“A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens, published in 1843, is a classic novella that has significantly influenced Christmas traditions. The story follows Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly old man who undergoes a transformation on Christmas Eve after being visited by the ghost of his former business partner and three spirits. These visits force Scrooge to confront his past, present, and potential future, leading to his redemption.
Set in Victorian London, the novella serves as a social commentary on poverty and the importance of compassion and generosity. Dickens highlights social injustices and urges readers to consider the well-being of others, especially during the holiday season.
The novella’s enduring popularity is due to its themes of redemption and the joy of giving, as well as its role in shaping modern Christmas celebrations. It has been adapted into numerous plays, films, and TV specials, becoming a holiday tradition for many. Notable adaptations include the 1951 film starring Alistair Sim, the 1988 film Scrooged with Bill Murray, and The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) featuring Michael Caine as Scrooge.
Summarised by Copilot, from SparkNotes.
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Charles Dickens (born February 7, 1812, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England—died June 9, 1870, Gad’s Hill, near Chatham, Kent) was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian era. His many volumes include such works as A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, Bleak House, A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, and Our Mutual Friend.
Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity during his lifetime than had any previous author. Much in his work could appeal to the simple and the sophisticated, to the poor and to the queen, and technological developments as well as the qualities of his work enabled his fame to spread worldwide very quickly. His long career saw fluctuations in the reception and sales of individual novels, but none of them was negligible or uncharacteristic or disregarded, and, though he is now admired for aspects and phases of his work that were given less weight by his contemporaries, his popularity has never ceased. The most abundantly comic of English authors, he was much more than a great entertainer. The range, compassion, and intelligence of his apprehension of his society and its shortcomings enriched his novels and made him both one of the great forces in 19th-century literature and an influential spokesman of the conscience of his age.
Sourced from Britannica.