Dickens Directed Study July 10, 2001 The Joy of A Christmas Carol         The feelings associated with Christmas and the Christmas season are vast and varied. The original celebration was confined to the religious rite commemorating the birth of Christ and the subsequent advent of Christianity. For centuries, Christmas was singularly a holy day that was observed with more solemnity than joy. In 601 AD, Pope Gregory instructed his missionary (St. Austin, of Canterbury) to make the local winter …showed first 75 words of 890 total…

…showed last 75 words of 890 total…has written a story that should be palatable to all religions, though told through a narrator residing in a predominately Christian society. Dickens addresses issues of greed, isolation, and the fear of death. These issues are relevant to all humankind, and Dickens, via A Christmas Carol, has skillfully taught us that redemption is available and possible for all. Works Cited Hearn, Michael Patrick, The Annotated Christmas Carol, New York: Avenel: Distributed         By Crown Publisher, 1989 c 1976