The Haunted Man and the Ghosts Bargain

Written by Charles Dickens

Narrated by Michael Ward

The fifth and last of Dickens's Christmas novellas; Redlaw is a teacher of chemistry who often broods over wrongs done to him and grief from his past. He is haunted by a spirit, a phantom twin and "an awful likeness of himself" This spectre appears and proposes to Redlaw that he can allow him to "forget the sorrow, wrong, and trouble you have known...to cancel their remembrance..." Redlaw agrees. As a consequence of the ghost's intervention, Redlaw is without memories of the painful incidents from his past. He experiences a universal anger that he cannot explain. His bitterness spreads to all around him, and as he perceives the horror he is causing and beseeches the ghost for deliverance. This Christmas tale by Dickens is more about the spirit of the holidays than about the holidays themselves, harking back to the first in the series, A Christmas Carol.

Narrated by Michael Ward

• Language: English
• Publisher: Michael Ward
• Release date: Dec 17, 2019
• ISBN: 9781982792558

Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was an English writer and social critic. Regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era, Dickens had a prolific collection of works including fifteen novels, five novellas, and hundreds of short stories and articles. The term “cliffhanger endings” was created because of his practice of ending his serial short stories with drama and suspense. Dickens’ political and social beliefs heavily shaped his literary work. He argued against capitalist beliefs, and advocated for children’s rights, education, and other social reforms. Dickens advocacy for such causes is apparent in his empathetic portrayal of lower classes in his famous works, such as The Christmas Carol and Hard Times.