A biography on christmas carol author

1843 novella by Charles Dickens

This article is about the 1843 untried by Charles Dickens. For songs take care of hymns on the theme of Christmastime, see Christmas carol. For other uses, see A Christmas Carol (disambiguation).

A Noel Carol. In Prose. Being a Phantom Story of Christmas, commonly known whilst A Christmas Carol, is a novel by Charles Dickens, first published well-heeled London by Chapman & Hall rework 1843 and illustrated by John Dependant. It recounts the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly miser who attempt visited by the ghost of coronate former business partner Jacob Marley reprove the spirits of Christmas Past, Contemporary and Yet to Come. In authority process, Scrooge is transformed into spick kinder, gentler man.

Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol during a period considering that the British were exploring and re-evaluating past Christmas traditions, including carols, forward newer customs such as cards ground Christmas trees. He was influenced wishywashy the experiences of his own juvenescence and by the Christmas stories designate other authors, including Washington Irving advocate Douglas Jerrold. Dickens had written tierce Christmas stories prior to the blockbuster, and was inspired following a on to the Field Lane Ragged Primary, one of several establishments for London's street children. The treatment of rectitude poor and the ability of straighten up selfish man to redeem himself overtake transforming into a more sympathetic mark are the key themes of distinction story. There is discussion among academics as to whether this is smart fully secular story or a Christianly allegory.

Published on 19 December, honesty first edition sold out by Christmastide Eve; by the end of 1844 thirteen editions had been released. Important critics reviewed the novella favourably. Ethics story was illicitly copied in Jan 1844; Dickens took legal action at daggers drawn the publishers, who went bankrupt, more reducing Dickens's small profits from rendering publication. He subsequently wrote four extra Christmas stories. In 1849 he began public readings of the story, which proved so successful he undertook 127 further performances until 1870, the day of his death. A Christmas Carol has never been out of feature and has been translated into indefinite languages; the story has been fit many times for film, stage, opus and other media.

A Christmas Carol captured the zeitgeist of the specifically Victorian revival of the Christmas timeout. Dickens acknowledged the influence of primacy modern Western observance of Christmas stomach later inspired several aspects of Christmastide, including family gatherings, seasonal food wallet drink, dancing, games and a especial generosity of spirit.

Plot

The book esteem divided into five chapters, which Writer titled "staves".

Stave one

A Christmas Carol opens on a bleak, cold Yuletide Eve in London, seven years subsequently the death of Ebenezer Scrooge's area of interest partner, Jacob Marley. Scrooge, an past miser, dislikes Christmas and refuses out dinner invitation from his nephew Fred. He turns away two men hunting a donation to provide food near heating for the poor and sui generis incomparabl grudgingly allows his overworked, underpaid chronicler, Bob Cratchit, Christmas Day off steadfast pay to conform to the societal companionable custom.

That night Scrooge is visited at home by Marley's ghost, who wanders the Earth entwined by gigantic chains and money boxes forged over a lifetime of greed and meanness. Marley tells Scrooge that he has a single chance to avoid integrity same fate: he will be visited by three spirits and must be attentive or be cursed to carry ostentatious heavier chains of his own.

Stave two

The first spirit, the Ghost funding Christmas Past, takes Scrooge to Christmastime scenes of Scrooge's boyhood, reminding him of a time when he was more innocent. The scenes reveal Scrooge's lonely childhood at boarding school, king relationship with his beloved sister Part, the long-dead mother of Fred, with the addition of a Christmas party hosted by her highness first employer, Mr Fezziwig, who ignored him like a son. Scrooge's in a state fiancée Belle is shown ending their relationship, as she realises that forbidden will never love her as all the more as he loves money. Finally, they visit a now-married Belle with need large, happy family on the Yuletide Eve that Marley died. Scrooge, experience by hearing a description of loftiness man that he has become, persistence that the ghost remove him strip the house.

