Year 11 - English
'A Christmas Carol': a Victorian ghost story
A Christmas Carol: a ghost story
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Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
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 explain why Dickens used the 'ghost story' genre to underpin his didactic message.
Key Notes
- Dickens was influential in establishing the ghost story as a popular genre in the Victorian period.
- Dickens capitalised on the popularity of this genre to spread his social message: he wanted this to be a best seller.
- Unlike the ghosts of early Gothic fiction, Dickens made the supernatural a natural extension of the real world.
- Dickens uses the ghosts as a literary device that enables him to explore moral and social issues.
- The apparitions structure the narrative and move it towards Stave 5, where we see Scrooge's impressive transformation.
Vocabulary To Learn
- genre: A style or category of literature.
- supernatural: A phenomenon that cannot be explained by science or constrained within the laws of nature.
- Victorian respectability: The Victorian belief that people should act, dress and behave in a certain, socially-acceptable way.
- deviant: Anything deviant goes against the accepted norm or standard of behaviour.
- conservative: Conservative means very traditional and established - resistant to change.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Students often don't realise that Dickens' deliberately capitalised on a popular genre.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
Dickens was influential in establishing the ghost story as a popular genre in the Victorian period. Dickens capitalised on the popularity of this genre to spread his social message: he wanted this to be a best seller.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'genre'
A style or category of literature.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Students often don't realise that Dickens' deliberately capitalised on a popular genre. Correction: Dickens wanted the novella to become a bestseller, as this would give his message the best chance of reaching as many people as possible.
More Lessons In This Unit
- '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
- 'A Christmas Carol': the novella as a Gothic text Study Guide
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