HerReputationMadeItDifficultToProceed ·
17/11/2022 09:55
Welcome, all! Come in, and know me better man!
Welcome to the Advent(ish) readalong for Charles Dickens 'A Christmas Carol'. All are welcome; this is for those who've read the book a thousand times and for those to who the novella is entirely new.
ADVENT READALONG SCHEDULE:
Stave 1: 21st Nov - 27th Nov
Stave 2 28th Nov - 4th Dec
Stave 3: 5th Dec - 11th Dec
Stave 4: 12th Dec - 18th Dec
Stave 5: 19th Dec - 25th Dec
each stave translates to between 2 and 3 pages a day if you are reading per day, or 15-20 pages if you want to read in bigger chunks
Whether or not you're familiar with the book I imagine that you know the plot from the Muppets or Mickey Mouse or any number of other versions. Everyone is welcome here. For anyone who is entirely new to the story, here is a quick synopsis (no spoilers1): in Victorian London miser and general grump Ebenezer Scrooge spends the early hours of Christmas morning being visited by three ghosts and learns a few lessons about becoming a better man.
Where to read?
Digital
Physical Copy
Many physical editions are available but I personally own and am a fan of
- this lovely Penguin edition, which comes with extra Christmas writings from Dickens.
But you can find copies for just a couple of quid.
If audio versions are more your thing then
Before We Start Reading
There is lots of stuff you can do to immerse yourself in the world of Scrooge and his London... Here are just a few of them:
How This Will Work
At the start of each week of reading I will come here and announce conversation on each stave open. Feel free to discuss any element of the stave we are on; characterisation, language, analysis and other media you have enjoyed.
Please remember to:
- Keep it civil and kind (in the spirit of a changed Ebeneezer)
- try and keep conversation to the stave we are on or more general (I don't think that we need spoiler tags for a book that is 178 years old and which has 20-plus film versions, but be mindful of newcomers to the book).
- have fun!
And...
For a book that is 178 years old, there are an alarming number of parallels between this novella and the current plight of the poor in our country today.
I was lucky enough this week to see previews for a new and exciting version of the story at The Old Vic in London. After each performance they are collecting for City Harvest, a charity that works to rescue and redistribution food waste and get it to the people who need it.
If you can afford to, consider chanelling a reformed Ebeneezer Scrooge and donating whatever you can to them, The Trussell Trust, Shelter, Crisis at Christmas or any of the many other charities supporting the most needy through the Cost of Living Crisis.
So without further ado, let's start our journey into Victorian London...