Dickensians! discussion

A CHRISTMAS CAROL - The First Discussion Thread: Staves 1 and 2





John Leech - 1st edition 1843

This is the thread to discuss the first part ofCharles Dickens most popular and famous work, A Christmas Carol, which was first published in 1843.

We will be reading this wonderful book throughout December, and it will be led by four of our lovely group members. Here is the schedule:

December 1 - 6: Stave 1
Led by Connie
December 7 - 12: Stave 2
Led by Sara
December 13 - 18: Stave 3
Led by Sara
December 19 - 24: Stave 4
Led by Debra
December 25 - 31: Stave 5
Led by Rosemarie

This is a list of all the chapters in this thread. Clicking on each chapter will automatically link you to the summary for that chapter.

Introduction (Message 4)
Stave 1 (Message 50)
Stave 2 (Message 202)

INTRODUCTION

WHY DID DICKENS WRITE "A CHRISTMAS CAROL" ?

"A Christmas Carol" is one of Charles Dickens' most beloved works. Dickens was hoping that writing the book would help with his financial worries. He was also concerned with the less fortunate and wanted to write about social problems. It was probably way beyond his dreams to have his book influence the way people celebrated Christmas.

Dickens had his wife, Catherine, and their four children to support in 1843--with a fifth child on the way. He also helped support his parents, had large travel expenses, and paid a household staff. Catherine's sisters often stayed with the family too. Dickens' latest novel, Martin Chuzzlewit was not selling well in serialized form in England. Its satirical attacks on the United States made it very unpopular in America too. His publisher was threatening to reduce his monthly income if sales dropped further.

Dickens always brought social problems into his novels. There had been a large population increase, and people flocked to the cities during the Industrial Revolution. He was concerned about the poor in "the hungry 1840s," a time of rising unemployment and malnutrition. People worked long hours in terrible conditions. The plight of London's street children especially tore at his heart. Dickens had thought about writing an informative political pamphlet about poor children. But he later felt that he would reach more people with his concerns about poverty and injustice if he incorporated his ideas into a Christmas story.

After dealing with writer's block for a while, Dickens wrote "A Christmas Carol" in six weeks during the autumn of 1843. He often took long walks of 15-20 miles as he worked out the story in his mind. The book was published by Chapman and Hall with a commission arrangement between them. Dickens was responsible for the cost of publishing, and he wanted "A Christmas Carol" to be a beautiful gift book. The book had a lovely binding stamped with gold lettering, gold gilded pages, colored end papers, and beautiful etchings by John Leach. Although it quickly sold out 6,000 copies in five days, the cost of production was so high that Dickens earned very little from the first printing. However, the book was so popular that it has never been out of print. Dickens also gave 127 readings of "A Christmas Carol"--some paid, others for charity--between 1853 and 1870.

"A Christmas Carol" had an impact on the way Christmas was celebrated. Employers did not want to be compared to Scrooge so more of them gave their employees a holiday on Christmas Day. There were more collections around Christmas to benefit charities helping the less fortunate. Families gathered for festive celebrations. The German tradition of Christmas trees was made more popular by Prince Albert. Reading "A Christmas Carol" or seeing an adaptation of the story on stage also became an important part of celebrating the Christmas holiday.

This is a marvellous introduction you've written for us, Connie! It really sets the scene, both in terms of Victorian society, and Charles Dickens's personal life and writing. It always seems so sad to me, that he spent so much money producing a luxurious first edition, because his publishers wouldn't spend the money - and yet that was why he had written it, as you said! What a thrill it would be for him to know that it has a unique place in English literature, and our hearts, even to this day. I have a feeling he knew at the time that it was something very special. And of course it led to the public demanding a Christmas novella by Charles Dickens every year! He obliged for five years, and then reduced it to an annual festive short story.

I appreciate how carefully researched this is :) We need that, as there have been a few extremely speculative, non-fiction novels recently (and of course this isn't really the place to talk about those).

The first post is the cover of the first edition, and probably the favourite of John Leech's illustrations. Perhaps the book looks a little faded now, but we have to remember it is almost 180 years old! Imagine it as Connie described, a bright red volume with gold tooling and heavy good quality paper with gold edges. A keepsake to hand down to your children, and your children's children.

