for me and you🐯👍
:-0
Let's enjoy our festivities and forget about the rich and their ilk
Let them wear their designer clothes and enjoy their sheets of silk
Let indulge on the meat, puddings, port, whiskey and wine
Choke on the gristle, whilst they dine
Let them smoke their cigars, eat all the candy and nuts
Fill their veins with cholesterol and burst their guts
Fatten their bellies, and pickle their liver
Just that thought, gets me all of a quiver
So here is a greeting, with joy and cheer
As we welcome in, another New Year🐯👍
Merry Christmas to everybody on Goodreads, happy holidays. 👍🐯
Happy New Year!🐯👍🐯👍
So Christmas is over, for another year
It has been a good 2017 on Goodreads, all cheer!
Many new authors, and books galore
For all tastes and ages, all what readers adore
Let's start 2018 with a new story, leave 2017 behind
Let's not forget the books we read though, we have expanded the mind. 🐯👍
Are the authorities any better now? Back then people knew their place. Now not so much. I have had experiences with these, authorities. Here is a little rant:
How does one deal with a neighbour from hell?
Email the council, wait for them to give one a bell
And wait, and wait, and wait some more
But the call does not come, so try once more
Has to be email, for recorded message, and number to press
The option one requires is not available, what a complete mess
This system, automated, no reason or rhyme
Just go around in circles, all the bloody time
Nothing ever gets done, this system, this beast
No empathy, no concern, not in the least
All one gets is nonsense eventually, when they call
We are all just a number, this system is so cruel
A case spanning ten years, and still no hope
The authorities do nothing, and I just cannot cope
The neighbour's behavior escalates, yet nobody will intervene
Since the day he moved in, it is all it has ever been
Hoarding rubbish, rats, mice, and flies
Calling the Police on us, and telling them lies
His deviant behavior, his antics, disgusting to see
Leaning up against my front door, and having a pee
All over the cat flap, sodden and wet
Contaminating, Archimedes, my beautiful pet!
My neighbour is vindictive, cunning, never sleeps
Stands naked in his window, and gives my girl the creeps
This man, this creep, who has ruined our lives, such pain
I have had numerous breakdowns, he is making me insane
Yet still, nothing, nothing is done, we are stunned
He goes about his life, yet we are shunned
What is this system? We mean nothing, only he
And we have ploughed everything we have, into our property
Bought it from the council fifteen years ago
Since that time, neighbours, to and fro
We have had drunkards, criminals, drug addicts, and now this
We feel the council took our money, now they are taking the piss!
Another neighbour complained, saw him warts and all
As she was walking with her child, towards the school
One hundred yards from our front door
And he plays up downstairs, Porn, Hardcore!
We hear it frequently, and the authorities were told
Dating back years, yet we are left out in the cold
Finally this man has been arrested, the neighbour called the law, such luck
Yet we have been telling them this for years, OMG! WTF!
So they took him away, and it put us at ease, he has gone the creep
Maybe tonight, we will finally get some good earned sleep
However, to our dismay, the Police brought him back, he is downstairs now
I have this horrible feeling, something is not right somehow
This man clearly needs supervision, yet here he is
My brain is all scatty, I am all in a tiz
I don't quite get, what the hell is going on
How we have to put up with this phenomenon
He called the Police on us for apparently bullying him, for our concerns for his welfare
And at midnight that same day, we had quite a scare
Two police officers banging on our door, in the late night
No concern for our welfare, gave us quite a fright
Enter our property, cos' he feels victimized, OMG!
We have had this for a decade, yet get woken by PC Plod
So this is one of many issues causing my soul to break
My girl has enough to deal with, for goodness sake
Having to deal with this, being flashed as she leaves for work in the morning, it is wrong
Stepping over rubbish bags, and him leering, his stench, his pong
He does not wash, or clean, or tidy, or care
About his appearance, or when people stare
He seems to like it, an audience, the Police know
Yet they still have not spoken to us, no show
I really am at the end of my tether, this is too much to take
I am sitting here in my lounge, on edge, wide awake
This is when my brain cells are on fire, I suppose
When I am empty, and forlorn, I pen my prose
The words they flow, like a river racing
Like a cheetah, on the hunt, pacing
My head feels like it is going to blow
So I suppress it, this feeling of sorrow
It is a crazy world, in which we live
Nobody ever, ever, seems to give
An ounce of compassion, no feeling, no heart
A system that is totally falling apart
It is time we woke up and realised thus
That the authorities are simply, not there for us
Nobody cares, about you, or about me
Only what the celebrities, are doing on TV
Which team won the weekend? Who scored? Which player? OMG!
