Zero to Well-Read: "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens

Book Riot Podcast with Jeff O’Neal & Rebecca Schinsky
Original Air Date: December 16, 2025

Episode Theme & Purpose

This festive episode dives into Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, treating it as something “more influential than we realized.” Hosts Jeff O’Neal and Rebecca Schinsky explore why this novella endures, its surprising impact on Western culture, and what it’s actually like to read today. They break down its plot, historical context, cultural imprint, literary merit, and how Dickens shaped Christmas as we know it—combining irreverence, humor, and genuine reverence for this ubiquitous holiday story.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Cultural Omnipresence of A Christmas Carol

• Recognition: The story is everywhere—movies, TV, phrases (“Bah humbug”, “Merry Christmas”), even in people’s references to the ghosts.
• Quote:
  “It’s just one of those stories that, if you were raised in the West, you have been exposed to A Christmas Carol. ... It was really fun to go back… and read it for like, what’s going on here?”
  —Rebecca (05:05)

2. Plot Rundown & Dickens' Style

• Quick Summary: Set in 1843 London, featuring Ebenezer Scrooge—a miserly businessman who receives visitations from the ghost of his former partner, Jacob Marley, and three spirits (Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come) who prompt his redemption.
• On Dickens' Naming:
  “Scrooge sounds both like screwed and gouged. Unbelievable stuff.”
  —Rebecca quoting her edition’s intro (08:28)

3. Historical & Social Context

• Immediate Bestseller: Published Dec 17, 1843; sold out in a week. Bootlegged quickly due to weak copyright laws.
• Social Reform: Written to spark charitable giving and create real moral awakening. Dickens drew on his own childhood experiences with poverty and his father’s time in debtors’ prison.
• Quote:
  “Imagine someone writes a book today that causes a trackable increase in charitable donations or volunteerism ... and a work of fiction too. It is bananas to think about.”
  —Rebecca (15:07)

4. The Secularization & Reinvention of Christmas

• Not a Religious Story: No mention of Christ, churches, or scripture; rather, a new secular celebration about charity and social connection.
• Quote:
  “This is the first great secular Christmas story... underlying the charity, give to the poor kind of stuff... but without all the other Anglican, Catholic, organized religion trappings.”
  —Jeff (18:54)

5. Themes: Nostalgia, Loss, and Abundance

• Bittersweetness: The story acknowledges the melancholy alongside the celebration—something that now pervades Christmas culture and media.
• Generosity & Abundance: Scrooge’s journey is about letting go of scarcity, learning that “generosity is generative in other ways.”
• Quote:
  “Did Charles Dickens invent the abundance mindset vs. the scarcity mindset?”
  —Rebecca (27:15)

6. Reading Experience: Humor, Accessibility, and Enduring Freshness

• Short & Easy: Can be read in 60-90 minutes, language is simple, characters are vivid.
• Unexpected Humor:
  “This is much funnier than I remembered. Dickens has some moments.”
  —Rebecca (11:04)
• Atmospheric Details: The scenes, especially at the Cratchits, are “indelible and warm”—evoking a lively, bustling, convivial Christmas.

7. Dickens as Literary Celebrity and Inventor

• Impact: Dickens pioneered public readings, was the first “celebrity author,” and shaped book marketing (deluxe editions, merch, touring).
• Adaptability: The narrative’s simplicity and universality lend themselves to hundreds of adaptations—from Muppets and Mickey to Bill Murray’s Scrooged.

8. Discussion on Adaptations and Modern Resonance

• Modern Relevance: Themes of wealth disparity, charity, becoming better, and self-reflection are more relevant than ever.
• Adaptation Ideas: The hosts pitch a modern tech-bro adaptation (“Jeremy Strong as the new Scrooge”), musing on how vast contemporary wealth could be even more dramatically transformed than Scrooge’s gesture.
• Quote (On Melancholy):
  “I think Dickens invented that Christmas is a little something sad... most of the really good Christmas stuff... needs some sharpness to cut the sweet.”
  —Jeff (69:23)

Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

On the Book’s Moral Message:

• “The good life is one in which you are doing your duty to your neighbor and you're in community.” —Rebecca (61:19)
• “Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business. Charity, mercy, forbearance and benevolence were all my business.” —Quote from Marley’s ghost (42:12)

On Dickens’ Character Creation:

• “You don’t want to be on Dickens’ shit list. The descriptions of people are sharp and he’s not pulling any punches.” —Rebecca (48:39)
• “Is Ebenezer Scrooge the best named character of all time?” —Jeff (52:09)

On Timelessness:

• “Money can't buy happiness. You need to be connected to people. You need warmth. That feels like it hasn't aged a day.” —Jeff (41:54)
• “This is a book that's more complex than the cultural representations of it. It's funnier… more of gravy than the grave to you is hysterical.” —Rebecca (72:25)

On Adaptations:

• “You have, like, hundreds, literally, of adaptations to choose from. The Muppets' musical movie—that's like three out of the four right there.” —Rebecca (62:46)

Timeline of Important Segments

• 00:33 – Episode opening & significance of A Christmas Carol
• 04:51 – On the book's omnipresence in culture
• 07:42 – Brief plot summary, character breakdown; Dickensian names
• 13:31 – Historical context: Publication, immediate success, copyright chaos
• 15:07 – The story’s effect on charity/social reform
• 18:54 – A Christmas Carol as secular Christmas story
• 22:47 – The bittersweet, reflective tone of Christmas
• 34:22 – Reading experience: Length, accessibility, humor
• 39:22 – Indelible scenes: The Cratchits' Christmas
• 52:09 – Discussion of Dickens’ character names
• 61:42 – Core philosophical questions: Good, neighborliness, death
• 62:46 – Adaptations: Muppets, Mickey, modern retellings
• 69:23 – “Christmas is a little something sad”—Dickens’ bittersweet genius
• 71:06 – Jeff’s “Who took the Christ out of Christmas?”—Dickens as secularizer
• 71:11 – Episode wrap-up & scoring

Rating System & Scores

• Historical Importance: 9/10 (“We reserve 10 for Shakespeare and the Bible.”)
• Readability: 8.5/10
• Current Relevance: 10/10 (“75/10” jokingly)
• Literary Cred/Book Nerd Read Cred: Low (“Because everyone knows the story, you don’t get much cred for reading the original.”)
• ‘Oh Damn!’ Factor: 6-7/10 (“Hard to be objective—so familiar, but the writing is still sharp.”)
• Essential Questions Addressed:
  • What is the good life?
  • What do I owe my neighbor?
  • How do I deal with the certainty of death? (Indirectly)

Key Takeaways

• A Christmas Carol is not simply a Christmas tale—it fundamentally shaped how the holiday is celebrated and understood, transforming it from a religious feast to a secular, inclusive, communal event.
• Dickens’ genius is in combining accessible storytelling, humor, compelling (and aptly named) characters, and a universal message of generosity and self-reflection.
• The novella’s adaptability and brevity keep it relevant, making it required reading—or required viewing—in Western culture; you’ve “got the gist” even if you only know an adaptation.
• Its enduring melancholy, nostalgia, and message of hope and transformation are now woven into the emotional language of the season.

Cocktail Party Crib Sheet

“If you’re looking for who first took the Christ out of Christmas, it’s our pal Chuck D—which I like to imagine is what his friends called Charles Dickens.”
—Jeff (71:06)

Recommendation

If you care about the roots of modern Christmas, culture, or simply want to see how a familiar story lives in the original, this is a perfect 70-minute read. It’s friendly, funny, and never out of date—and might even move you, again.

“Merry Christmas and God bless us, every one.”