A Christmas Carol (Electronic book text)

A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 19 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. The novella met with instant success and critical acclaim. The tale has been viewed by critics as an indictment of 19th-century industrial capitalism. It has been credited with restoring the holiday to one of merriment and festivity in Britain and America. A Christmas Carol remains popular, has never been out of print. Dickens asks for people to recognise the plight of those whom the Industrial Revolution had driven into poverty, and that society provide for them humanely. Failure to do so will result in an unnamed "Doom" for those like Scrooge, believe their wealth and status qualifies them to sit in judgement of the poor rather than to assist them.