Join Simon Callow, a celebrated actor known for his enchanting performances of A Christmas Carol, and John Mullan, an English literature professor revealing Dickens' narrative tricks. They dive into the magic of Dickens' timeless tale, discussing Scrooge's transformation and the social critiques woven into the story. Mullan and Callow reflect on the nostalgic themes of childhood and the importance of community. The conversation also explores the nuances of Dickens’ characters and the enduring legacy of generosity that A Christmas Carol inspires each holiday season.
01:07:21
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
menu_book Books
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
insights INSIGHT
Dickens' Use of Clichés
Dickens uses clichés to engage readers, giving them life through his unique style.
He embraces colloquialisms, creating a conversational, almost theatrical experience.
insights INSIGHT
Scrooge's Exaggerated Character
Dickens shifts from conversational to epic, creating a mythical Scrooge.
This exaggeration is theatrical and unlike the psychological realism of his contemporaries.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Scrooge's Childhood Reading
Scrooge's childhood reading of Arabian Nights and Robinson Crusoe comes alive.
Dickens, sharing his love for these books, showcases their fantastical influence.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
In this book, John Mullan delves into the literary machinations of Charles Dickens, highlighting his use of narrative tricks such as fantastic analogies, comically apt names, and the deployment of coincidences. Mullan explores how Dickens's techniques, including his use of smells and shifts in tense, contributed to his unique storytelling style and enduring literary impact.
A Christmas carol
Jacqueline Goldfinger
Jacqueline Goldfinger's adaptation of 'A Christmas Carol' is a family-friendly version that includes music, making it suitable for a wide range of audiences. This play retains the core themes and characters of the original while adding a musical element to enhance the storytelling and emotional impact.
Robinson Crusoe
Daniel Defoe
The novel follows Robinson Crusoe, a young and impulsive Englishman, who ignores his parents' advice and sets out to sea. After a series of misadventures, including being captured by pirates and sold into slavery, he is eventually shipwrecked on a deserted island near the coast of Venezuela. There, he spends 28 years surviving against incredible odds, encountering cannibals, captives, and mutineers. The story is influenced by real-life castaways such as Alexander Selkirk and blends elements of Puritan spiritual autobiography, travel literature, and adventure stories. It is considered one of the first modern novels in the English language and explores themes of ambition, self-reliance, civilization, and power.
Charles Dickens and the Great Theatre of the World
Simon Callow
This biography by Simon Callow explores Charles Dickens's deep passion for the theatre, which was a central part of his life and writing. Callow delves into Dickens's early performances, his work as a writer, actor, and stage manager, and how these experiences shaped his novels. The book offers a fresh perspective on Dickens, highlighting his exuberance and irrepressible energy as a performer and writer.
Tales from the Arabian Nights
Tales from the Arabian Nights
Various
Joe Miller's jest book
Joe Miller
Joe Miller's Jest Book is a renowned collection of witty one-liners, puns, and amusing anecdotes that have been widely regarded as a classic of English humor. First published in 1739, it was compiled by John Mottley and has since been reprinted in various editions.
What is it about Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol that has enchanted the public since its publication in 1843? Few people are as well placed to answer that question than John Mullan and Simon Callow. Mullan is a professor of English literature, whose recent book, The Artful Dickens, reveals the tricks and ploys of this most eccentric of literary geniuses. Callow, renowned actor, director and author, has written two books on Dickens, portrayed him on film and television, and has been thrilling audiences since 2011 with his sold-out one-man performances of A Christmas Carol.
Mullan and Callow join us on the podcast to celebrate this most beloved of Dickens’ stories and discuss how a work which Dickens originally intended to be a political tract about the misery of the Victorian poor became one of the most enduring Christmas classics.
Intelligence Squared 