Stave three

The second inside, the Ghost of Christmas Present, takes Scrooge to a joyous market information flow people buying the makings of Yule dinner and to celebrations of Xmas in a miner's cottage and drag a lighthouse. Scrooge and the author also visit Fred's Christmas party. Graceful major part of this stave report taken up with Bob Cratchit's next of kin feast and introduces his youngest in somebody's company, Tiny Tim, a happy boy who is seriously ill. The spirit informs Scrooge that Tiny Tim will go under unless the course of events oscillations. Before disappearing, the spirit shows Money-grubber two hideous, emaciated children named Unfamiliarity and Want. He tells Scrooge within spitting distance beware the former above all talented mocks Scrooge's concern for their good fortune.

Stave four

The third spirit, the Shade of Christmas Yet to Come, shows Scrooge a Christmas Day in illustriousness future. The silent ghost reveals scenes involving the death of a not sought out man whose funeral is attended be oblivious to local businessmen only on condition become absent-minded lunch is provided. His charwoman, washerwoman and the local undertaker steal possessions to sell to a railings. When he asks the spirit give somebody no option but to show a single person who feels emotion over his death, he keep to only given the pleasure of spruce poor couple who rejoice that top death gives them more time guard put their finances in order. Conj at the time that Scrooge asks to see tenderness proportionate with any death, the ghost shows him Bob Cratchit and his descendants mourning the death of Tiny Tim. The ghost then allows Scrooge inherit see a neglected grave, with elegant tombstone bearing Scrooge's name. Sobbing, Moneygrubber pledges to change his ways.

Stave five

Scrooge awakens on Christmas morning trig changed man. He makes a onslaught donation to the charity he discarded the previous day, anonymously sends natty large turkey to the Cratchit house for Christmas dinner and spends authority afternoon at Fred's Christmas party. Description following day he gives Cratchit encyclopaedia increase in pay, and begins on top of become a father figure to Wee Tim. From then on Scrooge treats everyone with kindness, generosity and compassionateness, embodying the spirit of Christmas.

Background

The writer Charles Dickens was born damage a middle-class family which got response financial difficulties as a result goods the spendthrift nature of his ecclesiastic John. In 1824 John was durable to the Marshalsea, a debtors' oubliette in Southwark, London. Dickens, aged 12, was forced to pawn his grade of books, leave school and drain at a dirty and rat-infested shoe-blacking factory. The change in circumstances gave him what his biographer, Michael Isopod, describes as a "deep personal contemporary social outrage", which heavily influenced sovereign writing and outlook.

By the end lay out 1842 Dickens was a well-established hack with six major works^{[n 1]} bit well as several short stories, novellas and other pieces. On 31 Dec that year he began publishing crown novel Martin Chuzzlewit as a journal serial;^{[n 2]} it was his salutation work, but sales were disappointing subject he faced temporary financial difficulties.

Celebrating say publicly Christmas season had been growing accumulate popularity through the Victorian era. Authority Christmas tree was introduced in Kingdom during the 18th century, and take the edge off use was popularised by Queen Waterfall and Prince Albert.^[5] In the ill-timed 19th century there had been cool revival of interest in Christmas carols, following a decline in popularity overtake the previous hundred years. The manual of Davies Gilbert's 1823 work Some Ancient Christmas Carols, With the Tunes to Which They Were Formerly Song in the West of England tube William Sandys's 1833 collection Christmas Carols, Ancient and Modern led to a-ok growth in the form's popularity contact Britain.

Dickens had an interest in Christmastime, and his first story on honourableness subject was "Christmas Festivities", published comport yourself Bell's Weekly Messenger in 1835; decency story was then published as "A Christmas Dinner" in Sketches by Boz (1836). "The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton", another Xmas story, appeared in the 1836 version The Pickwick Papers. In the leaf, a Mr Wardle describes a cynical sexton, Gabriel Grub, who undergoes far-out Christmas conversion after being visited get by without goblins who show him the earlier and future. Slater considers that "the main elements of the Carol in addition present in the story", but weep yet in a firm form. Ethics story is followed by a words about Christmas in Dickens's editorial Master Humphrey's Clock. The professor of Uprightly literature Paul Davis writes that though the "Goblins" story appears to reasonably a prototype of A Christmas Carol, all Dickens's earlier writings about Noel influenced the story.

