A Christmas Carol

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This article is about the novella, for other uses see A Christmas Carol (disambiguation).

Image:Ignorance&Want3.jpg A Christmas Carol is a novella written by Charles Dickens and illustrated by John Leech. First published on December 17, 1843, the book was an instant success. Thousands of copies were sold within weeks. Originally written as a potboiler to enable Dickens to pay off a debt, this story has become one of the most popular and enduring Christmas stories of all time.

In fact, some historians have suggested that the very popularity of this story played a critical role in redefining the modern importance of Christmas and the major sentiments associated with the holiday.

1 Plot synopsis
2 Characters
3 Adaptations
4 Sequels
5 See also
6 External links

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Plot synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The story is a Victorian morality tale of an old and bitter miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, who undergoes a profound experience of redemption. On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his deceased business partner, Jacob Marley. Marley, who in life was as miserly as Scrooge, is condemned to an eternity of carrying a heavy chain which he forged in life, and being unable to interfere for the good of mankind, which he would never have thought to do in life. The reason for Marley's visit is to give Scrooge an chance to avoid Marley's fate. Scrooge is skeptical of what he has seen and heard, but during the course of the night, he is visited by spirits of "Christmas Past", "Christmas Present" and "Christmas Yet to Come". The ghosts show Scrooge scenes from his life (past, present and future) that open his eyes and make him realise that he desperately needs love and forgiveness from his fellow men. In the end, Scrooge changes his life and reverts to the generous, kind-hearted soul he was in his youth, before the death of his sister, the only person in his youth who seemed to care for him.

Tiny Tim is the lame youngest child of Bob Cratchit, Scrooge's poor and ill-treated clerk. Scrooge's spirit-provided visions show him the meagre Christmas celebrations of the Cratchit family, the sweet nature of Tiny Tim, and a possible early death for the child; this prospect is the immediate catalyst for his change of heart.

The story deals extensively with two of Dickens' recurrent themes, social injustice and poverty, the relationship between the two, and their causes and effects. It was written to be abrupt and forceful with its message, with a working title of "The Sledgehammer." The first edition of A Christmas Carol was illustrated by John Leech, a politically radical artist, who in the cartoon Substance and Shadow printed earlier in 1843, had explicitly criticised artists who failed to address social issues.

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Characters

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Adaptations

A Christmas Carol has been adapted to theatre, film, radio, and television countless times. According to the Internet Movie Database, various movie adaptations of the story were filmed as early as 1910.

Perhaps the most popular and critically-acclaimed film adaptation of the story was made in Britain in 1951. Originally titled Scrooge (and renamed A Christmas Carol for its American release), it starred Alastair Sim as Scrooge, and was directed by Brian Desmond-Hurst with a screenplay by Noel Langley.

Other noteworthy adaptations of the story include:

