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Season’s Greetings
Once again it is a delight to be here and to share this production with Knoxville. And once again, here’s a little background to the tale.
In 1824, with the Industrial Revolution in full swing, a 12 year old Charles Dickens was forced into factory labor while the rest of his family was sent to debtors’ prison. The elder Dickens eventually got back on his feet, the family was reunited and young Charles was able to get an education. But the terror and injustice of that time stayed with him for life.
By 1842, Charles Dickens was 30 years old and a well-known novelist. In the winter of that year, he toured America reading from Oliver Twist, The Pickwick Papers and his other works, while advocating for international copyright laws and the abolition of slavery. He may also have been working on his next book: a story that would be his greatest success.
“A Christmas Carol” was published in December of 1843. Dickens called it “a whimsical sort of masque intended to awaken loving and forbearing thoughts.” Yet it was more than that. It was a thrilling ghost story and a moving tale of loss and redemption. By Christmas it had sold 6,000 copies.
“A Christmas Carol” quickly outsold everything Dickens had ever written. No doubt it awakened many a loving and forbearing thought. Indeed, on both sides of the Atlantic, the book helped transform Christmas from a quaint religious celebration to the most important holiday of the year.
Over 160 years later, wherever Christmas is celebrated, “A Christmas Carol” has been read, performed or viewed on screen. It has played in countless dramatic adaptations, films, TV versions and cartoons. It may well be the most popular story in English literature.
“A Christmas Carol” still touches us because it reaffirms the hope that a person can change. It reminds us of the importance of family. And with compassion and good cheer, it speaks to the very heart of the holiday. So it is our privilege and pleasure to share with all of you this wonderful story.
By Edward Morgan
The University of Tennessee | College of Arts & Sciences | UTK Theatre Department | Knoxville, Tennessee 37996 | 865-974-5161