What a wonderful book this is. I'm really looking forward to reading it with you all, led by our members (specified in comment 2) :)

Connie wrote: "INTRODUCTION

WHY DID DICKENS WRITE "A CHRISTMAS CAROL" ?

"A Christmas Carol" is one of Charles Dickens' most beloved works. Dickens was hoping that writing the book would help with his financial ..."
Wow, I didn't know any of this stuff! Very interesting. I thought he wrote about "reality" but it appears his novel had an influence on reality (e.g., more employers giving Christmas Day off).

I'm looking forward to the Dickensians reading this wonderful book together in December. If you don't already have a copy of the book, Project Gutenberg has versions illustrated by several different artists.

Jim, I hope you will be joining us for "A Christmas Carol."

Connie wrote: "INTRODUCTION

WHY DID DICKENS WRITE "A CHRISTMAS CAROL" ?

"A Christmas Carol" is one of Charles Dickens' most beloved works. Dickens was hoping that writing the book would help with his financial ..."

Thanks for the great introduction Connie. I'm looking forward to this read.

I have read Christmas Carol probably 3 or 4 times, but not within the last several years. Each time I read Dickens, I pick up new insights or find details that I somehow missed earlier, so this will be old and new for me. I think this is the perfect year to go back to this novel, not just for the season but all the events of 2020. Dickens's heart is in the Carol, and we need to take heart and hope for positive change. If that isn't Dickensian, then what is? Looking forward to start reading.

Connie wrote: "I'm looking forward to the Dickensians reading this wonderful book together in December. If you don't already have a copy of the book, Project Gutenberg has versions illustrated by several differen..."

Yes I will. I have a very old edition of it. One of those books with tissue paper near the frontispiece. On one side is a picture of Dickens and on the other page is the title page in gold ink (well it looks gold). There's no date...Barse and Hopkins of New York were the publishers...Circa early 1900s. Not worth anything really but will be nice to read an olde book with all of you!

What a wonderful introduction - thank you Connie. I did not know any of that information so it was very eye opening. The pictures of the first edition are beautiful. I would love to see one in real life!
I'm thrilled to be joining you for the group read of A Christmas Carrol.

I've read it about a dozen times. It's a book that never grows old. I wasn't planning to read it this year, but the slow pace of reading is very inviting. 😊 I've already got a heavy lot for December, but I'll try and squeeze this in. I probably will do audio. Any recommendations?

Thanks, everyone. I'm happy you'll be reading with the group in December.

Piyangie, I don't use audio books myself. Has anyone else done an audio read of "A Christmas Carol"?

Terrific introduction, Connie. I generally read this book annually and watch at least one movie version. I am truly looking forward to sharing it with everyone this year.

I wish Dickens could actually know what this story has come to mean to people--then again, maybe he does.

I’m glad we are reading this one for Christmas, for me too it’s an annual read, but I expect to discover new things through the group.

Great intro Connie! Working for a union, I have a different take on A Christmas Carol now and see some parallels with what unions have worked for and what Dickens imagined.

Sara wrote: "Terrific introduction, Connie. I generally read this book annually and watch at least one movie version. I am truly looking forward to sharing it with everyone this year.

I wish Dickens could act..."

I think Dickens knew how much people loved "A Christmas Carol." He sold out his readings of the story in both England and the United States. He was a marvelous actor as well as a celebrated author, and would use different voices for each of his characters. I never realized what a "rock star" status he had until I did the research for "A Christmas Carol."

France-Andrée wrote: "I’m glad we are reading this one for Christmas, for me too it’s an annual read, but I expect to discover new things through the group.

Great intro Connie! Working for a union, I have a different t..."

Thanks, France-Andree. I'm looking forward to reading your remarks later about the plight of the workers and the poor. I tried not to get into any details in the introduction since I imagine we will be discussing them especially in Stave 3.

I love the positive and sentimental message in A Christmas Carol, like it is not too late to change one's character. It has a cozy, wintery feel and atmosphere, like it would be a good book to be reading while sipping on coffee on a cold day in December. I think it might have been my first read from Dickens and have literally watched many different films of this. Does anyone have a particular favorite film version that they gravitate towards? Just wondering.

I love the Patrick Stewart film. It has been many years since I've watched any other version of the film so that may be why it's my favorite.

My favourite is with Reginald Owen from 1939. I like the innocence in this one and obviously no CGI, but it works for me.

