'A Christmas Carol': the novella as a Gothic text
I can recognise Gothic conventions in 'A Christmas Carol' and explain how Dickens uses them.
'A Christmas Carol': the novella as a Gothic text
I can recognise Gothic conventions in 'A Christmas Carol' and explain how Dickens uses them.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Dickens uses Gothic conventions as a way to greater explore immoral behaviour in society.
- Scrooge could be viewed as a typical Gothic protagonist: isolated and egotistical.
- Scrooge can be said to be in a liminal state of his metamorphosis for much of the novella.
- There are many examples of battles between good and evil (or moral and immoral) in the text.
- The gothic genre gives Dickens a great backdrop within which to frame his message of social responsibility.
Keywords
Egotistical - being self-centered and believing that the world revolves around you.
Liminality - at a boundary or transitional point between two contrasting elements.
Metamorphosis - the process of transformation from an immature form to a more responsible form in distinct stages.
Convention - the way in which something is done - the common features of something.
Transgressive - involving the violation of moral or social boundaries.
Common misconception
Students might think that Scrooge is evil.
Scrooge is not evil - he is immoral. A distinction between the two needs to be clarified.
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).
Lesson video
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