Tweet

Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

Guest post by: Linda Burson

Article Overview: In its December 2009 issue of Building Bridges, Mazon Associates featured Charles Dickens, author of A Christmas Carol, as its Entrepreneur of the Month.

Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

Most of us grew up with A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, the story of Ebenezer Scrooge's Christmas Eve spiritual visit from his business partner, Jacob Marley, who had died seven years earlier, and came to warn him that his soul would bear heavy chains for eternity if he did not change his greedy ways. Marley predicted that other ghosts would also visit him that night: The Ghost of Christmas Past took Scrooge back to his innocent childhood; the Ghost of Christmas Present took him to the home of his nephew Fred and to the humble dwelling of his clerk Bob Cratchit to observe his family's meager Christmas meal and somber holiday; the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come took him to the future and showed Scrooge dire visions of the future if he did not learn and act upon what he had witnessed. In the end, Crippled Tiny Tim (Bob Cratchit's son) did not die as the ghost foretold and Scrooge becomes a different man, treating his fellow men with kindness, generosity, and compassion, and gaining a reputation as a man who embodies the spirit of Christmas.

Dickens began writing A Christmas Carol in October 1843 and completed the book in six weeks. It was published on December 19, 1843 and sold for approximately $1.25 each. The first run of 6,000 copies sold out by Christmas Eve. A Christmas Carol was pirated by Parley's Illuminated Library in January 1844 and, though Dickens sued and won his case, the company simply declared bankruptcy, leaving Dickens to pay over $1,000 in costs.

Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in the wake of British government changes to the welfare system known as the Poor Laws, changes which required among other things, welfare applicants to "work" on treadmills (originally, a type of mill operated by a person treading steps of a wheel to grind grain). Through his writings, Dickens asks, in effect, for people to recognize the plight of those whom the Industrial Revolution had displaced and driven into poverty, and the obligation of society to provide for them humanely. Failure to do so, Dickens implied, would result in an unnamed "Doom" for those who, like Scrooge, believe their wealth and status qualifies them to sit in judgment of the poor rather than to assist them.

Since its first publication, A Christmas Carol has had a profound effect upon its audiences. A factory owner in Boston, Massachusetts attended a public reading of the story on Christmas Eve and was so moved he closed his factory on Christmas Day and sent every employee a turkey. The book redefined the spirit and importance of Christmas and initiated a rebirth of seasonal merriment after Puritan authorities in 17th century England and America suppressed pre-Christian rituals associated with the holiday. The religious and social implications of A Christmas Carol and its depiction of Christmas traditions have played a significant role in reinventing Christmas with an emphasis on family, goodwill, and compassion. Prominent phrases from the novel, "Bah! Humbug!" and "Merry Christmas," entered the English language. The word "scrooge" has also been added to the English dictionary, defined as a stingy person.

Born February 7, 1812 in Portsmouth, England, Charles Dickens married Catherine Hogarth (the daughter of a newspaper editor) in 1836. Together, they had ten children. Since his first story published in 1833 (A Dinner at Poplar Walk), Charles Dickens wrote over a dozen major novels, a large number of short stories, a handful of plays, and several non-fiction books. His novels were initially serialized in weekly and monthly magazines, and then reprinted in standard book formats. A great many of his characters were based on people that he knew. Readings of novels were quite popular in that era and Dickens drew large audiences to his stage readings for many years. Separated from Catherine in 1858, Dickens never divorced or remarried but did maintain a bond with Ellen Ternan (an actress in one of his stage plays) for the rest of his life. He died of a stroke at his home on June 9, 1870 at the age of 58. Dickens's Will stipulated that no memorial be erected to honor him, thus, the only life-size bronze statue of Dickens, cast in 1891, is located in Clark Park in the Spruce Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Related Articles
  The Spooky Rise Of Halloween
  YOU are the Blessing - Sales and Marketing Training
  Ye Who Now Will Bless The Poor
  Are You Joyful This Christmas?
  12 Tips of Christmas
  Thankful For The President - Really
  Surviving Shift Work – When you’re Rostered to Work on Christmas Day!
  The Face Of The Season
  Make the TIME
  How to enjoy Christmas in your business
  Christmas Carols can help you manage holiday stress!
  There's a Better Way? Who Cares!
  Scrooged A Dickens of a Way to Manage Change
  A “Cautionary” Christmas Carol
  The Land Of Purposeful Paradoxes - The Birthplace Of Your Divinely Inspired Life Purpose
  Christmas Present: Put A Tebow On It
  A Goofy Christmas Mistake You CAN'T Make With Customers
  Sometimes Even the Best Closing Statements Don't Work
  Charles Schwabs Personal Life
  Santa’s Ecommerce Sphere of Influence

Article Tags: a christmas carol, building bridges, catherine hogarth, charles dickens, ellen ternan, entrepreneur, humbug, jacob marley, mazon, merry christmas, poor laws, scrooge



Related Forum Posts
Re: Favorite Christmas movies - [quote="OmnivoreInk":1rxsgr0t]I do have to say I've never liked[i:1rxsgr0t] It's A Wonderful Life[/i:1rxsgr0t]. He spends all his life having his hopes and dreams shattered, feeling miserable, and its only at the end of his life that he can look back and realize how many friends he has, etc. But that doesn't change the fact that up until that point he was miserable![/quote:1rxsgr0t] I love the sentimentality around watching that movie with your Mom! Chtistmas is made up of all those sentimental things. "It's A Wonderful Life" is all about perspective, much in the same way that Scrooge is 'realigned' in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" - which I listen to on CD every year (sometimes twice!) Happy Christmas Everyone! Regards Martin
Being generous has its rewards! - My friend wants to go around the streets on Christmas night giving homeless people $20 bills. Maybe I'll tell him to start a fundraiser, find a few sponsors and hold an event instead? It could be for everyone who don't have a families to be with during Christmas? They can all get together on Christmas day and have some fun and get to know each other. (sort of like a little family?) It probably sounds better in theory though, lol.
Re: Moderators on vacation - Off on my Christmas holidays with my family later today! Actually, we are flying to England and have been watching BBC World News reports about Heathrow struggling to cope with the snow... Hope the trains manage to run on Christmas Eve... I probably won't appear on the forum very often until around 5th January, DV... Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everybody! David H
Re: Character Design - using it effectively in marketing - Hi, Well i think you are both right. I am 27 and I like the "Ask Chuck" commercials by Charles Schwab and I am not too excited about the esurance ones. But whether we like them or not we notice them, remember them, and are even talking about them in this forum; for those trying to learn how to build links this is the basic principal by the way. If I learned one thing from my marketing professionals in college, is that any publicity is good publicity (obviously this can be wrong). But the Aflac duck is the most annoying spokes person / animal yet it is one of the most recognizable brand. So what the professors told us that in many cases it doesn't matter what you make people remember, as long as they remember. Do you think this may be the case with character animation in marketing? How many people know eSurance as the company with the animated girl, or how many people my age are beginning to know Charles Schwab as the financial company with the animated people? What do you think? Plus, if I were to guess Charles Schwab & esurance board of executives paid millions in research they need to reach the younger audience.
Re: What are reasons to stay in touch with your customers? - To remind them of a holiday for which they may want to buy a gift from your business and give to the person (such as Mother's day or Christmas). Although I've never done it, I've heard that off holidays (such as Memorial Day) for which we don't think of getting a card on, are the best ones to send them on so they don't get lost in all the other Christmas or Easter cards people are sending at the typical times. I don't know if that's what you're looking for or not. That's all I can think of right now.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

3 Key Factors For Raising Capital

Are You Listening?

Creating a Better Place to Work

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.