T.E. W. (terez93) reviewed The Christmas Books : Volume 1: A Christmas Carol and The Chimes (Penguin English Library) on + 273 more book reviews
"dear God, they are good - and I feel so good after them - I shall do good and lose no time - I want to go out and comfort someone - I shall give money. Oh, what a jolly thing it is for a man to have written books like these and just filled people's hearts with pity." And what a great thing it is to have an author such as Robert Louis Stevenson write such about one's work. This quote, of course, was in response to Dickens' two Christmas books, "Carol" and "The Chimes," both of which appear in this volume.
The station Charles Dickens was born into would seem to have little semblance to that of his wretched characters, but many events in his young life sparked a great degree of compassion for them, as seen in these two Christmas books and in many of his other works. It could easily be argued that Dickens used the pen as a means for social change. He was born into a middle-class family, but his father was actually committed to a debtors' prison in Southwark when Charles was twelve. The young boy was also forced to pawn his beloved book collection and to leave school to take up employment at a rat-infested factory, likely a seminal event that sparked the activism that would mark the course of his life. He was always moved by the plight of poor children, particularly children working in factory and mines. He took up the cause of child-laborers in Cornish tin mines in 1843, in the wake of a report published early that year by Parliament, which exposed the tragedy of child laborers.
I find that the stories behind the stories are often just as fascinating as the actual published works themselves, and these two are no exception. "A Christmas Carol" was first published by Chapman and Hall, with whom Dickens eventually parted company, in 1843. It was written in a period of transition, when past holiday traditions were apparently being re-evaluated, with some of the trappings we now commonly associate with the holiday, such as Christmas trees, coming into fashion. Dickens seized upon the opportunity to write his magnum opus with the rise of the popularity of Christmas in the mid-19th century. He followed in the illustrious footsteps of other authors who had done likewise, such as Washington Irving.
Despite his popularity, he had suffered some financial setbacks but recovered with the publication of "A Christmas Carol," which has become timeless. It was initially published in December, 1943. Only a year later, thirteen editions had been released, a testament to its popularity. It has been adapted countless times into theatrical productions, movies and even cartoons. The book was apparently stolen and published by another company shortly after its initial publication. I find it rather ironic that this issue resulted in Dickens taking legal action against the publishers who ripped him off, who were eventually forced into bankruptcy. Don't seem to show too much of the Christmas spirit! Oh well.
The second work herein isn't nearly as popular as the first, but it's still considered a holiday classic. It's basically a fantasy story, published a year after "Carol," the second in the five novella which comprised his "Christmas Books" collection. The chimes were reportedly influenced by the bells from a church in Genoa, where the Dickens family was spending a holiday. As with the first, it has a moral message, telling the story of a poor messenger, who is experiencing some melancholy at the reports of crime in the newspaper. It was also the subject of stage adaptations, and an estimated 20,000 copies of the novella were sold in the first three months after its release.
Both are thoroughly Dickensian, and are worth a read, if simply to get a greater sense of his overall literary style and moral message.
The station Charles Dickens was born into would seem to have little semblance to that of his wretched characters, but many events in his young life sparked a great degree of compassion for them, as seen in these two Christmas books and in many of his other works. It could easily be argued that Dickens used the pen as a means for social change. He was born into a middle-class family, but his father was actually committed to a debtors' prison in Southwark when Charles was twelve. The young boy was also forced to pawn his beloved book collection and to leave school to take up employment at a rat-infested factory, likely a seminal event that sparked the activism that would mark the course of his life. He was always moved by the plight of poor children, particularly children working in factory and mines. He took up the cause of child-laborers in Cornish tin mines in 1843, in the wake of a report published early that year by Parliament, which exposed the tragedy of child laborers.
I find that the stories behind the stories are often just as fascinating as the actual published works themselves, and these two are no exception. "A Christmas Carol" was first published by Chapman and Hall, with whom Dickens eventually parted company, in 1843. It was written in a period of transition, when past holiday traditions were apparently being re-evaluated, with some of the trappings we now commonly associate with the holiday, such as Christmas trees, coming into fashion. Dickens seized upon the opportunity to write his magnum opus with the rise of the popularity of Christmas in the mid-19th century. He followed in the illustrious footsteps of other authors who had done likewise, such as Washington Irving.
Despite his popularity, he had suffered some financial setbacks but recovered with the publication of "A Christmas Carol," which has become timeless. It was initially published in December, 1943. Only a year later, thirteen editions had been released, a testament to its popularity. It has been adapted countless times into theatrical productions, movies and even cartoons. The book was apparently stolen and published by another company shortly after its initial publication. I find it rather ironic that this issue resulted in Dickens taking legal action against the publishers who ripped him off, who were eventually forced into bankruptcy. Don't seem to show too much of the Christmas spirit! Oh well.
The second work herein isn't nearly as popular as the first, but it's still considered a holiday classic. It's basically a fantasy story, published a year after "Carol," the second in the five novella which comprised his "Christmas Books" collection. The chimes were reportedly influenced by the bells from a church in Genoa, where the Dickens family was spending a holiday. As with the first, it has a moral message, telling the story of a poor messenger, who is experiencing some melancholy at the reports of crime in the newspaper. It was also the subject of stage adaptations, and an estimated 20,000 copies of the novella were sold in the first three months after its release.
Both are thoroughly Dickensian, and are worth a read, if simply to get a greater sense of his overall literary style and moral message.
