Friday, November 27, 2020

The Man Who Invented Christmas


The Man Who Invented Christmas: How Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday Spirits
, by Les Standifold, is a wonderfully concise non-fiction about...well, the title says it all!

This is the first book I've complete for the Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge, hosted by my book blogger buddy, Michelle, and it was perfect, a 5-star book. I enjoy author bios and the scope of this was tight, focusing on the early 1840s when Dickens experienced the first setbacks after his meteoric rise to fame. Born in 1812, Dickens was only 31 when he wrote A Christmas Carol in 1843, but with four children and a fifth about to be born, saddled by debt, not all of which was his own doing but that of his spendthrift parents and brothers.

Standifold provides pertinent background info on Dickens' life to set the stage on which he conceived and wrote his Christmas ghost story as well as details on the publishing industry and the history of Christmas as both a religious and secular holiday. He also discusses the legacy of A Christmas Carol--of course, we all know that Scrooge is part of our vocabulary and there are countless movies and stage productions every year. It's a bit astounding to think that Scrooge, Marley, Bob Crachit, and Tiny Tim have been with us for almost 180.

Favorite quote:

... beginning with A Christmas Carol and culminating in David Copperfield, Dickens had finally dragged up the powerful demons of his past and wrestled them away...

I zipped through this lovely book in just a few days and enjoyed every minute. Now I'm eager to get our Christmas tree and bake some cookies and watch the TV version, starring Dan Stevens.



12 comments:

  1. This does sound like a really good book...and a perfect way to start off the holiday season. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sounds like a good book about Dickens. Whoa it's hard to believe it's time to celebrate Christmas -- but I guess Black Friday is the start .... of the season. I will have to ease into it slowly ... but I hope it can add some joy to everyone's lives. Happy reading too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I read this several years ago and I liked it very much. I remember being infuriated after reading about Dickens' lawsuit against people reprinting his books without permission. Not only did he lose the suit but he had to pay the court costs for the defendants! Ridiculous!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I didn't know about that little nugget myself, but paying the court costs for the people who stole his work must have sent him around the bend.

      Delete
  4. This sounds very good.Generally, find histories of Literary works as well as author biographies very intriguing. The popularity of A Christmas Carol is astounding.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Jane The Man Who Invented Christmas is a book I really must read. I don't know much about Dickens' early life except that his family fell into deep poverty and that the experience shaped what he wrote. And I am also interested in learning the specifics of how A Christmas Carol changed how Christmas was celebrated. I admire Dickens so much but I have yet to find that Dickens' novel that grabs me. That said I have only read two of his novels Great Expectations and A Christmas Carol. Next year I am determined to tackle a third novel, maybe Bleak House or Oliver Twist.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My favorite is still David Copperfield, but Little Dorrit is also terrific. Oliver Twist is great but it has it's issue. I really need to reread Bleak House myself.

      I think The Man Who Invented Christmas is an excellent intro to Dickens.

      Delete
  6. This sounds like fun and a much better way to get into the holiday spirit than what I did - I sort of accidentally watched a movie on the Hallmark Channel last night! I have a new treadmill and had just finished The Crown - I needed something to watch when it ended but I now realize there were hundreds of better options ...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't watched the current season of The Crown yet, but it's on my list. I'm not much of a one for Hallmark movies myself, though dear friends can't get enough of them!

      Delete
  7. This sounds like a book I need to read as a Dickens aficionado!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I loved the movie, but I haven't read the book! I should add this one to my "to read" list. Thank-you!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I watched the movie version last Christmas and really enjoyed it with the whole family. I'd be interested in reading the book too. Glad you enjoyed it!

    ReplyDelete