I am still smarting about PC Plod!
All is quiet at present, hope it stays that way, still
My girl gets up at six, and walking by his front door makes her feel ill
My girl will sleep alone tonight, my insomnia is back, I am wired, it will seem
So I will sit here, silent, hoping for a snooze, and welcome a dream👍🐯
By Leo
I wonder what Dickens would make of the Rich Quarter in London today. The mind boggles. -
‘I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach.’
Perhaps the ultimate Christmas story, Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol has captivated hearts and minds each holiday season since it’s release in 1843. And what says Christmas quite like using the fear of death to sway a wicked, rich man into opening his eyes to the need for community, for sharing burdens, for using our brief time amongst the living to uplift one another instead of shackling others to debt and misery in order to enrich ourselves at the cost of all that is good and beautiful. Though it is not his death that shakes him up most, but seeing the effects of his actions and learning that empathy is the best path forward. This story is as festive as a tree freshly adorned with lights and has canonized itself as a holiday tradition in the great collage of seasonal influences. Dickens harnesses the joyful mystery of the Christmas season as a searing message of kindness, empathy and rebirth, placing a damned soul on the precipice of his legacy of ruin and causing an introspective trauma with enough blunt force to shatter the ice around his heart and open the possibilities of shared love. We all have our ghosts that haunt us—usually they don’t kidnap us from bed on Christmas Eve to rub our noses in the filth of our making to wash ourselves clean, but this does remind us maybe it could happen to you—and Dickens reminds us all to live better, live for each other as well as ourselves, and to give in to the spirit of the holidays.
‘There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.’
I have to thank my good friend Kenny for inspiring this read as it is his holiday tradition to have a Dickens December. Which gets me thinking about tradition, especially as I’ve been reading impressing upon the bliss of tradition. The holidays are a magical time because it is a season where it is socially acceptable across all fronts to emote. Sure it has become mired in capitalist steroids of expensive gifts, flashy displays, and all that jazz that pissed the Grinch off enough to rob everyone bare, but underneath it all is a tender heart of compassion and expressions of love that we can return to in our hearts. Traditions are like the shortcut to that passion. This story, for one, is a tradition in my family as I am quite fond of
The Muppet’s Christmas Carol, and the power of this narrative to have the pulse of the holidays is part of the reason it has become a tradition for many and has been widely adapted. I grew up on the Alastair Sim version as well, finding it a bit dusty for my childhood tastes but now watching it is a quick route to warm memories. Same with
It’s A Wonderful Life, a movie I couldn’t stand as a kid because it was SO long but now I can’t go a December without watching (while usually getting good and wine drunk and shouting along with every line, sorry everyone). It isn’t Christmas for me until my sister and I shout “Merry Christmas Bedford Falls!” to each other in bad Jimmy Stewart impressions and then retort “And a happy new years! In jail!” But enough about Christmas traditions.
This book is a pretty awesome punching up at society. Dickens shows the poor as downtrodden and oppressed, but captures the whole “salt of the earth” elements to show that their resilience and love shines bright enough in the darkness to make this whole tragicomedy of living worth the endeavor. Tiny Tim is a symbol of purity, like a Job unquestioning in his faith of goodness despite the hardships of his reality. And then we have Scrooge. The bad boss, the guy you cross the street to avoid, the man with nothing good to say and only greedy hands that will take your very soul if they can grasp you. Sweet Bob Cratchet labors away for him in the dimly lit office because ‘darkness was cheap, and Scrooge liked it,’ a line that makes me chuckle having worked in a factory where ‘being cold in winter is cheaper’ was a legit response to asking if we can get some heat. Dickens takes dead aim at the ruling elites and, through the help of three ghosts, shows that their money loving ways is a crash course to spiritual ruin and a legacy of shame.
Not to make this sound bleak, because Dickens is quite funny in fact. Also this book still feels wildly relevant in theme and message all these decades later.
