Literary Companion Series - A Christmas Carol (hardcover edition)

by Jill Karson

Book Overview

Dickens's classic tale is examined in essays that focus on imagery, themes, biblical allusions, and critical reaction to the story. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0737703407
• Release Date: March 2000
• Publisher: Greenhaven Press
• Length: 174 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.8" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

Interesting and provocative

If the true mark of a masterpiece is that any person can find his own interpretation therein, this little book is ample proof that Dickens' enduring tale, "A Christmas Carol", is a masterpiece, indeed. Each of the critics in this little volume has a different interpretation of Dickens' intent though none is so bold as to suggest that his purpose might have been to provide entertainment or make money. Among the expected interpretations are those that discuss the dichotomy between the industrial revolution and family values, rural and urban life, and Scrooge as the embodiment of "economic man." Other selections interpret Scrooge as Everyman - each of us experiences Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come every year - or interpret the ghostly visits as dream sequences based on Scrooge's impression of himself and his impressions of what others think of him. One selection discusses the fairytale elements of the story. Another, one of the more bizarre interpretations, compares Dickens' story to a parable about the conversion of Jews to Christianity, an unconvincing argument that, nevertheless, contains a few interesting ideas. E.g., in the Bible, Ebenezer is a stone and in "A Christmas Carol" Ebenezer Scrooge is stone-hearted; Jacob Marley represents Israel who rejected Christ; and in contrast, all of the Cratchet family have New Testament names. This is rather slim support for the thesis, but interesting none-the-less.One of the most compelling interpretations is that Scrooge is undergoing an ersatz gestalt therapy session, that he is meeting the demons of his past and conquering them (particularly the image of himself as a lonely child), reckoning with the demons of the present, and confronting the main demon of the future - death. Although this is an appealing interpretation, it is anachronistic to claim that Dickens would have actually intended this, given that he wrote the story in 1843, several decades in advance of Freud's work. However, that this, and the other authors can find so many levels of meaning in this story does demonstrate again the universality of the work and does give the reader something further to ponder, especially on a second, fifth or tenth reading of this seasonal favorite.There is also a short biography of Dickens, a chronology of "A Christmas Carol", and a bibliography. In the preface, the editors note that this book, as well as the series to which it belongs, is written with "young adults" in mind. Perhaps, but the material should also appeal to any reader whose comprehension level allows him to ponder what he is reading or has read. Although the book is short, its ideas are so many and varied.(One note, the hard-cover binding is very tight and makes it difficult to keep the book open. The paperback might be a better choice.)