Ugh! Why do I have to read this anyway?
It's so...old!
What does 'bah humbug' even mean?
Who are you? I'm a ghost.
Boo!
OK, let me guess - the ghost of telling me
why Charles Dickens is actually pretty great.
Yeah, actually, I am.
And I'm also the ghost of telling you to drop the 'tude, Scrooge.
Bah humbug!
Ghosts and bad moods aside,
Charles Dickens was actually one pretty cool fella.
In fact, he's probably one of the most famous authors in,
well, the history of authors.
And even if you've never read one of his books,
you probably know his work.
Such a meagre feast.
But very much appreciated.
And who are you?
Oh, um, I'm the ghost of Charles Dickens's past.
OK.
Look! Look! It's Charles Dickens. Oh.
Charles Dickens was born in the UK in 1812.
Growing up, his parents didn't have much money
and were in a lot of debt.
When Charles was 12, he got a job at a boot polish factory
where he earned a measly six shillings a week.
And you think YOUR life is hard!
Well, I... I...
This was the reality for many people living in the UK at the time.
It was during the Industrial Revolution
when factories first became a thing.
A lot of people moved to the city to work in them
and earned, well, not very much, while the factory owners got rich,
and that would end up being a big influence on Dickens' writing.
Um, when are we going to get to the part
when he actually becomes interesting?
Oh, great. Another ghost.
And, um, who are you?
Oh, um, well, I'm the ghost of, um,
Charles Dickens's life as a young adult.
Dickens started out as a newspaper reporter,
but he actually preferred writing made-up stories,
so he asked his newspaper buddies
to publish a handful of short, comedy stories under the name Boz.
Hey, this is pretty funny. Thank you.
On your Boz. (SCOFFS)
Shortly after, he published his first proper book,
this time under his real name, and it went viral,
or whatever the 19th-century equivalent is.
This is lit...
..erature at its finest.
(CHUCKLES)
Dickens went on to publish 14 more novels,
including Oliver Twist and Great Expectations
and, of course, A Christmas Carol.
And as well as entertaining people,
Dickens wanted to influence his readers,
who were mostly upper-class, with stories that exposed inequality
and taught them what it was like to be poor.
Poor?! (CHUCKLES)
The only poor I know is poor-celain. (CHUCKLES)
Well, yeah, that's great for back then,
but it doesn't mean it's relevant or important today.
Oh, really? (GROANS)
And who are you?
Um, I'm the ghost of, um...
The ghost of the legacy
that was left behind by Charles Dickens.
Yeah, look, the names aren't great, but Dickens was, and still is.
Today, his books are read and adored by people right around the world.
His writing has also had a big influence on other authors,
and later on film.
Many filmmakers credit Dickens
for coming up with things like the parallel montage,
where two storylines run alongside each other.
Well? Well, what?
Dickens! He's pretty cool, right? Yeah.
I actually already knew that.
I've read A Christmas Carol, like, five times.
What?! Well, what was all that before?
I don't know.
I just get caught up in the story and the Scrooge really takes over.
You mean I put on my best chains,
I made all those props and sets and costumes,
I even hired actors to prove a point you already knew?
Uh-oh! Look who's the Scrooge now!
(GRUMBLES)