I love that this is a ghost story. I love the infusion of horror with Christmas, I think it puts us closer to life by remembering death is part of the deal. I like the theory that the lamp gasses in the Victorian era lead to the telling of ghost stories because everyone was high as shit, which isn’t that different from my own Christmas Eve’s with friends. So carry on that tradition. But it also gets into how rather frightening a lot of religious messaging on hellfire and damned souls can be. Which has never been something I’ve enjoyed about religion but when you mix it with Christmas and tell a story like this, the holiday acts like sugar to sweeten it all into a pretty charming festive treat. Dickens story lives on, and understandably so, because it grabs our primal fears of death and public opinion and asks us to be the better version of ourselves. Because in doing so we can uplift those around us. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays to all my friends. Thanks, Dickens, this was a magical read that put me in some high holiday spirits. Now to go listen to Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, my traditional favorite holiday album. -
This was a reread for me and it needs no introduction. The perfect read at Christmas time and I love it!
-
Ebenezer Scrooge, the very definition of grumpy miserliness, gets a second chance at figuring out what's really important in life, with the help of some ghosts who give him an unforgettable version of "This is Your Life."
This may not be a perfect piece of literature - there are a few places where Dickens goes off on tangential lines of thought that I thought would have been better left out - but you know, it's actually amazing and really touching, the influence this classic novella has had on our culture. I have to give it props for that, and that's what bumps my rating from 4 stars to 5.
If you're interested in a brief glossary of some of the Victorian terms that aren't familiar to us nowadays, I found a very useful set of annotations online at
http://drbacchus.com/files/christmas_..., along with some brief commentary from someone who clearly loves this story. I found this when I went on a search to figure out what Treadmills had to do with England's treatment of the poor. It was very instructive!
God bless us every one! -
One of the most influential and anti grinchy works of all time.
It might be hard to impossible to find someone who hasn´t at least heard about this classic example of Christmas ethic seminar, something close to impossible to achieve and to thank Dickens for as a paladin of humanism. The story is well known, close to an epigenetic factor because of its prominence, so let´s drivel around the core element.
I don´t know where this kind of moral storytelling originated, probably tens of thousands of years ago when the first shaman or chief thought it would be cool to use vision, prophecy, the power of dreams, imagination and a grain of indoctrination to communicate the right behavior to her/his people. Ethics and moral are important, omnipresent, and timeless topics that shouldn´t be reduced to the few holidays of different religions to give people, working against the interests of humankind to enrich themselves the whole year, a bad conscience (as if this would be possible, as if they would even realize what monsters they are as they don´t directly kill, but just indirectly support the misery by playing key roles of a dysfunctional system), but used in everyday life, politics, and every single decision. Ok, before it gets completely unrealistic, I´ll better end this review.
Just one more if you have time? Great. A bit too much fourth wall breaking here today, sorry for that.
The bigotry and mendacity of society and the middle and upper classes have grown since Dickens times, as they were at least confronted with the poor and their suffering, directly starving on the streets next to the degenerated elite, while noblemen and ladies were worried there shoes or clothes could get stained if a dying person collapses in their direction as blood was so difficult to get out those days without fancy detergent tech.
Today, the hardship and slums are kept far away from the modern, beautiful, important parts of cities, recreational and cultural centers, etc. so that nobody has to burden her/himself with thinking or even worrying about the majority of people living in precarious conditions to serve the upper class to enable their useless, earth shattering consumption and snobbish spare time activities they need wage slaves for to really enjoy, as they can´t even get their lazy buttocks moving to make themselves a coffee or meal or find hobbies not involving dozens of minimum wage paid people needed to support their entertainment.
Not even to mention the Southern hemisphere and the immense, unnecessary, by a fair economic system easily preventable, suffering of billions and dying of tens of millions of people directly caused by this system.
But hey, merry Christmas everyone.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph... -
REREADING IN 2017 BUT I REPEAT EVERYTHING BELOW TO MY UN-SCROOGY FRIENDS.
I wish a most UN-SCROOGY Christmas to all my GR Friends.
