Charles Dickens
Published: 2017-11-13
Total Pages: 45
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A CHRISTMAS CAROLA Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost-Story of Christmas (A Christmas Carol) is a short story by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843; the first edition was illustrated by John Leech. A Christmas Carolraconte 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. After their visits, Scrooge is transformed into a gentler and gentler man.Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol at a time when the British were examining and exploring the Christmas traditions of the past, such as Christmas carols, as well as new customs such as Christmas trees. He was influenced by the experiences of his own past and the Christmas stories of other writers, including Washington Irving and Douglas Jerrold. Dickens had written three Christmas stories before the news, and was inspired to write the story following a visit to the Field Lane Ragged School, one of the many institutions for street children in London, illiterate and half hungry. The treatment of the poor and the ability of a man interested in redeeming himself by becoming a more sympathetic character are the key themes of the story. There is a debate among academics as to whether it is an entirely secular story, or whether it is a Christian allegory.Released on December 19, the first edition ended on Christmas Eve; by the end of 1844, thirteen editions had been published. Most critics have positively reviewed the news. The story was copied illegally in January 1844; Dickens took action against the publishers, who went bankrupt, further reducing Dickens' small profits from the publication. He continued to write four more Christmas stories in the following years. In 1849, he began public readings of history which proved so successful that he undertook 127 other performances until 1870, the year of his death. A Christmas Carol has never been sold out and has been translated into several languages; the story has been adapted several times for film, stage, opera and other media.With A Christmas Carol, Dickens captured the zeitgeist of the mid-Victorian Christmas holiday awakening. It has been recognized as an influence on modern Western Christmas observance and has inspired many aspects of Christmas, such as family reunions, seasonal food and beverages, dancing, games and a festive generosity.CHARLES DICKENSCharles John Huffam Dickens (February 7, 1812 - June 9, 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He has created some of the most famous fictional characters in the world and is considered by many to be the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the 20th century critics and scholars had recognized him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories have a lasting popularity.Born in Portsmouth, Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. Despite his lack of formal education, he published a weekly newspaper for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five short stories, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, taught and played extensively, was a tireless writer and campaigned vigorously for children's rights education and other social reforms.The literary success of Dickens began with the 1836 serial publication of The Pickwick Papers. In a few years he had become an international literary celebrity, famous for his humor, his satire and his observation of character and society. His novels, mostly published monthly or weekly, were the pioneers of the serial publication of narrative fiction, which became the dominant Victorian mode for novel publishing. The down payment format allowed Dickens to gauge the reaction of his audience, and he often altered his plot and character development based on such reactions.
