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Year 11
Edexcel

'A Christmas Carol': a Victorian ghost story

I can explain why Dickens used the ‘ghost story’ genre to underpin his didactic message.

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New
New
Year 11
Edexcel

'A Christmas Carol': a Victorian ghost story

I can explain why Dickens used the ‘ghost story’ genre to underpin his didactic message.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Dickens was influential in establishing the ghost story as a popular genre in the Victorian period.
  2. Dickens capitalised on the popularity of this genre to spread his social message: he wanted this to be a best seller.
  3. Unlike the ghosts of early Gothic fiction, Dickens made the supernatural a natural extension of the real world.
  4. Dickens uses the ghosts as a literary device that enables him to explore moral and social issues.
  5. The apparitions structure the narrative and move it towards Stave 5, where we see Scrooge’s impressive transformation.

Common misconception

Students often don't realise that Dickens' deliberately capitalised on a popular genre.

Dickens wanted the novella to become a bestseller, as this would give his message the best chance of reaching as many people as possible.

Keywords

  • 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.

You could set students Dickens' short story 'The Signalman' to read as additional reading or for homework either before or after this lesson, for some additional insight into Dickens' supernatural writing.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need access to a copy of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' for this lesson.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which century did the Victorian period predominantly span?
16th century
17th century
18th century
Correct answer: 19th century
Q2.
When was 'A Christmas Carol' published?
1839
1840
1841
1842
Correct answer: 1843
Q3.
In 'A Christmas Carol', 4 ghosts visit Scrooge. Starting with the first, put them in chronological order according to when they visit Scrooge.
1 - Marley's Ghost
2 - The Ghost of Christmas Past
3 - The Ghost of Christmas Present
4 - The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
Q4.
Which of the following words does Dickens not use to refer to the ghosts in 'A Christmas Carol'?
spirit
ghost
phantom
Correct answer: vision
spectre
Q5.
Which spirit does this 'A Christmas Carol' quote reflect? Scrooge's room "had undergone a...transformation. The walls and ceiling were so hung with living green, that it looked a perfect grove".
Marley's Ghost
The Ghost of Christmas Past
Correct answer: The Ghost of Christmas Present
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
Q6.
What was Dickens' main aim in writing 'A Christmas Carol'?
to earn lots of money from sales and publications
to have as many people read the novella as possible
Correct answer: to spread a message of social responsibility
to spread a message about the importance of Christmas
to spread a message about the finality of death

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which two words best describe Victorian way of life?
poor and meagre
liberated and progressive
Correct answer: conservative and traditional
decadent and lavish
Q2.
Fill in the missing word: Victorian was all about the way other people perceived you. The Victorians were very strict about what was and what wasn’t appropriate behaviour.
Correct Answer: respectability, Respectability, respectability., Respectability.
Q3.
When was Gothic literature allegedly originally 'born'?
19th century
20th century
Correct answer: 18th century
17th century
16th century
Q4.
Why did the Victorians enjoy ghost stories so much?
They liked to read and discuss the stories with their acquaintances.
Correct answer: Ghost stories broke many societal taboos, which they found fascinating.
Correct answer: It was a form of escapism from their traditional ways of life.
The streets of London were dark, so Victorians liked to imagine ghosts there.
Q5.
Why did Charles Dickens make 'A Christmas Carol' a ghost story?
Ghost stories were the only genre of writing Dickens was able to execute.
He enjoyed reading ghost stories himself so he created one for his readers.
He believed passionately in the supernatural so he brought it to life.
Correct answer: He know people liked ghost stories and he wanted the novella to be widely read.
Q6.
Why did Dickens make the supernatural an extension of the natural world in 'A Christmas Carol'?
because he genuinely believed that ghosts lived among human beings
Correct answer: so readers believed in the ghosts and would be more likely to change
because he thought it would be more creative to have spirits and people co-exist
Correct answer: to make the ghosts feel inescapable, so readers felt pressure to change
to make readers unsure as to whether the ghosts are real or not