A Christmas Carol Background

A Christmas Carol

  • Written by Charles Dickens, dramatized by Frederick Gaines.

Overview of the Story

  • The narrative follows a mean, greedy old man visited by ghosts the night before Christmas.

  • Set in Victorian England during the mid-1800s.

  • Published as a novella in 1843.

  • Dickens' response to the issue of child labor in the 1800s; initially intended as a pamphlet against child labor but transformed into a story.

Influence and Legacy

  • The story has never been out of print.

  • Translated into multiple languages.

  • Adapted into various television shows, movies, and plays.

Charles Dickens

  • Born in 1812, passed away in 1870.

  • Other popular works include "A Christmas Carol," "Great Expectations," and "Oliver Twist."

  • Faced financial difficulties in childhood; worked in a shoe polish factory at 12 to support his family.

  • Rose beyond his family's financial troubles to become one of the greatest authors of the Victorian Era.

Victorian England

  • Socioeconomic landscape characterized by stark class divisions.

Workhouses

  • Designed to provide work and shelter for poor people.

  • Known for terrible conditions: child labor, neglect, beatings, and malnutrition.

Social Class Structure

The Upper Class

  • Composed of Dukes, Lords, and Barons.

  • Inherited titles, property, and wealth.

  • Not expected to work; boys prepared to manage estates, girls expected to marry into wealthy families.

The Middle Class

  • Comprised of merchants, bankers, and factory owners.

  • Created wealth through labor.

  • Looked down upon by the upper class for working but enjoyed many of the upper-class privileges.

The Lower Class

  • Included maids, servants, and general laborers.

  • Worked for the upper and middle classes.

  • Subject to disdain from the upper and middle classes; often impoverished and barred from socializing with them.