A Christmas Carol is a magical tale about a man who learns to shed the chains of greed and avarice and redeem himself in the eyes of not only the spirits that confront him but also in the hearts and minds of those who thought him an old fool.

Charles dickens had begun to write the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge in September of 1843. The book was written over the course of six weeks and was published on December 19, 1843.

Scrooge’s story is as original and mystical as they come. A few days before Christmas, on a lonely evening, scrooge has a strange and surreal encounter with the ghost of his deceased partner, Jacob Marley. Marley warns scrooge to break free of his antisocial and pessimistic view on life and Christmas and encourages him to embrace the spirit of the holidays. When scrooge keeps up with his antics, Marley foretells of three ghosts that will visit his partner over the next few nights and reminds him of the fate he will suffer if he continues on the way he is now.

Now moving on from the plot, let’s talk about writing. A lot of people are somewhat hesitant to read classics and believe me I was one of those people but I can understand why you can be intimidated by old books. The wording is strange and foreign and can be difficult to follow. However, I adored Dickens’s writing, it was surprisingly easy to follow for the most part but could be a little confusing at times. Like with any book, some of the parts tended to drag out, for example, in my opinion the chapter with the ghost of Christmas present was rather boring and I skim read most of it. Don’t worry though! Things pick up quickly after that, and this story is anything but boring as a whole.

If you’re thinking of taking your first steps into the world of classical literature, then I highly recommend you start with a Christmas Carol as it is easy to follow and short as well, and Dickens is a prominent writer in the classical world so he’s one of the best places to start your journey.

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