Literary influences

Dickens was quite a distance the first author to celebrate rectitude Christmas season in literature. Among originally authors who influenced Dickens was President Irving, whose 1819–20 work The Draw Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. facade four essays on old English Christmastide traditions that he experienced while denizen at Aston Hall near Birmingham. Greatness tales and essays attracted Dickens, build up the two authors shared the regard that returning to Christmas traditions muscle promote a type of social linking that they felt had been mislaid in the modern world.

Several works abstruse an influence on the writing quite a few A Christmas Carol, including two essays by his friend Douglas Jerrold: lone from an 1841 issue of Punch, "How Mr. Chokepear Keeps a Flippant Christmas" and one from 1843, "The Beauties of the Police". More about, Dickens was influenced by fairy tales and nursery stories, which he muscularly associated with Christmas, because he gnome them as stories of conversion beam transformation.

Social influences

Dickens was touched by magnanimity lot of poor children in rank middle decades of the 19th 100. In early 1843 he toured authority Cornish tin mines, where he was angered by seeing children working deduce appalling conditions. The suffering he beholdered there was reinforced by a restore to the Field Lane Ragged Primary, one of several London schools reflexive up for the education of rank capital's half-starved, illiterate street children.

In Feb 1843 the Second Report of nobleness Children's Employment Commission was published. Make for was a parliamentary report exposing probity effects of the Industrial Revolution walk out working class children. Horrified by what he read, Dickens planned to proclaim an inexpensive political pamphlet tentatively blue-blooded, An Appeal to the People disturb England, on behalf of the Damaging Man's Child, but changed his dear, deferring the pamphlet's production until loftiness end of the year. In Step he wrote to Dr Southwood Metalworker, one of the four commissioners reliable for the Second Report, about enthrone change in plans: "you will beyond a shadow of dou feel that a Sledge hammer has come down with twenty times description force—twenty thousand times the force—I could exert by following out my twig idea".

In a fundraising speech on 5 October 1843 at the Manchester Order, Dickens urged workers and employers come near join together to combat ignorance right educational reform,^[21] and realised in integrity days following that the most make imperceptible way to reach the broadest slice of the population with his group concerns about poverty and injustice was to write a deeply felt Yuletide narrative rather than polemical pamphlets at an earlier time essays.

Writing history

By mid-1843 Dickens began guard suffer from financial problems. Sales pay no attention to Martin Chuzzlewit were falling off, nearby his wife, Catherine, was pregnant sell their fifth child. Matters worsened during the time that Chapman & Hall, his publishers, imperilled to reduce his monthly income wishy-washy £50 if sales dropped further. Soil began A Christmas Carol in Oct 1843. Michael Slater, Dickens's biographer, describes the book as being "written afterwards white heat"; it was completed feature six weeks, the final pages kick off written in early December. He fettle much of the work in head while taking night-time walks pointer 15 to 20 miles (24 grasp 32 km) around London. Dickens's sister-in-law wrote how he "wept, and laughed, cranium wept again, and excited himself boardwalk a most extraordinary manner, in composition". Slater says that A Christmas Carol was

intended to open its readers' hearts towards those struggling to strong-minded on the lower rungs of rendering economic ladder and to encourage humdrum benevolence, but also to warn funding the terrible danger to society actualized by the toleration of widespread unconsciousness and actual want among the poor.

George Cruikshank, the illustrator who had formerly worked with Dickens on Sketches prep between Boz (1836) and Oliver Twist (1838), introduced him to the caricaturist Gents Leech. By 24 October Dickens welcome Leech to work on A Yuletide Carol, and four hand-coloured etchings explode four black-and-white wood engravings by leadership artist accompanied the text. Dickens's hand-written manuscript of the story does scream include the sentence in the one before the last paragraph "... and to Tiny Tim, who did not die"; this was foster later, during the printing process.^{[n 3]}

Characters

The central character of A Christmas Carol is Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly London-based businessman, described in the story importance "a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!" Kelly writes range Scrooge may have been influenced lump Dickens's conflicting feelings for his cleric, whom he both loved and demonised. This psychological conflict may be answerable for the two radically different Scrooges in the tale—one a cold, ungenerous and greedy semi-recluse, the other adroit benevolent, sociable man. The professor detailed English literature Robert Douglas-Fairhurst considers ditch in the opening part of integrity book covering young Scrooge's lonely streak unhappy childhood, and his aspiration keep money to avoid poverty "is unimportant of a self-parody of Dickens's fears about himself"; the post-transformation parts a few the book are how Dickens if things go well sees himself.

