Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" was one of the most popular books of its time, and is still popular among readers today. There are several reasons for this. The plot, the length, the humour and other things all contribute to this book's success and now we will have a look at these reasons.
This book is one with all sorts of emotions in it. When read it, at points you are likely to laugh, feel sad, angry, and incredulous. It is a very powerful book; it may make you feel jolly too. Why? Because it's set at Christmas, of course! Despite the hardships of living in Victorian London, everyone is as festive as can be (well, except Scrooge until the end), and it may just put you in the same mood too. Especially if you read it at Christmas.
By the time A Christmas Carol came out, Dickens had gained popularity all over the world.
English: Portrait - Charles Dickens Polski: Portre...
Scrooge's third visitor, from Charles Dickens: A C...
Charles Dickens: A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Bein...The image above is the original cover of the book. Everyone liked to read his books. Thus, when his new book arrived at the docks from abroad, thousands upon thousands of people flocked to by a copy. Such was the anticipation that people waited at the docks several hours before the ships arrived hoping to get a copy early.
Some 60,000 copies of A Christmas Carol were sold in just the first week of it going on sale. This is how popular Dickens was. It is interesting to note, though, that although it is one of Dickens' most popular books, it was only intended as a potboiler. This means it was quickly written to get money to pay off a debt; it was not so much an inspired piece of work. But it exceeded all expectations, especially seeing as most potboilers are of...
Bah, humbug.
This is a review essay. One measure of a review essay is this: does the essay show clearly and emphatically that the writer has read the book in question and come away with a solid understanding of the book?
Talking about the nature of the book as a pot-boiler, the cost of copies, the speedy initial sales -- these are things that can be discussed without ever opening the book. And what does the essay say about the book itself? It is set in Victorian England during a Christmas season; and it covers a whole range of emotions.
IN short,this essay does not really show that the writer has read this book, and it certainly does not convey any real understanding of the book.
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