A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol, de Charles Dickens, cuenta la historia de un viejo miserable que es conmovido por espíritus y cambia su modo de ser.

Scrooge, antes de su cambio decía: “¿Qué es la Navidad sino una época de pagar cuentas sin tener plata? Una época de encontrarnos más viejos pero no más ricos. Una época de balances en rojo. Si pudiera hacer mi voluntad haría que cada idiota que va por la vida con un “Feliz Navidad” se hirviera en su propia salsa.”

En vocabulario encontramos las siguientes: entreaty, hail, bestow, tug, morose.

The Ghost of Christmas Present

Generalidades

In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, conocida como A Christmas Carol, es una novela corta de Charles Dickens, publicada por primera vez por London by Chapman & Hall, en 1843, e ilustrada por John Leech. A Christmas Carol cuenta la historia de Scrooge, un viejo avaro y miserable que es visitado por espíritus que lo transforman en un hombre más bueno.

Dickens escribió A Christmas Carol en un período en el que los británicos estaban reevaluando sus tradiciones de navidad.

El tratamiento de los pobres y la habilidad de un viejo egoísta para transformarse en un personaje más amable son los temas principales de la historia.

Se publicó un 19 de diciembre y la primera edición se agotó para navidad. Para fines de 1844 se habían lanzado 13 ediciones.

A Christmas Carol captura el espíritu de la época victoriana con el revivir de la época navideña.

 

The First of the Three Spirits

Párrafos

… Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that… Scrooge and he were partners for I don’t know how many years. Scrooge was his sole executor, his sole administrator, his sole assign, his sole residuary legatee, his sole friend, and sole mourner…

External heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge. No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him. No wind that blew was bitterer than he, no falling snow was more intent upon its purpose, no pelting rain less open to entreaty. Foul weather didn’t know where to have him. The heaviest rain, and snow, and hail, and sleet, could boast of the advantage over him in only one respect. They often “came down” handsomely, and Scrooge never did.

Nobody ever stopped him in the street to say, with gladsome looks, “My dear Scrooge, how are you? When will you come to see me?” No beggars implored him to bestow a trifle, no children asked him what it was o’clock, no man or woman ever once in all his life inquired the way to such and such a place, of Scrooge. Even the blind men’s dogs appeared to know him; and when they saw him coming on, would tug their owners into doorways and up courts; and then would wag their tails as though they said, “No eye at all is better than an evil eye, dark master!”. . .

“A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!” cried a cheerful voice. It was the voice of Scrooge’s nephew, who came upon him so quickly that this was the first intimation he had of his approach.

“Bah!” said Scrooge, “Humbug!”

He had so heated himself with rapid walking in the fog and frost, this nephew of Scrooge’s, that he was all in a glow; his face was ruddy and handsome; his eyes sparkled, and his breath smoked again.

“Christmas a humbug, uncle!” said Scrooge’s nephew. “You don’t mean that, I am sure?”

“I do,” said Scrooge. “Merry Christmas! What right have you to be merry? What reason have you to be merry? You’re poor enough.”

“Come, then,” returned the nephew gaily. “What right have you to be dismal? What reason have you to be morose? You’re rich enough.”

Scrooge having no better answer ready on the spur of the moment, said, “Bah!” again; and followed it up with “Humbug.”

“Don’t be cross, uncle!” said the nephew.

“What else can I be,” returned the uncle, “when I live in such a world of fools as this? Merry Christmas! Out upon merry Christmas! What’s Christmas time to you but a time for paying bills without money; a time for finding yourself a year older, but not an hour richer; a time for balancing your books and having every item in ’em through a round dozen of months presented dead against you? If I could work my will,” said Scrooge indignantly, “every idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. He should!”

“Uncle!” pleaded the nephew.

“Nephew!” returned the uncle sternly, “keep Christmas in your own way, and let me keep it in mine.”

“Keep it!” repeated Scrooge’s nephew. “But you don’t keep it.”

“Let me leave it alone, then,” said Scrooge. “Much good may it do you! Much good it has ever done you!”. . . (A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens)

Vocabulario

Entreaty: plea, appeal, request. An earnest or humble request.

"The king turned a deaf ear to his entreaties"

Hail: pellets of frozen rain which fall in showers from cumulonimbus clouds (granizo).

"Rain and hail bounced on the tiled roof"

Bestow: confer or present (an honour, right, or gift).

"The office was bestowed on him by the monarch of this realm"

Tug: an act of pulling hard.

Morose: sullen and ill-tempered.

"She was morose and silent when she got home"

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