Connie wrote: "Sara wrote: "Terrific introduction, Connie. I generally read this book annually and watch at least one movie version. I am truly looking forward to sharing it with everyone this year.

I wish Dick..."

Oh yes, I know he did, but I wonder if he could have envisioned how beloved it would remain, how synonymous with Christmas for so many of us, and still selling like hotcakes over 150 years later.

Very good point, Sara. There is such a universal message to the story that I imagine people will be reading it for another 150 years. But any author can only hope that their work will live on after them.

This is why I am surprised that he forbade any statues etc. after his death. Was it because he thought he would be forgotten, or that he wanted his works to speak for themselves? Just a thought to ponder off-topic :)

I'm putting this in the current reads folder now, ready. Please everyone, be just as aware of spoilers as you always are :) Some lucky folk might never have come across this story before.

Thanks for the introduction, Connie.

I will be joining the read and look forward to discovering new aspects in the book. Last time I read it I had a version from Gutenberg but the website is still down in Germany which is why I got myself a lovely new hardcover edition.

Wishing us all a great time with the book!

Kathrin wrote: "Thanks for the introduction, Connie.

I will be joining the read and look forward to discovering new aspects in the book. Last time I read it I had a version from Gutenberg but the website is still..."

A beautiful hardcover book is a treasure since it probably will be read numerous times. I'm happy you'll be reading along with us.

I’ve bought this as an audiobook this year, it’s my first listening, I always read it before. I chose Tom Baker as the narrator, I love his voice (and wonder if he can inject his sense of humour in it).

France-Andrée wrote: "I’ve bought this as an audiobook this year, it’s my first listening, I always read it before. I chose Tom Baker as the narrator, I love his voice (and wonder if he can inject his sense of humour in..."

Tom Baker does have a good voice so I hope you enjoy it on audiobook.

I think one of the movies that contains the most of the book is The Muppet Christmas Carol! Even though they have 2 Marleys, singing vegetables, etc. I imagine Dickens would have enjoyed the stage and film adaptations. Many cities do a yearly Christmas Carol production (except for this year.)

An interesting thing about the book is that the religious story of Christmas isn't really invoked. It is mainly about how people should treat each other.

I haven't seen the Muppet version except for a few scenes, probably when my kids were young. It looks very humorous.

I love seeing "A Christmas Carol" on stage with a professional company. The lighting crew must have fun with setting up the atmosphere for all the ghosts.

Robin, the message seems to be to keep the spirit of Christmas in our lives through generosity, love, family bonds, friendships, etc. There are no Nativity scenes, just a few mentions of God blessing everyone.

I hope you will be reading "A Christmas Carol" with us next week.

For UK members: I have just noticed that the 1984 film version of “A Christmas Carol” starring George C Scott is being televised on Film4 tomorrow, 29 November 2020, at 2:40pm.

Robin P wrote: "I think one of the movies that contains the most of the book is The Muppet Christmas Carol! Even though they have 2 Marleys, singing vegetables, etc. I imagine Dickens would have enjoyed the stage ..."

My family has this tradition of watching The Muppet version every single year on the first Sunday of Advent. I love this adaption although I know there are probably better ones. As I can‘t be home this year with my parents, I convinced my boyfriend to watch the movie with me. I am really looking forward to this.

Thank Trisha! I'll set my timer as I've never seen that one :)

Thanks for the introduction, Connie. I had no idea.

I love the Patrick Stewart version of A Christmas Carol. I have not seen the Muppet version, but am curious. I will watch it sometime next week.

Looking forward to this read (reread for me).

I'm glad you'll be reading along with us.

The Muppet version is comedy--but I guess we all need a laugh during the pandemic. After all these comments about the Muppet version, I'll have to check it out myself.

Love The Muppets version, the songs are catchy.

Never seen the Muppet version, but I did watch a Mr. Magoo version once with the kids. I love Patrick Stewart's version and George C. Scott. I always seem to go back to the Alistair Sims version as well. Seems this is one of those stories that I want to watch over and over, so it is nice to have different versions to choose from.

I remember the Mr. Magoo version! The one we always watched on TV was Alistair Sim.

Trisha wrote: "For UK members: I have just noticed that the 1984 film version of “A Christmas Carol” starring George C Scott is being televised on Film4 tomorrow, 29 November 2020, at 2:40pm."

