Andrew Smith A Christmas Carol Summary

Andrew Smith and the Ghosts of the 19th century. During the 19th century, innovation in both technology and human thought has allowed for evolution in human society. Some of these new ideas include new thoughts on the economy, such as Karl Marx who introduced the idea of communism, and psychology, such as Sigmund Freud who studied the psychological mind. However, in the 19th century, which can also be referred to as the Victorian age in England, the idea of ghost stories also became popular to many during this time. Popular ghost stories such as A Christmas Carol were written during this time and grew in popularity within the culture. These ghost stories have had an impact on society in many different ways, however, according to Andrew

Smith attempts to establish the link between the supernatural and the economic ideas developed during this period. Smith describes this by showing how economical journalists have referred to ghost stories and the supernatural to help convey the ideas that were developed during this time period as well as determine a connection between Karl Marx and the idea of the supernatural. One such instance of this is when Smith describes the relationship between the writings of Karl Marx with the gothic ideals that existed during this time. In his book, Smith also discusses the stories written by Charles Dickens, the famous writer who in this idea is known for his story, A Christmas Carol. Smith describes that Dickens provides contributions to “the development of the ghost story [because] he employs allegory in order to employ wider issues relating to history, money, and identity”. Smith draws a connection between many of the plot points in Dickens’s story with identifying issues that exist within the economy. One such example of the connections that Smith perceives is in his analysis of the economic state within the story A Christmas Carol. Smith explains that Dickens provides an example of the state of the economy within the story, yet he fails to develop the “role of money, which is represented as both the source of the problem and its

Smith attempts to establish this argument by first referring to female authors of ghost stories, such as Charlotte Riddell and Vernon Lee, whom Smith believes are showing the societal issues of gender roles in their stories. Smith also refers to the spiritual and religious ideals that can be gained from reading ghost stories written by other authors during this time period. Smith’s connections that he draws with the economy and society as well as the writings of authors in the Victorian Age show his belief that the ghost story can be used to identify flaws in both the economy as well as