A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas , commonly known as   A Christmas Carol , is a     by   , first published in London by     in 1843 and illustrated by   .   A Christmas Carol   recounts the story of   , an elderly     who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner     and the spirits of   ,     and   . After their visits, Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man.

Dickens wrote   A Christmas Carol   during a period when the British were exploring and re-evaluating past   , including   , and newer customs such as     and   . He was influenced by the experiences of his own youth and by the Christmas stories of other authors, including     and   . Dickens had written three Christmas stories prior to the novella, and was inspired following a visit to the Field Lane   , one of several establishments for London`s street children. 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.