SUMMARY: challenging read with broad vocabulary. Good for 11+ prep. Inexperienced readers will struggle to comprehend without assistance.
Published date: 1843
Author: Charles Dickens
Genre: Ghost story, Gothic, Victorian Literature
Read Sample on Amazon (Wordsworth Classics)
Available for Free on Gutenberg.org
SYNOPSIS
A Christmas Carol is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London in 1843. It tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly old man who despises Christmas and all things festive. On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by three ghosts who show him the consequences of his actions and the error of his ways. Through these visits, Scrooge learns the true meaning of Christmas and decides to change his life, becoming a kinder and more generous person. A Christmas Carol is a tale of redemption.
Visualisations
Using A.I, I’ve created some images to reflect the characters and the overall aesthetics within the novel.
Notes & Opinions
- 📝 Ideal for 11+ prep: extracts from A Christmas Carol have been used in past 11+ English comprehension tests.
- ⚠️ CHALLENGING read for most students regardless of age. Vocabulary is broad and of the Victorian era. Giving this to a child that hates reading (unless assistance is on hand) may cause them to hate reading even more.
- 🔠 Words your child might get stuck on (Inside the Amazon Sample only & based on my experience with 11+ students): clergymen, ironmongery, emphatically, residuary legatee, solemnised, distinctly, easterly, ramparts, rashly, implored, intimation, ruddy, indignantly, veneration.
- ⚠️ Understanding of victorian settings is necessary: the writer does not begin with descriptions of settings, but instead begins with Scrooge at the funeral of his friend Marley. Students unfamiliar with Victorian aesthetics will struggle to visualise the scenery.
Audio & Visual Aids
- A Graphic Novel is available on Amazon
The graphic novel is based on the original text. A sample is available to view. Having gone through the sample, as well as the original book, I think the graphic novel does a good job of capturing the atmosphere within the original novella. Reviews from GCSE students have shown that it’s helped them understand the novel.
- Audiobook available on Audible (bit dull 👎)
The audiobook is 2 hours and 44 minutes in length, but it’s a little dull in my opinion. I cannot imagine many students listening their way through this unless they absolutely had to for a GCSE exam. I’ve struggled to find other audiobooks which aren’t dry and dull.
- Disney’s A Christmas Carol available to rent/ buy on YouTube or Prime Video (quite good 👍)
In my opinion, the film is good. The opening stays true to the original, but later scenes do not.
