The last new series of Blogmas 2022 premieres today: Literary Christmas! Each week I will be looking at a different author and how the holiday season is represented in their books. Christmas scenes in literature can often be an interesting insight into the author’s own experiences, as well societal trends at the time. For the first week, I had to start with none other than Charles Dickens. He is often credited with inventing Christmas (more on that later), and has an entire novel dedicated to the holiday. So, let’s jump into Literary Christmas: Charles Dickens!
Who is Charles Dickens?
Charles Dickens was a nineteenth-century author who wrote over twenty major works. While his works are now sold as novels, many were published as monthly and weekly serials in magazines. (Meaning that readers were only getting a few chapters at a time…) Some of his most famous novels include Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, Great Expectations, and Nicholas Nickleby.
A Christmas Carol
Obviously, Dickens’ biggest contribution to literary Christmas is A Christmas Carol. The book follows miserable boss Ebeneezer Scrooge as he is visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future after being a humbug to his employees. (In a nutshell…) It was published on 19 December 1843 and by the end of 1844, thirteen separate editions had sold out.
Did Charles Dickens Invent Christmas?
Here is where I draw the line- Charles Dickens did not invent Christmas, not anywhere close to it. Many scholars (and members of the public) will argue that he came up with the traditions we hold dear, but that is not the case. He popularised and cemented some existing traditions, that is true. However, the concept of charity at Christmas has existed for many centuries. And the idea of feasting, dancing, and celebrating together Christmas? Also around for centuries. I will give him credit for turning Christmas into a weird, death-centric day but I don’t know that any of us are taking that route…
I hope you’ve enjoyed Literary Christmas: Charles Dickens! Stay tuned for a new author next week…
Cheers,
The Historian
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest
.jpg){kind=link}