With lots of:
Merriment
Christmas Love
Generous and very Christmasy Gifts
Copious and Delicious Food
Not too much drinking
Christmas Games
Another watch of The Nutcracker
And of course...Fascinating and Beautiful Books
And to remember what Scrooge learnt:
I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future! -
im usually not a seasonal reader, but this year i tried to make an effort to read a couple of holiday themed books and im so glad i saved this for last!
i grew up very familiar with the story of ‘a christmas carol’ via multiple adaptations (shoutout to the flintstones version from my childhood!), but i cant believe i never read the actual book itself. dickens is such a well known author, so its difficult to not critique this as i normally would with a book. but i think the message of this story is so important and should be the focus of this review.
i personally know how easy it is to get caught up in the hustle and bustle and materialism and stress that can surround the holiday season. we fixate so much on sales and good deals and buying things to make us happy, that we can forget a loving word or spending quality time with those we care about are really what should be a priority. we should remember that kindness is the best gift we can give.
so let us follow scrooges (eventual) example, when he says ‘i will honour christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year,' and allow the christmas spirit be something we not only feel this time of year, but always.
happy holidays and best wishes to all my fellow bookworms. <3
↠ 4 stars -
I’ve seen countless film, TV and stage adaptations of A Christmas Carol, but it wasn’t until this week that I read the actual text. Which is strange. I adore Dickens. If pressed, I’d call him one of my all-time favourite authors. But it’s a busy time of year, and when I watch the films it’s usually in a social situation.
This week I found myself with a few extra hours and finally read the novella. Wow. I’m very glad I did. Here are some thoughts:
• I can see why it’s so frequently adapted and has stood the test of time
The structure is brilliant. Think of all the characters Scrooge interacts with in the opening section (Cratchit, his nephew, the people from the charity). Notice how he encounters them all in the final section, too! The dialogue is so clear and sharp screenwriters don’t have to change much. And that dialogue has to be memorable (“Are there no prisons?” “Decrease the surplus population”) in order to register when the lines are thrown back at him later.
• Dickens’ description of Scrooge is amazing:Oh! But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shriveled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue; and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice.
Look at that series of words (“squeezing, wrenching, grasping…”). They tell you everything you need to know about the man. I'm not sure I like “secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster” – we already get that. But what colourful, character-rich description. I LOVE the flint that doesn’t give generous fire! And that then leads to the passage about how the coldness WITHIN HIM affects his features. Brilliant.
• I love the humour
Scrooge (say the name and your face scrunches up in a snarl) walks in the street and here's Dickens explaining how people avoid him:No beggars implored him to bestow a trifle, no children asked him what it was o’clock, no man or woman ever once in all his life inquired the way to such and such a place, of Scrooge. Even the blind men’s dogs appeared to know him; and when they saw him coming on, would tug their owners into doorways and up courts; and then would wag their tails as though they said, “No eye at all is better than an evil eye, dark master!”
That “what it was o’clock” and “such and such a place” are classic and timeless. I love that bit about the dogs. It’s visual and funny.
When the ghost of Marley visits Scrooge (speaking of which: that chain of cash-boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, etc. is a brilliant, brilliant image and metaphor!), I always, ALWAYS laugh at Scrooge's explanation: "a little thing affects [the senses]. A slight disorder of the stomach makes them cheats. You may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of an underdone potato. There's more of gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are!"
The smug pun on "gravy" and "grave" is amusing, and there's a poetry of sorts in that "fragment of an underdone potato."
• The story moves at a clip!
After Scrooge leaves his office, there’s this: “Scrooge took his melancholy dinner in his usual melancholy tavern; and having read all the newspapers, and beguiled the rest of the evening with his banker’s-book, went home to bed.” I figured there’d be a whole couple of paragraphs at the restaurant. Nope!
What’s amazing about the text is that after his transformation (I’m assuming this isn’t a spoiler), there are only some 6 pages left for him to realize it’s still Christmas Day, order the turkey (I love the exchange with the boy on the street) for Cratchit and his family, walk the streets as with renewed vigour, go to his nephew’s for Christmas dinner and then surprise Cratchit the next day. That’s a LOT to fit in.
Here’s the exchange at his nephew Fred’s home:“Why bless my soul!” cried Fred, “who’s that?”
“It’s I. Your uncle Scrooge. I have come to dinner. Will you let me in, Fred?”
Let him in! It is a mercy he didn’t shake his arm off. He was at home in five minutes. Nothing could be heartier. His niece looked just the same. So did Topper when he came. So did the plump sister when she came. So did every one when they came. Wonderful party, wonderful games, wonderful unanimity, won-der-ful happiness!
But he was early at the office next morning…”
Most adaptations understandably have Scrooge asking Fred for some sort of forgiveness, to add an emotional beat that recalls Scrooge's dead sister. But Dickens, who’s often accused of writing too much, goes right to the next scene!
