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The Annotated Christmas Carol
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What would Christmas be without A Christmas Carol? Charles Dickens’s famous ghost story is as much a part of the season as plum pudding and mistletoe, and Michael Patrick Hearn, the celebrated annotator of The Wizard of Oz and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, has prepared this sumptuous, thoroughly annotated edition, which has already become the definitive edition of our century. Initially published by Norton in 2004, this is the first edition to combine the original story with Dickens’s Public Reading text, published to coincide with his 1867-68 American tour, which has not been reprinted in nearly a century. Included are rare photographs as well as the original Leech wood engravings and hand-colored etchings, supplemented by other contemporary illustrations by George Cruikshank, Gustave Doré, John Tenniel, and “Phiz.” The Annotated Christmas Carol will be a literary feast for the whole family for generations.
266 pages, Hardcover
First published December 17,1843
This edition
- Format
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266 pages, Hardcover
- Published
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November 17, 2004 by W. W. Norton \u0026 Company
- ISBN
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9780393051582
- ASIN
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0393051587
- Language
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English
Characters More characters
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Ebenezer Scrooge
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Tiny Tim
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Bob Cratchit
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Jacob Marley
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About the author
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Charles John Huffam Dickens (1812-1870) was a writer and social critic who created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity.
Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education, and other social reforms.
Dickens was regarded as the literary colossus of his age. His 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, remains popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre. Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also frequently adapted, and, like many of his novels, evoke images of early Victorian London. His 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London and Paris, is his best-known work of historical fiction. Dickens's creative genius has been praised by fellow writers—from Leo Tolstoy to George Orwell and G. K. Chesterton—for its realism, comedy, prose style, unique characterisations, and social criticism. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf complained of a lack of psychological depth, loose writing, and a vein of saccharine sentimentalism. The term Dickensian is used to describe something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings, such as poor social conditions or comically repulsive characters.
On 8 June 1870, Dickens suffered another stroke at his home after a full day's work on Edwin Drood. He never regained consciousness, and the next day he died at Gad's Hill Place. Contrary to his wish to be buried at Rochester Cathedral "in an inexpensive, unostentatious, and strictly private manner," he was laid to rest in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey. A printed epitaph circulated at the time of the funeral reads: "To the Memory of Charles Dickens (England's most popular author) who died at his residence, Higham, near Rochester, Kent, 9 June 1870, aged 58 years. He was a sympathiser with the poor, the suffering, and the oppressed; and by his death, one of England's greatest writers is lost to the world." His last words were: "On the ground", in response to his sister-in-law Georgina's request that he lie down.
(from Wikipedia)
Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education, and other social reforms.
Dickens was regarded as the literary colossus of his age. His 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, remains popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre. Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also frequently adapted, and, like many of his novels, evoke images of early Victorian London. His 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London and Paris, is his best-known work of historical fiction. Dickens's creative genius has been praised by fellow writers—from Leo Tolstoy to George Orwell and G. K. Chesterton—for its realism, comedy, prose style, unique characterisations, and social criticism. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf complained of a lack of psychological depth, loose writing, and a vein of saccharine sentimentalism. The term Dickensian is used to describe something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings, such as poor social conditions or comically repulsive characters.
On 8 June 1870, Dickens suffered another stroke at his home after a full day's work on Edwin Drood. He never regained consciousness, and the next day he died at Gad's Hill Place. Contrary to his wish to be buried at Rochester Cathedral "in an inexpensive, unostentatious, and strictly private manner," he was laid to rest in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey. A printed epitaph circulated at the time of the funeral reads: "To the Memory of Charles Dickens (England's most popular author) who died at his residence, Higham, near Rochester, Kent, 9 June 1870, aged 58 years. He was a sympathiser with the poor, the suffering, and the oppressed; and by his death, one of England's greatest writers is lost to the world." His last words were: "On the ground", in response to his sister-in-law Georgina's request that he lie down.
(from Wikipedia)
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The Second Most Famous Christmas Story
Even if you are unlucky enough never to have read anything by Mr. Charles Dickens, you will still know the story of the Three Ghosts – the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come – that haunt the miserly and continuously ill-humoured businessman Ebenezer Scrooge and make him aware of how he has been excluding himself from all human fellowship when actually no man should consider himself an island. You may not have read this little Christmas novella, but you will have seen one or another screen adaptation for sure, and there might even be a considerable number of people who make a point of enjoying this story whenever Christmas is near.