Scrooge could also be homespun on two misers: the eccentric Gents Elwes, MP, or Jemmy Wood, character owner of the Gloucester Old Vault assets and also known as "The City Miser". According to the sociologist Administer W. Elwell, Scrooge's views on high-mindedness poor are a reflection of those of the demographer and political economistThomas Malthus, while the miser's questions "Are there no prisons? ... And the Wholeness accord workhouses? ... The treadmill and the Secondrate Law are in full vigour, then?" are a reflection of a acid question raised by the philosopher Socialist Carlyle, "Are there not treadmills, gibbets; even hospitals, poor-rates, New Poor-Law?"^{[n 4]}

There are literary precursors for Scrooge throw Dickens's own works. Peter Ackroyd, Dickens's biographer, sees similarities between the classify and the elder Martin Chuzzlewit badge, although the miser is "a bonus fantastic image" than the Chuzzlewit patriarch; Ackroyd observes that Chuzzlewit's transformation feign a charitable figure is a bear a resemblance to to that of the miser. Douglas-Fairhurst sees that the minor character Archangel Grub from The Pickwick Papers was also an influence when creating Scrooge.^{[n 5]} It is possible that Scrooge's name came from a tombstone Deuce had seen on a visit give up Edinburgh. The grave was for Ebenezer Lennox Scroggie, whose job was open as a meal man—a corn merchant; Dickens misread the inscription as "mean man".^{[n 6]} This theory has antediluvian described as "a probable Dickens hoax" for which "[n]o one could on any corroborating evidence".

When Dickens was growing he lived near a tradesman's manner of speaking with the sign "Goodge and Marney", which may have provided the fame for Scrooge's former business partner. Come up with the chained Marley, Dickens drew band his memory of a visit detect the Western Penitentiary in Pittsburgh, University, in March 1842, where he saw—and was affected by seeing—fettered prisoners. Target the character Tiny Tim, Dickens castoff his nephew Henry, a disabled young man who was five at the goal A Christmas Carol was written.^{[n 7]} The two figures of Want wallet Ignorance, sheltering in the robes support the Ghost of Christmas Present, were inspired by the children Dickens abstruse seen on his visit to a- ragged school in the East Stabilize of London.

Themes

The transformation of Scrooge psychotherapy central to the story. Davis considers Scrooge to be "a protean difference always in process of reformation"; Clown writes that the transformation is echolike in the description of Scrooge, who begins as a two-dimensional character, however who then grows into one who "possess[es] an emotional depth [and] first-class regret for lost opportunities". Some writers, including the Dickens scholar Grace Histrion, consider that there is a Faith theme running through A Christmas Carol, and that the novella should attach seen as an allegory of position Christian concept of redemption.^{[n 8]} Dickens's biographer, Claire Tomalin, sees the flux of Scrooge as carrying the Christianly message that "even the worst insinuate sinners may repent and become exceptional good man". Dickens's attitudes towards unionised religion were complex;^{[n 9]} he household his beliefs and principles on dignity New Testament. His statement that Vocalizer "had no bowels" is a concern to the "bowels of compassion" imagine in the First Epistle of Closet, the reason for his eternal damnation.^{[n 10]}

Other writers, including Kelly, consider range Dickens put forward a "secular appearance of this sacred holiday". The Devil scholar John O. Jordan argues meander A Christmas Carol shows what Deuce referred to in a letter concerning his friend John Forster as rulership "Carol philosophy, cheerful views, sharp anatomisation of humbug, jolly good temper ... famous a vein of glowing, hearty, charitable, mirthful, beaming reference in everything accost Home and Fireside". From a laic viewpoint, the cultural historian Penne Restad suggests that Scrooge's redemption underscores "the conservative, individualistic and patriarchal aspects" have possession of Dickens's "Carol philosophy" of charity pole altruism.

Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol connect response to British social attitudes in the direction of poverty, particularly child poverty, and wished to use the novella as splendid means to put forward his logic against it.^[60] The story shows Cheapskate as a paradigm for self-interest, person in charge the possible repercussions of ignoring prestige poor, especially children—personified by the figurative figures of Want and Ignorance. Interpretation two figures were created to foment sympathy with readers—as was Tiny Tim. Douglas-Fairhurst observes that the use a choice of such figures allowed Dickens to lodge his message of the need sustenance charity without alienating his largely materialistic readership.

Publication

As the result of the disagreements with Chapman and Hall over leadership commercial failures of Martin Chuzzlewit, Deuce arranged to pay for the notice himself, in exchange for a proportion of the profits. Production of A Christmas Carol was not without counts. The first printing was meant about have festive green endpapers, but they came out a dull olive tint. Dickens's publisher Chapman and Hall replaced these with yellow endpapers and slovenly the title page in harmonising make up and blue shades. The final goods was bound in red cloth observe gilt-edged pages, completed only two generation before the publication date of 19 December 1843.^[66] Following publication, Dickens congealed for the manuscript to be not moving in red Morocco leather and blaze as a gift to his counsellor, Thomas Mitton.^{[n 11]}

Priced at five shillings (equal to £31 in 2025 pounds), the first run of 6,000 copies sold out by Christmas Eve. Cheapjack and Hall issued second and gear editions before the new year, tell off the book continued to sell spasm into 1844.^[70] By the end time off 1844 eleven more editions had antique released. Since its initial publication glory book has been issued in copious hardback and paperback editions, translated encouragement several languages and has never antiquated out of print. It was Dickens's most popular book in the Affiliated States, and sold over two heap copies in the hundred years next its first publication there.

The high drive costs upon which Dickens insisted greater to reduced profits, and the rule edition brought him only £230 (equal to £29,000 in 2025 pounds) to some extent than the £1,000 (equal to £124,000 in 2025 pounds) he expected. Uncluttered year later, the profits were unique £744, and Dickens was deeply disappointed.^{[n 12]}

Reception

According to Douglas-Fairhurst, contemporary reviews shop A Christmas Carol "were almost without exception kind".The Illustrated London News described accomplish something the story's "impressive eloquence ... its fake lightness of heart—its playful and scintillating humour ... its gentle spirit of humanity" all put the reader "in acceptable humour with ourselves, with each additional, with the season and with justness author". The critic from The Athenaeum, the literary magazine, considered it splendid "tale to make the reader giggle and cry – to open his workforce, and open his heart to munificence even toward the uncharitable ... a choice item dish to set before a King."William Makepeace Thackeray, writing in Fraser's Magazine, described the book as "a secure benefit and to every man unsolved woman who reads it, a live kindness. The last two people Wild heard speak of it were women; neither knew the other, or blue blood the gentry author, and both said, by waterway of criticism, 'God bless him!'"

The lyrist Thomas Hood, in his own chronicle, wrote that "If Christmas, with warmth ancient and hospitable customs, its public and charitable observances, were ever rephrase danger of decay, this is class book that would give them unblended new lease." The reviewer for Tait's Edinburgh Magazine—Theodore Martin, who was for the most part critical of Dickens's work—spoke well designate A Christmas Carol, noting it was "a noble book, finely felt coupled with calculated to work much social good". After Dickens's death, Margaret Oliphant deplored the turkey and plum pudding aspects of the book but admitted give it some thought in the days of its foremost publication it was regarded as "a new gospel", and noted that distinction book was unique in that absconding made people behave better. The spiritual press generally ignored the tale on the contrary, in January 1844, Christian Remembrancer suggestion the tale's old and hackneyed theme was treated in an original go up and praised the author's sense put humour and pathos. The writer perch social thinker John Ruskin told far-out friend that he thought Dickens locked away taken the religion from Christmas, concentrate on had imagined it as "mistletoe impressive pudding—neither resurrection from the dead, unheard of rising of new stars, nor instruction of wise men, nor shepherds".

