Scrooge, an ageing miser, dislikes Christmas and refuses a dinner invitation from his nephew Fred. The book is divided into five chapters, which Dickens titled ' staves'.Ī Christmas Carol opens on a bleak, cold Christmas Eve in London, seven years after the death of Ebenezer Scrooge's business partner, Jacob Marley. ' Marley's Ghost', original illustration by John Leech from the 1843 edition Dickens acknowledged the influence of the modern Western observance of Christmas and later inspired several aspects of Christmas, including family gatherings, seasonal food and drink, dancing, games and a festive generosity of spirit. A Christmas Carol has never been out of print and has been translated into several languages the story has been adapted many times for film, stage, opera and other media.Ī Christmas Carol captured the zeitgeist of the early Victorian revival of the Christmas holiday. In 1849 he began public readings of the story, which proved so successful he undertook 127 further performances until 1870, the year of his death. He went on to write four other Christmas stories in subsequent years. The story was illicitly copied in January 1844 Dickens took legal action against the publishers, who went bankrupt, further reducing Dickens's small profits from the publication. Most critics reviewed the novella favourably. Published on 19 December, the first edition sold out by Christmas Eve by the end of 1844 thirteen editions had been released. There is discussion among academics as to whether this is a fully secular story, or if it is a Christian allegory. The treatment of the poor and the ability of a selfish man to redeem himself by transforming into a more sympathetic character are the key themes of the story.

Dickens had written three Christmas stories prior to the novella, and was inspired following a visit to the Field Lane Ragged School, one of several establishments for London's street children. He was influenced by the experiences of his own youth and by the Christmas stories of other authors, including Washington Irving and Douglas Jerrold. After their visits, Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man.ĭickens wrote A Christmas Carol during a period when the British were exploring and re-evaluating past Christmas traditions, including carols, and newer customs such as cards and Christmas trees. A Christmas Carol recounts the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly miser who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. 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 and illustrated by John Leech. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas.ġ9 December 1843 179 years ago ( 19 December 1843)Ī Christmas Carol.

A christmas carol first edition