So maybe in the light of all this, it is not an exaggeration to say that Dickens probably wrote the most famous Christmas Story in the world if you leave aside the original Nativity Story that is re-told or enacted in churches all over the world every year. Being the next in line to the story that started it all is quite some achievement, I should think.
However, when you take a closer look at the novella itself, you will notice that Dickens’s achievement not only lies in the popularity his 1843 tale would immediately gain – he could not have known that it would become such a success when he was writing it –, but more so in the richness of the tale itself. Do not make the mistake and assume that A Christmas Carol will give you the story of an old geezer who is visited by a bunch of spectres that make him afraid of dying a lonely and unlamented death and who therefore completely and miraculously changes his ways for in that case you would hardly do justice to Dickens’s deftness at drawing his characters. On the contrary, when you read the book carefully you will notice how skilfully Dickens invites the reader to draw his own conclusions as to why Scrooge has become the flinty recluse as who he appears in the first chapter of the book, and to follow his gradual reform. Just compare the hints Dickens offers with the development of Scrooge’s character as it is intimated in the enjoyable Muppets version of the story, and you will see that by 1843 Dickens was no longer prone to using the one-sided characters you know from his earlier works such as Oliver Twist or The Old Curiosity Shop.
What is more, the book also shows Dickens as somebody deeply concerned with social and political questions: Whereas the Christmas scenes in Pickwick Papers are exclusively characterized by cheerful and buoyant conviviality, in A Christmas Carol Dickens also pursued some social motive, namely that of raising the public’s awareness of the harrowing needs of the poor, whose numbers had increased in the wake of industrialization. Some might criticize Dickens for advocating the idea of better-to-do people’s responsibility for the indigent classes and urging them to donate money as a rather paternalistic approach of alms-giving that denies the socially deprived their right to have their basic needs satisfied – but what these critics actually fail to see is that Dickens criticized the Poor Law and its affiliated measures as utterly counterproductive and inhumane and that this was the reason why he underlined the necessity of private people’s feeling responsible to give their share for the common good. You may remember that Scrooge rebuked the portly gentleman’s request for a donation by referring to the Treadmill, the Prisons and the money he paid so that these institutions could be run. It is this attitude of transferring one’s duty towards other people to official institutions – that may fulfil this duty well or poorly – that is becoming increasingly typical of modern societies, and in that respect I would say that Dickens’s approach was anything but old-fashioned.
Nevertheless the question whether Dickens’s appeal to private charity is “enlightened” or not may be a matter of little concern given the depth and power of this little book, and as far as I am concerned Christmas would hardly be Christmas without Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, the genial Mr. Fezziwig and last not least without Tiny Tim.
Even if you are unlucky enough never to have read anything by Mr. Charles Dickens, you will still know the story of the Three Ghosts – the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come – that haunt the miserly and continuously ill-humoured businessman Ebenezer Scrooge and make him aware of how he has been excluding himself from all human fellowship when actually no man should consider himself an island. You may not have read this little Christmas novella, but you will have seen one or another screen adaptation for sure, and there might even be a considerable number of people who make a point of enjoying this story whenever Christmas is near.
So maybe in the light of all this, it is not an exaggeration to say that Dickens probably wrote the most famous Christmas Story in the world if you leave aside the original Nativity Story that is re-told or enacted in churches all over the world every year. Being the next in line to the story that started it all is quite some achievement, I should think.
However, when you take a closer look at the novella itself, you will notice that Dickens’s achievement not only lies in the popularity his 1843 tale would immediately gain – he could not have known that it would become such a success when he was writing it –, but more so in the richness of the tale itself. Do not make the mistake and assume that A Christmas Carol will give you the story of an old geezer who is visited by a bunch of spectres that make him afraid of dying a lonely and unlamented death and who therefore completely and miraculously changes his ways for in that case you would hardly do justice to Dickens’s deftness at drawing his characters. On the contrary, when you read the book carefully you will notice how skilfully Dickens invites the reader to draw his own conclusions as to why Scrooge has become the flinty recluse as who he appears in the first chapter of the book, and to follow his gradual reform. Just compare the hints Dickens offers with the development of Scrooge’s character as it is intimated in the enjoyable Muppets version of the story, and you will see that by 1843 Dickens was no longer prone to using the one-sided characters you know from his earlier works such as Oliver Twist or The Old Curiosity Shop.
