Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol - Original

With Toyota, affordability isn't about cutting back. It's about getting more. See your local Toyota dealer for a sporty new camera or Corolla. Special financing and lease options for qualified customers. Visit buyandtoyota.com for more Toyota. Let's go places. It's March 1824 in London, England. A 12-year-old Charles Dickens bangs on the gate of the Marshall Sea Prison and steps back and waits for the jailer to come for the door. A few weeks ago, Charles' father John was arrested. He had fallen into debt and in line with British law, his creditors had him locked up in a debtor's prison, long with his wife and children. The entire family is behind bars except Charles, who's deemed old enough to go out and work to pay off his family's debts. Charles spends 10 hours in a factory every day, pasting labels on jars of boot polish. But before his long shift begins, he comes here to the Marshall Sea to eat breakfast with his family. After a few moments, the jailer unlocks the heavy door and allows Charles to enter. Charles doesn't need further guidance. He knows the damp hallways of the Marshall Sea all too well now. He knows not to be startled by the cacles of the old men driven mad by their long incarceration. And he knows where to edge closer to the wall to avoid the grass of starving deaders who reach out from their dark cells begging for bread. Still, it's a relief when Charles reaches the end of the hallway and enters his family's room. It's early and Charles' mother and younger siblings are still huddled together asleep in their tiny bed. But Charles' father John is up and he gives Charles a thin smile. He pushes a bowl toward his son and Charles peers inside. It's gruel, a watery oatmeal with little taste and less nutritional value, but it's all his father can afford. So Charles prods at it with his spoon for reluctantly forcing it down. Charles knows it's not his father's fault that the family is here. They've all been trapped by a system that punishes people who fall into poverty. But Charles can't wait for the day when he's earned enough money to rescue his family from prison and never have to eat gruel again. Charles' dickens will grow up to become Britain's most famous writer and a wealthy man, but he will never forget his humble beginnings. He'll be determined to help those less fortunate than him and he'll do it most effectively through his writing. Charles will pen several stories about the suffering of the poor in Britain, but among the most popular and enduring will be a novel about an old miser haunted by the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future, a novel that was published for the first time on December 19, 1843. From Noiser in Airship, I'm Lindsey Graham, and this is History Daily. History is made every day. On this podcast, every day, we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world. Today is December 19, 1843. Charles Dickens, a Christmas Carol. It's early 1832 at the House of Parliament in London eight years after Charles Dickens' family was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. Now 20 years old, Charles Dickens takes a seat in the front row of the spectator's gallery above the House of Lords. When he settled, he produces a note bet and pencil from his bag. He's just about ready when Earl Gray, the Prime Minister, rises from his seat and addresses the chamber. A few months after Charles's father, John, was imprisoned at the Marcial Sea, his grandmother died. The money she left in her will was enough to pay off John's debts and the Dickens' family was released from prison. 12-year-old Charles resumed his education, more determined than ever to make the most of his schooling. And after excelling at his studies, Charles got a job as a junior law clerk, where he learned how to write in shorthand before leaving to become a freelance reporter. So now, as the Prime Minister speaks, Charles transcribes every word. Earl Gray's government is battling to change the law and extend the right to vote to hundreds of thousands of people who have been so far excluded from the political process. It's the biggest change to the British electoral system for decades, and as politicians debate the measure in fiery speeches, it's the perfect time for Charles to cut his teeth as a reporter. But Charles has ambitions that go beyond simply recording other people's speeches he wants to write original work of his own. So during breaks and the parliamentary schedule, he spends time working on short stories and subbending them to literary magazines. Eventually, his hard work pays off. In 1833, Charles's first short story is published in a London periodical. And three years after that, a collection of his work as a journalist is released under the title "Sketches by Baws." It's enough of a success that publisher Chapman and Hall commissioned Charles to write a longer piece for them. This publisher has secured the rights to a series of popular comic illustrations depicting the members of a shooting club. Chapman and Hall wants Charles to write a novel that connects them. The idea is to publish the illustrations alongside two to three chapters of the book each month. That way, they hope customers will keep coming back to find out what happens next. Charles knows nothing about shooting clubs, but that doesn't stop him from leaving at the opportunity. The story becomes known as the Pickwick Papers. At first, though, sales are disappointing. The adventures of the Pickwick Shooting Club don't seem to appeal to London's readers. But the novel's monthly publication schedule means that Charles can adapt the story as he goes, and in the fourth installment, he introduces a charismatic new character. The quick-witted Cockney-Sew-Shiner and Valet Sam Weller quickly captures the hearts of London's readers. He transforms the Pickwick Papers into a publishing phenomenon, and sales of each monthly installment increase from a few hundred to over forty thousand, as new readers flock to get their hands on the latest chapters. And thanks to Charles' addictive writing, the tables turn in his partnership with the publisher. At the