I just saw your message at the right moment - thank you!

Thank you Trisha and Sue - I've just seen it in time to record it on Film4 +1!

I still like the Alastair Sim film, but this one is excellent too. I’m pleased some people were able to watch/record it today. Also, try watching the Blackadder version if it’s shown again at some time - it’s very different from the book or the other films, but a clever adaptation.

I had no idea there is a Blackadder version. I just discovered the show and it’s wonderful. I love Rowan Atkinson!! BritBox is showing Blackadder at the moment although I’ve not looked for this episode if anyone else is a subscriber.

I'm almost done listening to an unabridged audio version, and I swear it sounds like Richard Armitage reading it. I checked it out from my local library and downloaded to my phone, and there is no mention of the reader anywhere but whether it is Richard himself or someone else, it is a fabulous reading.

I’ve also been listening to an audio version and just finished, as it is unfortunately a quick one. It’s a favorite story of mine and I too try to read it every year. This is the first time I’ve listened to it and I found it enjoyable. I still would like to read it before the end of the season as I found I have an illustrated ebook and don’t think I’ve read that version before.

I’ve seen most of the movies so many times I jumble them and don’t remember which is which. Last year I went to a local theater performance which was by far the best interpretation I’ve seen. They came out first singing carols which really added to it. I felt transported and it was so true to the story. Unfortunately this year is a miss, as I’d planned to have a new tradition going. Crossing my fingers for 2021.

I’m so happy this book was chosen. It is just such a good story. And told so well.

I imagine Dickens would be so pleased to know all the different ways we are enjoying "A Christmas Carol" today based on everyone's comments.

Brenda wrote: "I had no idea there is a Blackadder version. I just discovered the show and it’s wonderful. I love Rowan Atkinson!! BritBox is showing Blackadder at the moment although I’ve not looked for this epi..."

I just looked on Google. It was filmed in 1988. If you have Amazon Prime I think you can watch it for free - but I can’t check this. The information on Google gives spoilers, so if you plan to watch perhaps it’s better not to read the information about it.

In the UK, the 1984 film is on Film 4 again on December 6, at 11am.

Thanks, Judy. I hope they will televise other versions too during the Christmas period.

This reads begins in proper tomorrow, so no doubt Connie will have more to say about the First Stave as we begin the text. In case you hadn't noticed, we are spending 6 days on each Stave. Each will be linked at the beginning of the thread, just as Connie's introduction has been :)

Musical Motifs-Carol, Staves, and Bells

Instead of chapters, Dickens divides A Christmas Carol into five staves. A "stave" is another name for a musical staff holding the notes and clefs. This ties in well with the musical reference to a "carol" in the title.

Bells announce the visits of the ghosts. Each ghost only has a short allotted time so that all the visits magically occur before Christmas Day dawns.

Stave One Summary (at the counting house)

"Marley was dead, to begin with." This great first line offers some foreshadowing of things to come. After Marley died, his business partner, Ebenezer Scrooge, continued the business with the same sign, "Scrooge and Marley," over the door.

Scrooge is described as a cold, greedy miser: "Oh! but he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster."

Although Christmas Eve is cold and foggy, Scrooge's employee only has one lump of coal on his fire. Scrooge is too cheap to pay for more to keep Bob Cratchit warm.

Scrooge's nephew, Fred, stopped by with Christmas greetings, but Scrooge replies, "Bah! Humbug!" He refuses Fred's Christmas dinner invitation too.

Scrooge's nephew reminded Scrooge of the spirit of Christmas: "There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which I have not profited, I dare say Christmas among the rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas-time, when it has come round--apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that --as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!"

As Scrooge's nephew left the counting house, two portly gentlemen entered, collecting funds for the poor and destitute. Scrooge replies that he only supports the prisons and the workhouses, and refuses to contribute.

When Bob Cratchit leaves for the day, Scrooge complains about the clerk having Christmas Day off from work: " A poor excuse for picking a man's pocket every twenty-fifth of December! But I suppose you must have the whole day. Be here all the earlier next morning."

On his way home, the joyous Bob Cratchit went down an icy sliding hill, at the end of a lane of boys, twenty times, in honour of its being Christmas Eve.

Stave One continued in next post.