Scrooge (1935) starring Sir Seymour Hicks as Scrooge.
A Christmas Carol (1938) starring Reginald Owen as Scrooge and Gene and Kathleen Lockhart as the Cratchits.
A Christmas Carol (1954), a television movie version starring Fredric March as Scrooge and Basil Rathbone as Marley.
Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol (1962), an animated television special featuring the UPA character voiced by Jim Backus.
Scrooge (1970), a musical film adaptation starring Albert Finney as Scrooge and Alec Guinness as Marley's Ghost.
A Christmas Carol (1971), an Oscar-winning animated short film by Richard Williams, with Alastair Sim reprising the role of Scrooge.
Bugs Bunny's Christmas Carol (1979), an animated television special featuring the various Looney Tunes characters.
Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983), an animated short film featuring the various Walt Disney characters.
A Christmas Carol (1984), a television movie version starring George C. Scott.
The Gospel According to Scrooge (1986), a stage musical that emphasizes the religious elements of the story, often performed by American Christian churches.
X-mas Marks The Spot (1987) was an episode of the animated series, "The Real Ghostbusters" that spoofed the Dickens classic, depicting the heroes accidentally capturing the three spirits and ruining Christmas for the future.
Scrooged (1988): a remake in a contemporary setting with Bill Murray being a misanthropic TV producer who is haunted by the ghosts of Christmas. Directed by Richard Donner.
Blackadder's Christmas Carol (1988): a parody where philanthropist Ebenezer Blackadder becomes a bad guy after a visit by the Spirit of Christmas.
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992): featuring the various Muppet characters, with Michael Caine as Scrooge.
Scrooge: The Musical (1992), a British stage musical adapted from the 1970 film and starring Anthony Newley.
"Ebbie" (1995), the first version to imagine the role of Scrooge as a female with Susan Lucci as Elizabeth "Ebbie" Scrooge, the cold owner of a department store.
A Christmas Carol (1999), a television movie starring Patrick Stewart, based on his one-man show.
'Ebeneezer', (2000), a Western-themed version starring Jack Palance.
A Christmas Carol (2000) A modern-day version starring Ross Kemp as Edward Scrooge, a gangster.
A Diva's Christmas Carol (2000), a humorous adaptation starring Vanessa Williams as a bitchy diva who is transformed into a kind-hearted soul.
Steve Nallon's Christmas Carol (2003) theatrical adaptation starring the noted impressionist, as a number of famous people.
I'm Sorry I Haven't A Christmas Carol (2003) a BBC Radio 4 parody in which the curmugeonly Ebeneezer Scrumph (played by the curmugeonly chairman of I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, Humphrey Lyttelton) is visited by three ghosts played by the regular panelists.
A Christmas Carol: The Musical (2004), starring Kelsey Grammer. At this time, the first off-broadway production of the musical was performed at Walled Lake Western High School, in Walled Lake, MI.
Karoll's Christmas (2004), in which modern versions of the three spirits visit the wrong man's house on Christmas Eve.
A Christmas Carol rewritten word for word as "A Valentine Carol" ridiculing former U.S. President Bill Clinton by Michael Dare

In addition, others have noted that the classic film It's a Wonderful Life is essentially A Christmas Carol in reverse. That is instead of a miserly and selfish man changing his ways with a supernatural experience on Christmas Eve, the film depicts the story of a compassionate businessman who sacrificed his dreams to help his community and feels he is a failure. In the depths of despair, there is a supernatural occurrence to show him that his choices were more than worthwhile.

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Sequels

Dickens wraps up the story with two short paragraphs telling us that sickly Tiny Tim survives and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge becomes renowned for his newfound goodness--basically a "happily ever after" ending--but he provides no detail on what happens to any of the characters. Following the every-good-story-deserves-a-sequel idea, a number of authors have crafted their own versions of what befell Scrooge and company. Ranging from Internet stories to best-selling novels, several different works have picked up the characters and events of Dickens' classic to spin new tales for the story's aftermath.

Here are but a few:

Timothy Cratchit's Christmas Carol, 1917: A Sequel to the Charles Dickens Classic (Dickens World, 1998) by Dale Powell. In this version, an elderly "Tiny Tim" is a wealthy immigrant living in America who experiences his own spiritual visitations on Christmas Eve.

The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge (Ohio State University Press, 2001) by Bruce Bueno De Mesquita. A uniquely philosophical take on the Scrooge mythology set in the afterlife with Scrooge on trial to determine if he merits entry into Paradise.

"Scrooge & Cratchit" (scrooge-and-cratchit.com, 2002) by Matt McHugh. Beginning seven years after the events of the original, Bob Cratchit is now Scrooge's partner in business as they both face the wrath of bankers every bit as ruthless as Scrooge in his prime.

The Last Christmas of Ebenezer Scrooge: The Sequel to A Christmas Carol (Wildside Press, 2003) by Marvin Kaye. This sequel picks up right where the original left off, with Scrooge trying to right an unresolved wrong. This version was also adapted for the stage in 2004.

Mr. Timothy (HarperCollins, 2003) by Louis Bayard. Here again is an adult Tiny Tim, only this time as a 23-year-old resident of a London slum who becomes embroiled in a murder mystery. Mr. Timothy was included in the New York Times' list of Notable Fiction for 2003.

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