A Christmas Carol Context edexcel 3-19th-Century-Novel

A Christmas Carol historical context

The Industrial Revolution brought significant changes, often worsening living and working conditions. 

The Industrial Revolution and the Poor Law

• The Industrial Revolution ushered in huge economic and social changes and had a detrimental impact on many people’s lives:

  • For many, it was increasingly difficult to live and work during this period as it involved the conversion from traditional, manual labour to machine-driven intensive labour which was often highly dangerous

  • The increase in the production of factories (with a lower cost for manufacturers) expanded the gap between the upper and lower classes

  • Industrialisation also meant that child labour became commonplace in factories

• The Poor Law Amendment Act was passed by Parliament in 1834 which largely prevented money from going directly to the poor:

  • It established the workhouse system which rather than being a refuge for the poor, sick or elderly, was more similar to a prison system

• Workhouses were harsh institutions: families were separated, belongings were sold and hard labour was enforced:

  • They were deliberately designed to be cruel so that only the most desperate would enter 

  • Prevailing Victorian attitudes towards the poor meant they viewed their predicament as entirely of their own making

A Christmas Carol social context

Victorians shaped modern Christmas celebrations and embedded Christian values of charity, goodwill and family into its traditions. Victorian families were characterised by patriarchal structures and were often large in size. However, Victorian England also experienced high child mortality rates due to malnourishment, poverty and disease.

Christianity and redemption

• The Victorians are associated with how people celebrate Christmas in modern times:

  • The general population only began to celebrate the Christian belief in the birth of Jesus in the 19th century

  • Dickens uses this newly found celebration as a major element of his novella and consequently A Christmas Carol helped to popularise the traditions associated with Christmas

• While some may view A Christmas Carol as a secular text, the influence of Christianity in 19th-century England can be seen to be interwoven throughout the novella

• Dickens attempts to convey to the reader that the principles of Christmas (charity, goodwill, benevolence and family) should be followed throughout their lives:

  • He underscores the importance of these virtues in fostering a more compassionate and just society

Mortality

• Victorian England experienced high rates of child mortality, especially in cities:

  • Malnourishment, disease and poverty were significant issues which contributed to the high death rate among children

  • Overcrowded and unsanitary living conditions in cities facilitated the spread of illnesses such as cholera, typhus and tuberculosis

  • The lack of access to clean water and adequate medical care further compounded these issues

• Many families, driven by necessity, sent their children to work in factories and mines at a very early age:

  • These workplaces were often extremely dangerous with people expected to work long hours, poor ventilation and frequent accidents

  • Child labour was not only a symptom of poverty but also a contributor to it, as it perpetuated a cycle of limited education and poor health

• Dickens considered Capitalism as destructive and harmful to humanity:

  • In his view, this system led to the exploitation of workers, including children, and the neglect of their well-being

Relationships and family

• Family was an important aspect of Victorian England:

  • Family life, as epitomised by Queen Victoria and her nine children, would have been idealised 

• Victorians generally had large families (with an average of five or six children) and they were organised along patriarchal lines:

  • This is evident through the character of Bob who is the head of the Cratchit family

• Family provided a retreat from the stress and turmoil of the industrial world and it was idealised as a stabilising force:

  • The household would have been viewed as completely separate from the world of work

• By the 19th century, the concept of marriage had changed and matches could be made for personal fulfilment as much as for status and power

• Companionate marriage had become common and many people were largely able to exercise free choice based on mutual love

A Christmas Carol literary context

The novel emerged as the dominant literary form during the 19th century. 

• The Victorian era saw the novel become the dominant literary form, although serialised publication was also common:

  • A Christmas Carol was published as a novella but its themes and techniques are closely related to Dickens’ longer serialised works

• The novella 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

• A Christmas Carol incorporates elements of the Gothic tradition, which was popular in Victorian literature:

  • 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 novella is also influenced by Romanticism, particularly in its emphasis on individual transformation