• The name of Scrooge’s kindly old boss, Mr. Fezziwig (see above illustration)
His name always makes me laugh. But to READ the name in print is almost more fizzy fun than to merely hear it said.
• Social conscience
Dickens knew poverty and his books shed light on the social inequities of the Victorian era: the workhouses, debtors’ prisons, etc. His sensitivity comes through even in this short book, not just in that classic sequence about Ignorance and Want, but also in the scene in which the Ghost of Christmas Present takes Scrooge to the miners’ village and then to spy on a couple of sailors (“the elder… with his face all damaged and scarred with hard weather, as the figure-head of an old ship might be: struck up a sturdy song that was like a Gale in itself”). After the great scene at nephew Fred’s place, where they play the game that involves Scrooge, comes this passage:The Spirit stood beside sick beds, and they were cheerful; on foreign lands, and they were close at home; by struggling men, and they were patient in their greater hope; by poverty, and it was rich. In almshouse, hospital, and jail, in misery’s every refuge, where vain man in his little brief authority had not made fast the door, and barred the Spirit out, he left his blessing, and taught Scrooge his precepts.
Wow. I love this passage. It’s expansive, encompassing many people and lives.
• Sentimentality
Okay, there’s the matter of Tiny Tim: “and to Tiny Tim, who did not die, he was a second father.” So Tim NEVER dies?
• Let’s instead concentrate on Dickens’s insights into human behaviour:
If you look at the Cratchit’s dinner during the Ghost Of Christmas Present scene, I love how Dickens shows how the family’s in denial about the size of the meal: “There never was such a goose…. Eked out by apple-sauce and mashed potatoes, it was a sufficient dinner for the whole famly; indeed, as Mrs. Cratchit said with great delight (surveying one small atom of a bone upon the dish), they hadn’t ate it all at last! Yet every one had had enough…”
Dickens makes even the most minor character memorable. Consider all the fuss about Master Peter Cratchit’s collars, something that’s classic if you substitute those collars for the latest teen fashion. And Dickens even gives us this little bit near the end of that scene: “… and Peter might have known, and very likely did, the inside of a pawnbroker’s.”
This is Dickens acknowledging human truths. He’s not judging, simply observing. Yes, the book is a ghost story and a tad sentimental. But what makes it a classic are details like this that show how flawed, limited people can be redeemed by the thought and spirit of something larger than themselves.
To quote from near the story's end: "May that be truly said of us, and all of us!" -
*Read for class
1. This is the first book I've finished in September I am so damn excited.
2. I have endless love for this story because my mom is obsessed with Christmas movies so I've seen at least a million adaptations of it. Happy to say the book was even better! Short and sweet, yet still Dickensian! -
Heartwarming, atmospheric and sweet
Best and happiest of all, the time before him was his own, to make amends in!
‘I will live in the past, present and future!’
I don't have much to say about
A Christmas Carol that has not been said a thousand times. I found it a lovely, atmospheric read, with a satisfying turn around of Scrooge from his initial chagrin. Maybe in a modern book such a full reversal would be deemed saccharine and for naive children but I feel
Charles Dickens did an excellent job of offering hope of redemption and betterment in this novella. What could be more Christmas like?
And besides, he is genuinely funny, making Scrooge for instance almost say the following to a supernatural apparition:
He then made bold to inquire what business brought him here.
‘Your welfare’ said the ghost.
Scrooge expressed himself much obliged, but could not help thinking that a night of unbroken rest would have been more conducive to that end. -
What a way to continue my annual Christmas reading...
If there is one story that is synonymous with Christmas, it would be Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. How I have gone so long in my life never having read this story, I do not know. I quite liked the movie from the early 1950s and always used that as my benchmark for what the story is all about, but chose to take the plunge and read Dickens’ actual words, yet another tradition that comes from the Victorian era.
As miserly Ebenezer Scrooge heads home late one Christmas Eve night, he is visited by the apparition of his former business partner, Jacob Marley, dead seven years. Marley’s apparition tells that Scrooge will be visited by three ghosts who will show him essential things that he needs to know.
