"πΏππ ππππππ πππππππ πππ ππ πππ πππ, πππ πππππππ ππ πππ πππππππ ππππ, ππππππ ππππ πππ πππππππ." - Charles Dickens π―οΈπ―οΈπ―οΈπ―οΈπ―οΈπ―οΈπ―οΈ Anyone else think that Scrooge could've avoided becoming such a, well... a Scrooge, by refusing to swap novels for bankers'-books? π As a schoolboy, Scrooge is enthralled by the magic of fiction; he names characters and plots like friends and memories. As a man, however, Scrooge takes his "melancholy dinner in his usual melancholy tavern" poring over his beloved banker's-book. He continues to work as, Dickens suggests, is his daily habit. π Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' was published in 1843. It is widely credited with popularising then-new, now established, Christmas traditions that we continue to observe to this day. The Victorians were enraptured by the festivities of the season. In the C17th, Christmas was prohibited by Puritans as pagan blasphemy. With their increased wealth and dispersion of the family unit, Industrial Revolution Victorians celebrated the re-emergence of celebration! They valued the secularised message of Christmas that placed family, generosity, and indulgence at its joyous heart. π Dickens de-Christianised festive tale, with its ghostly moral messengers and rich, gothic flavour, heartily appealed to his contemporary audience... and maintains popularity to this day. π This Christmas Eve, I will be completing my current re-read and, perhaps, reading a few short ghost tales (she wrote, with unrealistic expectations). βοΈWhat will you be indulging in tonight? . #achristmascarol #charlesdickens #dickens #dickensianchristmas #christmaseve #christmasread #festive #spookychristmas #spookynerd #bookstagram #bookshelf #hayonwye #richardboothsbookshop #gothic #generallygothic #gothicnovel #victoriannovel https://www.instagram.com/p/Cmi4P4Prgc6/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=