I'm now going to review A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
My version of this timeless classic is Annotated, which I would certainly recommend as the ideal binding. There are a surprising number of "slang" terms of the time, and the footnotes can come in handy, I felt.
I won't summarise the story, since everyone ought to know it by now. But even if you know everything, and sneer at Tiny Tim as sentimental and the character transformation of Scrooge as implausible, I really would advise you to read the story before you condemn it. I was quite surprised by its enjoyability.
One doesn't think of Dickens and fantasy as going together, does one? But this story proves he had a fine, vivid imagination in that direction, and hence the supernatural is effortlessly crafted. Imagery for Marley and the Three Spirits is sublime, each one seeming to outdo the last.
The other key set of descriptions in this story is that of Dickens' London. A superb creation. The imagery of Christmas is beautifully evoked, what with mouth-watering descriptions of a streetmarket and economically elegant passages devoted to bleak coastal celebrations...
The prose isn't perfect, of course. Each chapter bulges with at least a few overactive details, and sometimes the wording is garbled and in need of editing. And in terms of plot and character, Dickens famed sentimentality does intrude from time to time - such as in the character of Belle (the Angel of the House) and during the Fezziwig ball scene.
Yet what does it matter? Despite these flaws, A Christmas Carol is marvelous. To begin with Scrooge and see it all happen with him, is in a way, to take part in that redemption as well. I found his transformation entirely plausible, and by the time I reached the final act, I shared his joy entirely. Happiness radiated from the pages, and I finally understood why this is considered such a timeless part of the Christmas tradition.
(By the way, has carolling and busking died out in the modern era? Sad if it has.)
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So now yer not so jaded? Merry Christmas indeed! 'ave some Christmas pudding luv :)
ReplyDeleteGreat review. It makes me want to go and read the book! I have to say I have seen the film many times, in fact many versions, but it isn't the same is it?
ReplyDeleteDickens stories have been transformed into so many films they seem like old friends. Yet, I have only ever read 'Great Expectations' and that was when I was quite young *hangs head in shame*. I did really enjoy it though.
As for carolling, it does seem to be something of the past doesn't it?
I remember we would have carol singers out and about in force. In fact I even did it, once, but that was enough for everyone else. The last few years I have noticed it doesn't happen, at least not round here.
Sad indeed.