A Christmas Carol

What it is

A short novel written by Charles Dickens, first published in London in 1843 with illustrations by John Leech. It tells how Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly old man, is visited by the ghost of his former partner Jacob Marley and three further spirits who show him his past, present and possible future.

Why it matters

Dickens wrote the story after visiting a school for poor street children, and it attacks the idea that the poor deserved no help. It sold out within days and was copied illegally almost at once, showing both how popular it was and how hard it was for authors to protect their work. The book influenced how Victorians, and later generations, thought about Christmas as a time of family and generosity.

Look closer

• Why might Dickens have chosen a ghost story to make an argument about poverty?
• What does the illustration of Mr Fezziwig's Ball suggest about the kind of Christmas Dickens wanted readers to imagine?
• What does the story leave unexplained about how Scrooge's change will actually help the poor in the long run?