What is more, the book also shows Dickens as somebody deeply concerned with social and political questions: Whereas the Christmas scenes in Pickwick Papers are exclusively characterized by cheerful and buoyant conviviality, in A Christmas Carol Dickens also pursued some social motive, namely that of raising the public’s awareness of the harrowing needs of the poor, whose numbers had increased in the wake of industrialization. Some might criticize Dickens for advocating the idea of better-to-do people’s responsibility for the indigent classes and urging them to donate money as a rather paternalistic approach of alms-giving that denies the socially deprived their right to have their basic needs satisfied – but what these critics actually fail to see is that Dickens criticized the Poor Law and its affiliated measures as utterly counterproductive and inhumane and that this was the reason why he underlined the necessity of private people’s feeling responsible to give their share for the common good. You may remember that Scrooge rebuked the portly gentleman’s request for a donation by referring to the Treadmill, the Prisons and the money he paid so that these institutions could be run. It is this attitude of transferring one’s duty towards other people to official institutions – that may fulfil this duty well or poorly – that is becoming increasingly typical of modern societies, and in that respect I would say that Dickens’s approach was anything but old-fashioned.
Nevertheless the question whether Dickens’s appeal to private charity is “enlightened” or not may be a matter of little concern given the depth and power of this little book, and as far as I am concerned Christmas would hardly be Christmas without Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, the genial Mr. Fezziwig and last not least without Tiny Tim.
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Every year or so I re-read this lovely Dickens' classic, and I appreciate it the same every time. It is one of the few stories that is so well written that even Hollywood dares not tamper with it. I have seen (as no doubt you have) multiple versions of this story and no one ever tries to add or subtract from the events. That is a statement in itself.
When we think "Christmas", much of what comes to mind comes directly from the pages of this book. I hope we can all find a moment to include the three spirits in our lives this year. And, as Tiny Tim would say, "God Bless us, every one."
When we think "Christmas", much of what comes to mind comes directly from the pages of this book. I hope we can all find a moment to include the three spirits in our lives this year. And, as Tiny Tim would say, "God Bless us, every one."
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By God, Dickens just got me into a Christmas spirit!
I’m so glad I finally read this classic. It’s an excellent tale of redemption and joy.
If you have been living under a rock all these years and have not read this yet, what are you waiting for? Don't be like Scrooge. It's only 162 pages of pure unadulterated Christmas joy. Bah humbug!
I’m so glad I finally read this classic. It’s an excellent tale of redemption and joy.
If you have been living under a rock all these years and have not read this yet, what are you waiting for? Don't be like Scrooge. It's only 162 pages of pure unadulterated Christmas joy. Bah humbug!
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4+ out of 5 stars to Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, a story almost everyone is likely familiar with as early on as childhood. And we've all seen some form of this in a TV show, movie or another book, given how familiar the three ghosts of Christmas have become.
n n Why This Bookn n
I honestly don't recall how I stumbled upon this book, perhaps by watching one of the movie versions as the first foray. Sacrilegious, I know. But once you see it on a TV screen, the story compels you to want to read it. And when it's the great Charles Dickens, how can you say no, right? I was 17 when I read the book... the summer before college started. And I often wonder if I missed out by not reading it when I was younger... but then again, the movie had already formed images in my mind and set the expectations, so probably turned out OK.
n n Overview of Storyn n
A quick summary, as I'm sure we're all familiar. Jacob Marley and Ebenezer Scrooge run a business. Bob Cratchit works for them and several young kids. Marley dies. Scrooge is a penny pincher. He forces Cratchit to work too hard and the man is already so poor and loving to his family. One night, Scrooge is visited by Marley's ghost, forewarning him to be a nicer person and to listen when "they" come. Scrooge laughs. "Who's they?" He mocks him. And then it happens... three ghosts visit Scrooge and show him a Christmas from the past, a current Christmas and a future Christmas, all resulting from the way Scrooge and Marley ran their business -- essentially, a way to show the old man what his behavior has caused all around him. A reflection pool of the inner workings deep in your mind you've refused to hear or see for far too long. And when Scrooge sees poor Timmy, Bob Cratchit's son, and the maladies surrounding him, Scrooge realizes he, too, must re-learn his lessons.
