We have said it a few times recently that QUT Library has a whole bunch of Christmas movies and books to get you into the holiday spirit. And it’s still true! Here is another recommendation from Tom to get you inspired to read something festive.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens – available to borrow from QUT Library in print or as an audiobook or eBook
“Marley was dead: to begin with.”
The opening line to possibly the most famous Christmas story of all time is a classic, and one many of us have heard countless times since we were old enough to remember Christmas. The number of movies, plays, TV episodes, and re-interpretations that have adapted one of Dickens’ most famous stories is immense. The story, trials, and morals that follow shrewd businessman Ebenezer Scrooge are so ingrained into modern popular culture that there is no point restating the plot here. Many people are familiar with the tale but how many have actually read the original? I’m a little ashamed to admit that I did not read A Christmas Carol until well into my twenties. In fact I’d never read any Dickens. I was expecting something old and stuffy, written in a style of English that would be difficult for me to comprehend. But it turns out that Dickens is a master of 19th Century sass. He spends the first few pages slyly pulling apart the common phrase ‘as dead as door-nail’, feeling that coffin nails should be considered the most deceased types of iron. He has such a wonderful way with words and style, and the rhythm of language that you feel compelled to be drawn along by his prose. The original novella is such an important part of our current culture of Christmas, and everyone should spend some quality time with it.
What’s your favourite Christmas movie, TV show or book? We want to know! Find us on Facebook, Instagram on Twitter or leave a comment on this blog!
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