Study Guides

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils consider how and why Dickens presents 'A Christmas Carol' as a ghost story. They look at the novella as a gothic text and then the ghosts in detail. They then write a critical response about how Dickens uses the ghosts to deliver his message about social responsibility.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to recognise Gothic conventions in 'A Christmas Carol' and explain how Dickens uses them.

Key Notes

• Dickens uses Gothic conventions as a way to greater explore immoral behaviour in society.
• Scrooge could be viewed as a typical Gothic protagonist: isolated and egotistical.
• Scrooge can be said to be in a liminal state of his metamorphosis for much of the novella.
• There are many examples of battles between good and evil (or moral and immoral) in the text.
• The gothic genre gives Dickens a great backdrop within which to frame his message of social responsibility.

Vocabulary To Learn

• Egotistical: being self-centered and believing that the world revolves around you.
• Liminality: at a boundary or transitional point between two contrasting elements.
• Metamorphosis: the process of transformation from an immature form to a more responsible form in distinct stages.
• Convention: the way in which something is done - the common features of something.
• Transgressive: involving the violation of moral or social boundaries.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• Students might think that Scrooge is evil.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

More Lessons In This Unit

• 'A Christmas Carol': a Victorian ghost story Study Guide
• 'A Christmas Carol': conceptualised responses Study Guide
• 'A Christmas Carol': constructing an argument about the ghosts Study Guide
• 'A Christmas Carol': Dickens' ghosts as agents of time Study Guide
• 'A Christmas Carol': the entrances and exits of the four ghosts Study Guide
• 'A Christmas Carol': the ghosts and Dickens' use of allusion Study Guide