In the edition I have, there is a beautiful introduction which talks about Dickens' advocacy for the poor. In
A Christmas Carol it becomes clear that he is drawing a clear line between wealth and poverty. Not only does Dickens do this through his descriptions of each class, but also in how they view Christmas. It seems that the poor take pride in Christmas and, even though they have very little, celebrate it with everything they have. The rich still celebrate, but with less emotion and care than the poor.
Also, this is my first time reading the original book. I'm very familiar with the story, but really only the versions presented by Disney (etc.) The actual story is kind of scary (Marley's ghost). In the version I have, there are sort of spooky drawings of the ghost. (Illustrated by Robert Ingpen)
One last thing; Did you know that it was Prince Albert who brought the German tradition of decorating a tree to England? Which is why now we decorate our Christmas trees in December.
[Victorian Literature]
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