While Scrooge scoffs at the entire process, he is startled when the first ghost appears to take him into the past. This experience shows Scrooge some of the events from his past and how he became the man he is today. A second ghost explores current decisions Scrooge has been making, including some of the most miserly choices he could have made. Quite startled by this point, Scrooge does not want the third visit, but must see life as it would be after his passing and how others will speak of him. This is enough to help bring about an epiphany for the elderly Ebenezer, who sees the world for what it could be. A Christmas classic that I will definitely add to my annual read list, this one is recommended for anyone eager to explore Christmas and its true meaning.
Many of my friends on Goodreads have read this book and are as astounded as me that I had never done so myself. I found myself enthralled from the opening sentences and remained captivated throughout. I will admit that I chose to let the stellar voice of Tim Curry guide me through the Audible version of this tale, which brought the experience to life for me and will be used each December, of that I can be sure. Dickens is a master storyteller and many renditions of this story have emerged over the years, all of which have their own spin on the story. The themes that come up as Scrooge explores his life are sensational and there is little about which any reader could complain. Divided into five distinct staves, Dickens pulls the reader in and keeps their attention until the final sentence, never letting things lose momentum. I can only hope to find more exciting tales in the years to come, to add to my December collection.
Kudos, Mr. Dickens, for a stunning story that touches the heart of each reader in its own way.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge:
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/... -
As perfect as ever. Just a joy to read.
-
I have to admit that, at the ripe old age of 66, I finally listened to the full text as Dickens wrote it.
It definitely deserves all the accolades it has ever deserved. I recommend it not just for graceful language, but for continued relevance to our day and age.
A Christmas Carol is a very short book, easily read or listened to in just a few hours. Even if you've experienced the story via a dozen different movie versions and spin offs, I think getting back to the original is well worth your time. -
This short parable or morality tale is probably one of the most read novellas within Charles Dickens’ vast body of work, and one that truly embodies the spirit of Christmas. A short book we could all do with on these cold winter nights (on this side of the world, they are, at least)!
I guess everyone knows the story in broad strokes: Ebenezer Scrooge, a disgusting narrow-shouldered old misanthrope and life-denying penny-pincher (the avatar of Shylock, Volpone, Harpagon and many more literary misers) is about to spend Christmas Eve alone in his cold house, after having dismissed his nephew, his underpaid clerk, everyone. During the night, he meets the ghost of Jacob Marley, his late business partner, then three successive spirits, like the three Biblical Magi, each with a terrible vision of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come. At the end of this long nightmare, where Scrooge travels in space and time, he sees the error of his ways, repents, promises to amend his behaviour and abandon his avarice.
The story is, of course, if not familiar, entirely predictable, but the genius of Dickens lies in his ability to breathe life into his characters and settings. In particular, the description of Victorian Camden market in Stave four, with the seasonal food and drink and preparations for Christmas Eve dinner is mouthwatering. The chapter titled “The end of it”, when Scrooge wakes up to a bright golden Christmas morning, filled with bells ringing at full peal, is probably one of the most elating pieces of literature I have ever read. In the edition I own, Arthur Rackham’s illustrations, have, as always, the quaint charm of bygone days.
The film industry has plundered Dickens shamelessly on this one.
Robert Zemeckis’ version, with Jim Carrey, is probably the most respectful of the text, although the CGI is frankly horrendous. I much prefer Frank Capra and James Stewart’s inverted variation in
It’s a Wonderful Life.
And with this, dear Goodreads people and friends, have a holly jolly Christmas, read on, and may Santa Claus bring you three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree! -
"Bah! Humbug!"
Who does not recognise this expostulation, and the old curmudgeon who spat it out. The very name "Scrooge" has entered the vernacular to indicate a mean-spirited skinflint.
"Oh! But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge, a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint."
And even the phrase "Merry Christmas" only became popular following the appearance of this novella.
A Christmas Carol is one of Dickens' most enduring and well-loved tales. He wrote it in six weeks, and it was originally published in the Christmas of 1843. It evokes perfectly the sensations of a Victorian Christmas, but its lasting appeal lies in its power to speak to us today, 170 years later. In fact it has never been out of print. Starting with this tale, Dickens wrote longish themed stories annually and the five were subsequently published together as "Christmas Books". He also of course wrote many more shorter Christmas stories.
Dickens loved to paint a picture. Everything in this story is heightened; the descriptions are so vivid that in places they are almost surreal, and inanimate objects take on a life - and personality - of their own. A church bell is
"always peeping slyly down at Scrooge…[it] struck the hours and quarters in the clouds, with tremulous vibrations afterwards as if its teeth were chattering in its frozen head up there."
