A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, was required reading for one of my political philosophy courses at Notre Dame. I'm glad it was, otherwise I would never have picked up this classic in book form (the Farrs can attest to watching the George C. Scott version of the movie religiously for years, though... I think I have it memorized). It's a prime example of the book being leaps and bounds better than countless worthy cinematic interpretations. Charles Dickens just does my heart good. A couple choice excerpts:
"The air was filled with phantoms, wandering hither and thither in restless haste, and moaning as they went. Every one of them wore chains like Marley's Ghost; some few (they might be guilty governments) were linked together; none were free. Many had been personally known to Scrooge in their lives. He had been quite familiar with one old ghost, in a white waistcoat, with a monstrous iron safe attached to its ankle, who cried piteously at being unable to assist a wretched woman with an infant, whom it saw below, upon a door-step. The misery with them all was, clearly, that they sought to interfere, for good, in human matters, and had lost the power for ever."
Note the sparseness of the tree's lower quarter. David Jr., certified Christmas tree molester, can be thanked for that. We're hoping we don't have to get rid of the lights down there. We ponder the oddities of human nature as we consider the solution to this toddler's fixation on putting them in his mouth.
"It is a fair, even-handed, noble adjustment of things, that while there is infection in disease and sorrow, there is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good-humour. When Scrooge's nephew laughed in this way: holding his sides, rolling his head, and twisting his face into the most extravagant contortions: Scrooge's niece, by marriage, laughed as heartily as he. And their assembled friends being not a bit behindhand, roared out, lustily. 'Ha, ha! Ha, ha, ha, ha!'"
Yes, a couple of candles are right out of a Dr. Seuss book. Melted in the attic.
I got an illustrated version from the library that I like very much. I highly recommend picking up a copy for a timely, entertaining Christmas read!
