A Christmas Carol in Prose

Charles Dickens, who published in 1843 “A Christmas Carol in Prose” about the old, gloomy miser Ebenezer Scrooge, is widely considered the founder of the Christmas story genre in the world of literature.

Traditional Christmas (or holiday-season) tales feature a bright, joyful ending, where good always triumphs.

What miracles happen on the eve of Christmas! And with the most famous English miser, Scrooge, the most genuine magic occurred. How else could one explain that the stubborn grumbler who can’t stand even a mention of the holiday was suddenly so overwhelmed by Christmas spirit that he became the kindest and most gentle person in London—and perhaps even in all of England.

In the following years, Dickens continued to write such stories—often as co-authored works—publishing them toward the end of the year in journals he published himself.