Starter quiz
- Which century did the Victorian period predominantly span?
- 16th century
- 17th century
- 18th century
- 19th century ✓
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- When was 'A Christmas Carol' published?
- 1839
- 1840
- 1841
- 1842
- 1843 ✓
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- 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
- Which of the following words does Dickens not use to refer to the ghosts in 'A Christmas Carol'?
- spirit
- ghost
- phantom
- vision ✓
- spectre
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- 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
- The Ghost of Christmas Present ✓
- The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
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- 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
- 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
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Exit quiz
- Which two words best describe Victorian way of life?
- poor and meagre
- liberated and progressive
- conservative and traditional ✓
- decadent and lavish
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- 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.
- 'respectability' ✓
- When was Gothic literature allegedly originally 'born'?
- 19th century
- 20th century
- 18th century ✓
- 17th century
- 16th century
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- Why did the Victorians enjoy ghost stories so much?
- They liked to read and discuss the stories with their acquaintances.
- Ghost stories broke many societal taboos, which they found fascinating. ✓
- 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.
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- 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.
- He know people liked ghost stories and he wanted the novella to be widely read. ✓
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- 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
- 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
- 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
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Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Dickens was influential in establishing the ghost story as a popular genre in the Victorian period.
- Dickens capitalised on the popularity of this genre to spread his social message: he wanted this to be a best seller.
- Unlike the ghosts of early Gothic fiction, Dickens made the supernatural a natural extension of the real world.
- Dickens uses the ghosts as a literary device that enables him to explore moral and social issues.
- 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.
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