Lecture Notes: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Introduction

• The lecture focuses on preparing for the English Literature Paper One exam on "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens.
• Key areas covered: Context, Themes, and Quotations.
• A mind map and PDF resource are available for further study.

Context

Key Contextual Points

1. Dickens' Personal Experience

   • Dickens’ father went to debtor’s prison when Dickens was 12.
   • Dickens had to work, giving him firsthand experience of poverty.

2. 1834 New Poor Law

   • Required the poor to work in workhouses for governmental assistance.
   • Criticized by Dickens as punishing the poor.
   • Alluded to by Scrooge's references to prisons and workhouses.

3. Thomas Malthus' Theory

   • Overpopulation blamed for poverty; diseases seen as population control.
   • Dickens criticized this view as insensitive.
   • Referenced by Scrooge’s comment on the "surplus population."

4. Industrial Revolution

   • Created extreme social divides.
   • Dickens critiqued the wealthy factory owners versus the poor workers.

Themes

Major Themes

1. Christmas

   • Emphasizes charity, giving, family time.
   • Reminds readers of the religious significance of Christmas.

2. Redemption

   • Scrooge’s transformation as a positive example.
   • Forgiveness and second chances are central.

3. Charity

   • Encourages wealthy readers to be generous.
   • Highlights the importance of fair wages.

4. Social Injustice

   • Criticism of the wealth gap in Victorian England.
   • Government actions favoring the rich criticized.

5. Family

   • Family as a source of support and strength.
   • Scrooge’s isolation contrasts with the supportive families in the novel.

Key Quotations

Scrooge

• "Solitary as an oyster": Reflects Scrooge's isolation and greed.
• "Bah humbug!": His disdain for Christmas.
• "Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?": Displays insensitivity to the poor.
• "I will live in the Past, Present, Future": His acceptance of change and redemption.

Bob Cratchit

• "The clerk’s fire was so very much smaller": Highlights Scrooge’s miserliness.
• "It was a small pudding for a large family": Illustrates poverty and familial happiness.
• Exclamation about Tiny Tim’s death: Shows the impact of Scrooge’s actions on the poor.

Ghost of Christmas Past

• "Like a child: yet not so like a child as like an old man": Represents innocence and experience.
• Fezziwig’s party mockery: Teaches Scrooge about the power to make others happy.

Ghost of Christmas Present

• "Jolly giant": Contrasts with typical ghostly depiction.
• List describing children (yellow, meager, ragged): Symbolizes the effects of poverty.

Ghost of Christmas Future

• "Deep black garment": Symbolizes death.
• "The Phantom pointed": Stresses the inevitability of Scrooge’s fate.
• "Kind hand trembled": Indicates a chance for redemption.

Conclusion

• Remember key context, themes, and quotations for the exam.
• A model response for the 2020 exam paper will be reviewed next.