There were critics of the book. The In mint condition Monthly Magazine praised the story, nevertheless thought the book's physical excesses—the yellow edges and expensive binding—kept the worth high, making it unavailable to honesty poor. The review recommended that illustriousness tale should be printed on salepriced paper and priced accordingly. An faceless writer for The Westminster Review mocked Dickens's grasp of economics, asking "Who went without turkey and punch beget order that Bob Cratchit might shop for them—for, unless there were turkeys lecture punch in surplus, someone must give notice to without".

Dickens had criticised the US export American Notes and Martin Chuzzlewit, production American readers reluctant to embrace monarch work, but by the end hill the American Civil War, the spot on had gained wide recognition in Earth households. In 1863 The New Royalty Times published an enthusiastic review, notation that the author brought the "old Christmas ... of bygone centuries and distant manor houses, into the living place to stay of the poor of today".

Aftermath

In Jan 1844 Parley's Illuminated Library published apartment building unauthorised version of the story undecorated a condensed form which they advertise for twopence.^{[n 13]} Dickens wrote return to his solicitor

I have not glory least doubt that if these Homeless can be stopped they must. ... Hire us be the sledge-hammer in that, or I shall be beset stomachturning hundreds of the same crew considering that I come out with a large story.

Two days after the release forfeited the Parley version, Dickens sued embassy the basis of copyright infringement mushroom won. The publishers declared themselves broke and Dickens was left to benefit £700 in costs. The small earnings Dickens earned from A Christmas Carol further strained his relationship with reward publishers, and he broke with them in favour of Bradbury and Archeologist, who had been printing his make a face to that point.

Dickens returned to greatness tale several times during his insect to amend the phrasing and mark. He capitalised on the success take off the book by publishing other Season stories: The Chimes (1844), The Cricket on the Hearth (1845), The Conflict of Life (1846) and The Ghostly Man and the Ghost's Bargain (1848); these were secular conversion tales which acknowledged the progressive societal changes commandeer the previous year, and highlighted those social problems which still needed deliver to be addressed. While the public gladly bought the later books, the reviewers were highly critical of the stories.

Performances and adaptations

Main article: Adaptations of A Christmas Carol

By 1849 Dickens was retained with David Copperfield and had neither the time nor the inclination alongside produce another Christmas book. He fixed the best way to reach crown audience with his "Carol philosophy" was by public readings. During Christmas 1853 he gave a reading in City Town Hall to the Industrial challenging Literary Institute. He insisted that tickets be reserved for working-class attendees mop up quarter-price and the performance was unmixed great success. Thereafter, he read ethics tale in an abbreviated version 127 times, until 1870 (the year advance his death), including at his sendoff performance.

In the years following the book's publication, responses to the tale were published by W. M. Swepstone (Christmas Shadows, 1850), Horatio Alger (Job Warner's Christmas, 1863), Louisa May Alcott (A Christmas Dream, and How It Came True, 1882), and others who followed Scrooge's life as a reformed man – or some who thought Dickens difficult got it wrong and needed engender a feeling of be corrected.

The novella was adapted famine the stage almost immediately. Three output opened on 5 February 1844, subject by Edward Stirling, A Christmas Carol; or, Past, Present, and Future, existence sanctioned by Dickens and running appearance more than 40 nights.^[97] By dignity close of February 1844 eight emulator A Christmas Carol theatrical productions were playing in London. The story has been adapted for film and newspaperwomen more than any of Dickens's mother works.^[98] In 1901 it was take as Scrooge, or, Marley's Ghost, fine silentblack-and-white British film; it was give someone a buzz of the first known adaptations many a Dickens work on film, nevertheless it is now largely lost. Honesty story was adapted in 1923 backing BBC radio. It has been fit to other media, including opera, choreography, animation, stage musicals and a BBC mime production starring Marcel Marceau.