n n Strengthn n
In true Dickens style, the words are beautiful. The story reads itself, not the reader. And you find such broad strokes of characters and morals within these 100 pages. You learn from it. You open your mind and accept what's already somewhere in your heart.
n n Open Itemsn n
None really... mostly when's the best time to introduce this to children? Too young and you scare them. Too old and you miss out on helping them. It's one of those books you should read together with your kids.
n n Final Thoughtsn n
Read the book before you watch any movies. Then figure out how to help people in your life, just like Scrooge learns to. This book is all about lessons... and every reader can take away something different with their imagination and application to their own thoughts and actions.
n n About Men n
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures.
Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by.
[polldaddy poll=9719251]
n n Why This Bookn n
I honestly don't recall how I stumbled upon this book, perhaps by watching one of the movie versions as the first foray. Sacrilegious, I know. But once you see it on a TV screen, the story compels you to want to read it. And when it's the great Charles Dickens, how can you say no, right? I was 17 when I read the book... the summer before college started. And I often wonder if I missed out by not reading it when I was younger... but then again, the movie had already formed images in my mind and set the expectations, so probably turned out OK.
n n Overview of Storyn n
A quick summary, as I'm sure we're all familiar. Jacob Marley and Ebenezer Scrooge run a business. Bob Cratchit works for them and several young kids. Marley dies. Scrooge is a penny pincher. He forces Cratchit to work too hard and the man is already so poor and loving to his family. One night, Scrooge is visited by Marley's ghost, forewarning him to be a nicer person and to listen when "they" come. Scrooge laughs. "Who's they?" He mocks him. And then it happens... three ghosts visit Scrooge and show him a Christmas from the past, a current Christmas and a future Christmas, all resulting from the way Scrooge and Marley ran their business -- essentially, a way to show the old man what his behavior has caused all around him. A reflection pool of the inner workings deep in your mind you've refused to hear or see for far too long. And when Scrooge sees poor Timmy, Bob Cratchit's son, and the maladies surrounding him, Scrooge realizes he, too, must re-learn his lessons.
n n Strengthn n
In true Dickens style, the words are beautiful. The story reads itself, not the reader. And you find such broad strokes of characters and morals within these 100 pages. You learn from it. You open your mind and accept what's already somewhere in your heart.
n n Open Itemsn n
None really... mostly when's the best time to introduce this to children? Too young and you scare them. Too old and you miss out on helping them. It's one of those books you should read together with your kids.
n n Final Thoughtsn n
Read the book before you watch any movies. Then figure out how to help people in your life, just like Scrooge learns to. This book is all about lessons... and every reader can take away something different with their imagination and application to their own thoughts and actions.
n n About Men n
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures.
Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by.
[polldaddy poll=9719251]
...
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*Read for class
1. This is the first book I've finished in September I am so damn excited.
2. I have endless love for this story because my mom is obsessed with Christmas movies so I've seen at least a million adaptations of it. Happy to say the book was even better! Short and sweet, yet still Dickensian!
1. This is the first book I've finished in September I am so damn excited.
2. I have endless love for this story because my mom is obsessed with Christmas movies so I've seen at least a million adaptations of it. Happy to say the book was even better! Short and sweet, yet still Dickensian!
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Reread 2024: I love this addition, with the red and gold foiling. The illustrations are not really to my taste (a bit scratchy) but the story as ever is just as good.
Reread 2020: Due to a migraine, this year I turned to an audio version for the first time. It was a different experience, not entirely unenjoyable, but I think I'd try a different narrator if I went down this route again.
I like to reread A Christmas Carol every couple of years on Christmas Eve to get me into the Christmas spirit. All I could think about this year was A Muppet Christmas Carol. Not necessarily a bad thing, as I love that film.
I do find Dickens writing a little over descriptive at times, but I liked the little quips and puns that are scattered throughout, and I had a few little chuckle to myself (again, possibly also linked to The Muppets). I think the ghost of Christmas present is my favourite. He’s just everything that I think of when I imagine Christmas.
A festive classic.
Reread 2020: Due to a migraine, this year I turned to an audio version for the first time. It was a different experience, not entirely unenjoyable, but I think I'd try a different narrator if I went down this route again.
I like to reread A Christmas Carol every couple of years on Christmas Eve to get me into the Christmas spirit. All I could think about this year was A Muppet Christmas Carol. Not necessarily a bad thing, as I love that film.
I do find Dickens writing a little over descriptive at times, but I liked the little quips and puns that are scattered throughout, and I had a few little chuckle to myself (again, possibly also linked to The Muppets). I think the ghost of Christmas present is my favourite. He’s just everything that I think of when I imagine Christmas.
A festive classic.
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This short parable or morality tale is probably one of the most read novellas within Charles Dickens’ vast body of work, and one that truly embodies the spirit of Christmas. A short book we could all do with on these cold winter nights (on this side of the world, they are, at least)!
I guess everyone knows the story in broad strokes: Ebenezer Scrooge, a disgusting narrow-shouldered old misanthrope and life-denying penny-pincher (the avatar of Shylock, Volpone, Harpagon and many more literary misers) is about to spend Christmas Eve alone in his cold house, after having dismissed his nephew, his underpaid clerk, everyone. During the night, he meets the ghost of Jacob Marley, his late business partner, then three successive spirits, like the three Biblical Magi, each with a terrible vision of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come. At the end of this long nightmare, where Scrooge travels in space and time, he sees the error of his ways, repents, promises to amend his behaviour and abandon his avarice.
The story is, of course, if not familiar, entirely predictable, but the genius of Dickens lies in his ability to breathe life into his characters and settings. In particular, the description of Victorian Camden market in Stave four, with the seasonal food and drink and preparations for Christmas Eve dinner is mouthwatering. The chapter titled “The end of it”, when Scrooge wakes up to a bright golden Christmas morning, filled with bells ringing at full peal, is probably one of the most elating pieces of literature I have ever read. In the edition I own, Arthur Rackham’s illustrations, have, as always, the quaint charm of bygone days.
The film industry has plundered Dickens shamelessly on this one. Robert Zemeckis’ version, with Jim Carrey, is probably the most respectful of the text, although the CGI is frankly horrendous. I much prefer Frank Capra and James Stewart’s inverted variation in It’s a Wonderful Life.
And with this, dear Goodreads people and friends, have a holly jolly Christmas, read on, and may Santa Claus bring you three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree!
I guess everyone knows the story in broad strokes: Ebenezer Scrooge, a disgusting narrow-shouldered old misanthrope and life-denying penny-pincher (the avatar of Shylock, Volpone, Harpagon and many more literary misers) is about to spend Christmas Eve alone in his cold house, after having dismissed his nephew, his underpaid clerk, everyone. During the night, he meets the ghost of Jacob Marley, his late business partner, then three successive spirits, like the three Biblical Magi, each with a terrible vision of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come. At the end of this long nightmare, where Scrooge travels in space and time, he sees the error of his ways, repents, promises to amend his behaviour and abandon his avarice.
The story is, of course, if not familiar, entirely predictable, but the genius of Dickens lies in his ability to breathe life into his characters and settings. In particular, the description of Victorian Camden market in Stave four, with the seasonal food and drink and preparations for Christmas Eve dinner is mouthwatering. The chapter titled “The end of it”, when Scrooge wakes up to a bright golden Christmas morning, filled with bells ringing at full peal, is probably one of the most elating pieces of literature I have ever read. In the edition I own, Arthur Rackham’s illustrations, have, as always, the quaint charm of bygone days.
The film industry has plundered Dickens shamelessly on this one. Robert Zemeckis’ version, with Jim Carrey, is probably the most respectful of the text, although the CGI is frankly horrendous. I much prefer Frank Capra and James Stewart’s inverted variation in It’s a Wonderful Life.
And with this, dear Goodreads people and friends, have a holly jolly Christmas, read on, and may Santa Claus bring you three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree!
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