A Christmas Carol

About

Dickens's A Christmas Carol (1843) is the perfect performance text: Scrooge's transformation through three spectral visits is a complete dramatic arc in about 30,000 words, with vivid character voices, clear emotional beats, and a finale of pure joy. The three Spirits each have distinct theatrical presences; Tiny Tim has made generations weep; Fezziwig's party is one of the great scenes of contagious festive energy in English literature. As group reading it is the ideal Christmas Eve text.