There is water with "its overflowings sullenly congealed, and turned to misanthropic ice,"
Scrooge's chambers are "a gloomy suite of rooms, in a lowering pile of buildings up a yard, where it had so little business to be, that one could scarcely help fancying it must have run there when it was a young house, playing at hide-and-seek with other houses, and forgotten the way out again."
I cannot remember ever feeling sorry for a house before, but that for me at any rate is "the Dickens effect".
Even today when we think of Christmas we may think of a Dickensian Christmas; he seems to have invented the archetypal Christmas, alongside Prince Albert and his Christmas tree. How has an author managed to do this? To have had such a massive influence on how we celebrate Christmas? And with a secular tale at that, which speaks to people both in and outside the religion which traditionally celebrates this particular festival?
Well everything in Dickens is larger than life. Everything in this tale, at least, has to be the best or the worst. The "wonderful" pudding indicates that the food is the tastiest there has ever been. The carols are sung more enthusiastically and more in tune than they ever could be, the ice on the pond is thicker than ever before, and glinting more spectacularly in the sun, the shops are filled to bursting with good things to tempt and delight the shoppers.
This exaggeration bursts through our gloom at the perfect time of year. When in Great Britain in reality we have have cold dreary weather and long dark nights, we also have in imagination Dickens' heightened perception to uplift us. No wonder then that it stays in our memory and in the memories of generation after generation. And no wonder there have been - and continue to be - such a plethora of adaptations of this wonderful tale world-wide. The original illustrations by John Leech complement Dickens' story to perfection, but there have been many subsequent dramatisations, readings, retellings, films, musicals, cartoons - some more faithful than others, but all paying homage to and honouring this original story - or at the very least its concept.
The writing has a very light touch and Dickens' trademark humour is present on every page. Yet to hammer the moral point of the book home, we are assured of its veracity. The opening lines,
"Marley was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that,"
carry the reader through the story, daring us to disbelieve in the events which follow, and the ghastly phantoms which are about to appear. The author's voice is there at every turn. One part which gave this reader a bit of a jolt, is the arrival of the first Spirit when the curtains of Scrooge's bed were drawn aside. He was thus face to face with the apparition,
"as close to it," Dickens says, "as I am now to you, and I am standing in the spirit at your elbow." Phew!
Dickens' preoccupations are evident in this tale. It is in part an indictment of 19th century industrial capitalism, and part a nostalgic wish to return to earlier times and traditions of merriment and festivity, just as ironically today we wish to return to our perceptions of a "Dickensian Christmas". There are also the recurring themes of Dickens' sympathy for the poor, his social conscience and his ever-present memories of the humiliating experiences of his childhood.
The novella has a simple structure. There are 5 "staves". The first introduces Scrooge himself in all his miserliness. This character is one of Dickens' masterpieces. He is so mean that his clerk has to warm his hands by the one candle Scrooge allows him. And indeed he allows himself little better,
"Darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it."
Scrooge begrudges even the one day's holiday a year which his clerk takes, grumbling that it is, "A poor excuse for picking a man's pocket every twenty-fifth of December!"
The chill of the season seems to emanate from Scrooge himself. "External heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge. No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him. No wind that blew was bitterer than he, no falling snow was more intent upon its purpose, no pelting rain less open to entreaty."
Yet he is such an overblown character that we find him funny. We delight in his ridiculous meanness, and the way he has impoverished his own life by such strictures. And after our very first contact with this tale, we delight in our expectations of what is going to happen to this sorry character.
The next three staves introduce the three "spirits" - of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come. And the final stave, which I defy you to read without a big fat smile on your face, describes Scrooge's redemption, which is all the more marvellous and outrageous because of his earlier spite and vituperation.
Oh, it is a wonderful book! A simple morality tale but a moving tale which makes the reader chuckle and shudder by turns. Thank you, Mr Dickens. I would like to shake you heartily by the hand. Thank you for giving me my favourite story. For creating such living breathing characters as Ebenezer Scrooge, the Fezziwig family, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, and the personifications of Jacob Marley's ghost, the Three Spirits, Want and Ignorance. And thank you most for making millions of people world-wide smile too, and maybe reflect and think a little.
"I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach."