beginning of the project, Charles was adapting his story to fit existing pictures. But now, Charles is writing whatever he wants, and it's the illustrations that are changed to match. Then, as he nears the end of work on the Pickwick Papers, Charles signs a deal to write several more novels that will also be published in monthly installments. Oliver Twist is the first. Beginning in February 1837, it tells the story of an orphan raised in a workhouse who joins a London gang of pickpockets. Nicholas Nickelby comes next, serialized between 1838 and 1839. That's followed by the old curiosity shot, released between 1840 and 1841. All three novels follow characters who are plunged into poverty, and all three are just as popular as the Pickwick Papers. By now, Charles is Britain's best-selling writer, and soon his fame even reaches across the Atlantic. In 1842, he boards a steamship and embarks on a lucrative six-month speaking tour of America. Charles hopes to find a more equal and fair society in the United States, when he's left horrified that the evil of slavery is still permitted in the so-called Land of the Free. At the end of this speaking tour, Charles will return home, set on doing more for his fellow man. In his eyes, if slavery is a stain on America, then poverty is just as deep as stain on Britain, and he will be determined to do all he can to wipe it out. 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Vilti eman. Vilti eman. Vilti eman. kuka se on mullut kotiin. Tämä on kotiin. Ja jos jatkaa kerän kotiin, kuka se on kotiin kotiin ja muuta mistressa, ja kota mulle uudelleen kotiin. Elisa, etu hinta aina edullisen pii. Nyt on tuli nautta, että on viisi. Elisa, etu hintaan kaksi ysi. Etu hintaan aina elisän senhetkän edullisin hintalaitellä. Etu hintaan saa elisa tunnuksella. Etu, elisaalta ostaa usipu heli mesi. Sanotaan nyt vaikka, että otat puolisosi kanssa yhteisen asunto lainan. No se etsää, että te puolokuitit pahinman varalle auttaa vähän. Yhteinen henkivakuutus auttaa paljon. Laske hinta ja turva puolisosi jotenään. Ifpistefi kautta henkivakuutus. Henkivakuutuksen yhteistyöliiton jäsennelle myöntää kalvavakuutus, jonka asia meihänä toimii Ifvakuutus. Huipputario onkset rostasta. Loutussoft-embo VZ-paperiklubilaisille 32,12.19. Akustikapaneelit klubilaisille -25% ja kaikki teko kasvit ruokussa -20%. Rostaa niin paljon niin vähällä. Melläko maautonta? Ai toi huumarivai? Ei, kunta ruokka. Me tarvitaan tähän feliks get supia. It's the morning of December 19, 1843 in London. Two months after Charles Dickens sat down to write a Christmas Carol. As the light snow begins to settle on the streets, Charles wraps his coat tighter around his body, and hurries along the sidewalk. His destination isn't far. Charles is heading to the nearest bookstore, eager to see whether his latest novel has made it onto the shelves. Charles spent six weeks writing a Christmas Carol, but that meant his publisher had little time to get the tale printed in time for Christmas, and when Charles received the first edition, he was disappointed. He had imagined the endpapers would be a festive green color, but instead they've come out a dull shade of olive. Charles insisted that the endpapers be swapped for yellow, and since he was paying for the print run, his publishers agreed. But those corrections were only completed two days ago, and Charles now wants to see whether the books have made it to bookstores in time for today's official publication date. A brass bell rings, as Charles enters the store, and its owner smiles at the sight of his most famous customer. The bookseller points to a pile of books bound in red cloth, the very first copies of a Christmas Carol. Charles opens one up. The new yellow endpapers give the novel the perfect fest of feel, and while Charles is admiring the book, the shop owner tells him that the pile on the table was originally twice the size, because he's already sold half his stock in just a few hours. This bookstore isn't the only one that's running out. All across London, the book is flying off shelves, and by Christmas Eve, the entire print run of 6000 copies have sold out. Charles Dickens gamble has paid off. A Christmas Carol will remain in print from that moment on, and Justice Charles hoped the book will shine a spotlight on the inequality and poverty in Britain. It will help popularize the reform movement, and in the years that follow, the British government will pass several laws giving new protection to workers. But the story of the redemption of Ebenezer Scrooge will continue to resonate with people long after the Victorian age. A Christmas Carol remains today a staple of the fest of holidays in Britain and across the world, whether it's through the book itself, where it's countless movie and stage adaptations, the message of Charles Dickens' story remains just as moving and inspirational as it was, when the novel was first published on December 19, 1843. Next on History Daily, December 20, 1860, South Carol lineup becomes the first state to succeed from the Union, sparking the American Civil War. From Noiser and Airship, this is History Daily, hosted, edited and executive produced by me, Lindsey Graham, audio editing by Mohammed Shazip, sound design by Molly Bond, music by Throne. This episode is written in research by Scott Reeves, edited by Dory Mermayna, managing producer Emily Burke, executive producers are William Simpson for Airship and Pascal Hughes for Noiser. Hey, Skannata-Skanata! Skannama la liitul- Plus-soveluksen saattelun astettua meidän maini-ot-kuponkierut. Eikä! Nosehen uskanata! Va muta sanotpa, että skannataako kouluttaa Itsellien tarjousaukka. Siis mitä? Skanata-Skanata! Metsestä itsellesi maini-ot-kuponkierut Skannama laitul- Plus-soveluskassalla. Tarjousaukoille ja muille. Sinulle, joka halua liikunta-elämyksiä, liity nyt kuntokeskus eliksian jäseneksi ja treenaat kuukauden veloituksetta. Ei liittymismaksua, katso kampaneen ehdot ja liity osvaitteessa eliksia-pistefi, motivation included. Yhteinen henkivakutus auttaa paljon. Itsefi-fi kautta henkivakutus. Henkivakutuksen yhteistyö liityn jäsennelle myöntää kalva-vakuutus, jonka asia meihänä toimii If-Vakuutus.