A Christmas Carol: Writer's Methods and Techniques (Edexcel GCSE English Literature)

Writer’s Methods and Techniques

Methods’ is an umbrella term for anything the writer does on purpose to create meaning. Using the writer’s name in your response will help you to think about the test as a conscious construct and will keep reminding you that Dickens purposely put the text together.

Form and structure

• A Christmas Carol is written the form of a novella

• It is an allegorical tale of redemption with the message that everyone is capable of change and highlights the importance of charity and kindness in society

• It follows the conventions of a typical ghost story which was traditionally designed to bring about a crisis in which a character is confronted by spirits from the dead

• The narrative is divided into five ‘staves’ or chapters:

  • The use of ‘staves’ and the title help to link the theme of Christmas by reflecting the traditional form of a carol and that its message is meant to be listened to

  • Dickens may also have used it to indicate that the novella will be a joyful and uplifting affair

• The narrative also reflects a classic five-act structure and each section has a clear and separate purpose

• Dickens employs a cyclical structure within the novella to illustrate the transformation in Scrooge’s character:

  • Scrooge is first presented as a misanthropic businessman who is miserly, callous  and unsympathetic

  • By the end of the novella, Scrooge has been transformed into a charitable philanthropist : “I am not the man I was”

  • This is further evidenced when Scrooge instructs Bob to “make up the fires again” which contrasts with Bob’s nervousness to get more coals in Stave I

Time

• Dickens introduces the element of time through several  motifs

• The novella does not follow a chronological structure:

  • Although it is set in Scrooge’s present, the visions are set in different periods of time: the past, the present and the future

• Similarly, Dickens plays around with the concept of time which adds to the element of confusion that Scrooge experiences:

  • Scrooge is continually falling asleep and awakening at different periods which do not follow conventional periods of time:

    • Scrooge falls asleep in Stave 1 after 2 a.m. though he is awakened by the Ghost of Christmas Past at 1 a.m. that same night

• Dickens further heightens this confusion by continually describing the tolling of a bell:

  • The bells indicate the passage of time, yet the three spirits all appear on the same night

• Further, dramatic tension is also created through the use of time as Scrooge and the reader are repeatedly reminded that the spirits have a limited time to convey their message to Scrooge:

  • Ghost of Christmas Past: "My time grows short... Quick!"

  • Ghost of Christmas Present: "My life upon this globe, is very brief"

  • Scrooge to the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come: “The night is waning fast, and it is precious time to me, I know”

    • Dickens’s continual references to time allude to Scrooge’s limited time in which to redeem himself

    • They may also be used to denote the endless state of purgatory which awaits Scrooge if he does not change

Narrative

• Dickens uses different types of narrative within A Christmas Carol: first-person narrative  and third-person narrative  

  • By using a first-person narrative at certain points, Dickens is able to create a strong, authorial voice to influence the reader and create an intimacy with them

    • Dickens directly addresses the reader at different points

  • Most of the novella is written using a third-person point of view:

    •  Dickens is able to present the inner thoughts and feelings of Scrooge which makes the reader feel sympathy for him

• The tone of the narrator is conversational and humorous which puts the reader at ease and creates an element of trust  

• The narrator addresses the reader directly and also makes judgements about the characters in order to influence the reader’s opinions of them:

  • He describes Scrooge in very negative terms ("covetous old sinner") which makes the reader despise his character

• Dickens uses a significant amount of dialogue in order to add an element of realism to the characters and settings:

  • This enables the reader to be fully immersed in the character's feelings and thoughts