A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, commonly known as A Christmas Carol, is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843. This is a very kind fairy tale that evokes bright feelings and wishes. After reading it, you want to be a little kinder. The plot is uncomplicated. There lives in the world a very, very greedy old man named Scrooge. He is such a miser – he saves on everything, is constantly dissatisfied with something, tries to earn all the money in the world. On one of the pre-Christmas days, his companion named Marley appears at his house. And all would be nothing, but Marley died seven years ago. However, he wants to help the old man to rethink his life. To this idea are connected and three Spirits. And one fine morning Scrooge turns into a cheerful old man, ready to help everyone. The treatment of the poor and the ability of a selfish man to redeem himself by transforming into a more sympathetic character are the key themes of the story. There is discussion among academics as to whether this was a fully secular story, or if it is a Christian allegory. Famous works of the author Charles Dickens: The Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, Bleak House, Little Dorrit, A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations