A Christmas Carol a Classic for a Reason

Many of our traditions today came from this book.

One of my Christmas traditions is to read a Dickens Christmas book. I have to admit it is often A Christmas Carol, as it is my favourite. I also love the film version of Scrooge with Jim Carrey, which the kids and I watch yearly.

The novella is unique because you are hooked from the first sentence. It has one of the most iconic first lines in literature.

Marley was dead, to begin with.

This line sparks so much interest if you have never read the book. Who is Marley? Why is he dead, and more importantly, why was he only dead in the beginning?

A Christmas Carol is not only a favourite amongst readers but also has a special place in Dicken's heart, mainly because he wrote it to escape a financial hole. The speed at which he wrote it would put some of us NaNoWriMo veterans to shame.

Writing a novella

The novel was written in just six weeks, while Dickens wrote the 11th instalment of Martin Chuzlewit. For those who are not aware, Dickens published all his books serially, with a couple of chapters every month. I am currently reading Bleak House using the original publishing schedule, and I have to say it is a magical way to read the books.

It did not go as planned when Dickens sat down to pen A Christmas Carol. As he started, he was suffering from a terrible cold. However, he knew it was essential to keep ploughing on, and that is what he did.

Dickens was in financial trouble not because of his actions but because of his father's. His father, who inspired Mr Macawber in David Copperfield, had borrowed money extensively, and people wanted it back. Dickens, who was making a living from his books, could not afford to help him out without a quick hit.

Struggling with a cold, he stuck to a rigid writing routine. He would pen between two and three pages every day, which to some of us does not sound a lot, but he did all this writing by hand. He already had a rough idea for Scrooge; he had written a similar character, Gabriel Grubb, from The Pickwick Papers, that he wanted to base him on.

Published

Dickens struggled through the manuscript and delivered it in time for the Christmas publishing schedule. It was published on 19 December 1843, and it is clear that his fans loved it. By Christmas, the original print of 6000 copies had sold out.

The publishers printed another two editions before the end of 1843; by 1844, there were thirteen editions. The book cost five shillings; however, a first edition of A Christmas Carol would set you back considerably more today. When writing this article, Sotheby's is advertising an edition for £10,000; others have sold for more.

Dickens did not make as much money as he hoped from the novella, though. He had expensive taste and wanted the books to be of the highest quality, which reduced his profit margins.

A rival publisher also printed a story called A Christmas Ghosts Story, identical to A Christmas Carol. Dickens sued, and an expensive lawsuit followed. The lawsuit went in his favour, but he was left with £700 in legal fees when the publisher went bankrupt.

Dicken's Legacy

A Christmas Carol has grown in popularity since its publication, with many adaptations and editions being printed. It also introduced many of the phrases we use during Christmas today. Sayings such as 'humbug' and 'you Scrooge' all come from the book.

Dickens also managed to reinvigorate a nation's love for Christmas by reminding people of the traditions such as Christmas trees and greeting everyone with a Merry Christmas

Following this, he penned several other Christmas books that were published yearly. Many saw the latest Dickens Christmas story as the start of their Christmas, as we associate seeing the Coca-Cola advert today.

If you haven't read it, I urge you to make A Christmas Carol part of your December routine; you will not be sorry. Merry Christmas, you humbug.