A CHRISTMAS CAROL
A Christmas Carol is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall on 19 December 1843. The novella met with instant success and critical acclaim. Carol tells the story of a bitter old miser named Ebenezer Scrooge and his transformation into a gentler, kindlier man after visitations by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present and Yet to Come. The book was written at a time when the British were examining and exploring Christmas traditions from the past as well as new customs such as Christmas cards and Christmas trees. Carol singing took a new lease on life during this time. (More from Wikipedia)
If there is anyone more left-field than Tiny Tim, I don’t know who it might be. He is named of course after the crippled child at the heart of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. This story, more than any other single thing, brought about modern Christmas celebrations worldwide (it had become a minor Christian holiday previously over the centuries).
(March 2013)
