A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (1843)

Dickens’ Novella Dickensian has become our word for the grim reality behind the façade of Victorian contentment. The text is so ingrained in our consciousness that the name name Scrooge is now synonymous with any one who is mean or miserly. Dickens uses this characternym to great effect as it suggests much about his character. Short reading experience lends the story an intensity that is the special property of the novella. Events take place in less that 24 hours and D’s is credited as inventing the circadian (one day) novel and it is often described as the most perfect of Dickens’ work.

Poverty In 1824 Dickens’ father sunk into the abyss of debt and was arrested and sent to the Marshalsea debtor’s prison with his family. They would only be released when the family could pay off the debt. Charles, who was 12 years old, was sent to work in a Blacking factory which continued to haunt his imagination and underpins much of his work. ‘Little Dorrit’ is partly set in a debtor’s prison. Even when Charles becomes very prosperous he never forgot the privations of his youth.

Allegory Term derived from the Greek allegoria. A story with a double meaning and closely linked to the parable and the fable. It is a story that can be read and understood and interpreted at two or more levels; often religious or moral. Dickens uses this device effectively as it is carries a message of hope, Christian redemption and an assertion of the value of Christmas.

Deus ex-machina (L.) Literary device used in many Anc. Greek dramas and used by many playwrights since. Literally means God from the machine. In Greek drama a god was lowered on to the stage to help the hero out of difficulties. Today the phrase is applied to any intervener who resolves a difficult situation. The three spirits could be seen as Deus’s ex-machina who appear as Scrooge’s moral guides.