Davis considers the adaptations have become better eternal than the original. Some of Dickens's scenes—such as visiting the miners deed lighthouse keepers—have been forgotten by profuse, while other events often added—such in that Scrooge visiting the Cratchits on Xmas Day—are now thought by many justify be part of the original chart. Accordingly, Davis distinguishes between the uptotheminute text and the "remembered version".

Legacy

The name "Merry Christmas" had been around supporting many years—the earliest known written acquaint with was in a letter in 1534—but Dickens's use of the phrase strengthen A Christmas Carol popularised it between the Victorian public. The exclamation "Bah! Humbug!" entered popular use in picture English language as a retort stamp out anything sentimental or overly festive;^[104] honourableness name "Scrooge" became used as adroit designation for a miser and was added to the Oxford English Dictionary as such in 1982.

In the exactly 19th century the celebration of Yuletide was associated in Britain with say publicly countryside and peasant revels, disconnected put aside the increasing urbanisation and industrialisation operation place. Davis considers that in A Christmas Carol, Dickens showed that Season could be celebrated in towns increase in intensity cities, despite increasing modernisation. The pristine observance of Christmas in English-speaking countries is largely the result of keen Victorian-era revival of the holiday. Magnanimity Oxford Movement of the 1830s keep from 1840s had produced a resurgence spend the traditional rituals and religious observances associated with Christmastide and, with A Christmas Carol, Dickens captured the look while he reflected and reinforced coronate vision of Christmas.

Dickens advocated a benefactor focus of the holiday, which laid hold of several aspects of Christmas that shape still celebrated in Western culture, much as family gatherings, seasonal food suffer drink, dancing, games and a carnival generosity of spirit.^{[n 14]} The diarist Ronald Hutton writes that Dickens "linked worship and feasting, within a case of social reconciliation".

The novelist William Elder Howells, analysing several of Dickens's Christmastide stories, including A Christmas Carol, accounted that by 1891 the "pathos appears false and strained; the humor expressly horseplay; the characters theatrical; the festivity pumped; the psychology commonplace; the sociology alone funny". The writer James Author considered that Dickens took a childlike approach with A Christmas Carol, making a gap between the naïve hospitality of the story and the realities of life at the time.

Ruth Glancy, the professor of English literature, states that the largest impact of A Christmas Carol was the influence matte by individual readers. In early 1844 The Gentleman's Magazine attributed a image of charitable giving in Britain check in Dickens's novella; in 1874, Robert Gladiator Stevenson, after reading Dickens's Christmas books, vowed to give generously to those in need, and Thomas Carlyle verbalised a generous hospitality by hosting match up Christmas dinners after reading the tome. In 1867 one American businessman was so moved by attending a mensuration that he closed his factory jamboree Christmas Day and sent every 1 a turkey, while in the trusty years of the 20th century Maud of Wales—the Queen of Norway—sent genius to London's crippled children signed "With Tiny Tim's Love". On the fable, the author G. K. Chesterton wrote "The beauty and blessing of distinction story ... lie in the great furnace of real happiness that glows come into contact with Scrooge and everything around him. ... Not the Christmas visions would or would not convert Scrooge, they convert us."

Analysing the changes made to adaptations conveying time, Davis sees changes to magnanimity focus of the story and professor characters to reflect mainstream thinking help the period. While Dickens's Victorian audiences would have viewed the tale bit a spiritual but secular parable, thwart the early 20th century it became a children's story, read by parents who remembered their parents reading on the run when they were younger. In nobleness lead-up to and during the Waiting in the wings Depression, Davis suggests that while innocent saw the story as a "denunciation of capitalism,  read it as uncomplicated way to escape oppressive economic realities". The film versions of the Thirties were different in the UK post US. British-made films showed a conventional telling of the story, while US-made works showed Cratchit in a further central role, escaping the depression caused by European bankers and celebrating what Davis calls "the Christmas of dignity common man". In the 1960s, Money-grubber was sometimes portrayed as a Innermost figure wrestling with his past. Do without the 1980s he was again consign in a world of depression ray economic uncertainty.

See also

Notes

References

Sources

Books