A Christmas Carol: Retold Inclusively

By Kath Shone

One Christmas eve many years ago Scrooge is haunted by three ghosts!
We know this, yes. But why?
We know this because A Christmas Carol has contributed to our collective perception of Christmas.
Then again we ask ourselves: why?
A Christmas Carol is a brilliant story, with fabulous characters including Scrooge whose dramatic transformation has our human heart strings all a harping for Christmas at the close of the story.
Christmas revelers love Scrooge! Even if they've never read the story.
And yet again we ask why? Why is it that they have never read the story?
The old Victorian English alienates us from the content of the story. And so we come to the reason for this book. This book serves readers who would like to read the original story more easily.

In particular this book is for neurodiverse readers, readers who speak English as a second language, students who find they need a guide to the original A Christmas Carol, Inclusive educators and anyone who wants to read a great story with ease.

This book serves the aim of Inclusive Books Publishing to rewrite literary history more inclusively.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kath Shone
• Release date: Dec 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781991221759

Kath Shone

In keeping with Kaths love of keeping things simple here is her bio in list form.Writer.Reader.Usher of inclusive literature, culture and education.Mother.Lover of soil, plants and animalsStudent and teacher of yoga.Person who has always happily drifted along in the marginal wake of mainstream society.Founder of Inclusive Books.

Book preview

A Christmas Carol: Retold Inclusively

Inclusive Dickens Series

By Charles Dickens

Rewritten by Kath Shone

Inclusive Books

Plettenberg Bay

https://www.facebook.com/Inclusive-books-110948121408623

https://www.instagram.com/inclusive_books/

http://twitter.com/House_of_IncBs

https://www.inclusivebooks.co.za/

Copyright © 2021 Katherine Shone

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations.

For permissions contact: Kath via the following channel

[e-mail]

ISBN: 978-1-991221-75-9 (ebook)

ISBN: 978-1-991221-76-6 (print)

Cover by Kath Shone

Table of Contents

Introduction

Preface

Stave 1: Marley’s Ghost

Stave 2: The First of the Three Spirits

Stave 3: The Second of the Three Spirits

Stave 4: The Last of the Spirits

Stave 5: The End of it

Other Odds and Ends

References

Introduction

Welcome to your easy to read version of A Christmas Carol staring Scrooge. Scrooge has been immortalised by Bill Murray in the movie Scrooged, The Muppets and as the character Scrooge McDuck from the animated series Duck Tales in the 90s. Many other actors and animators have retold the story of Scrooge. Scrooge’s story is part of our collective understanding of Christmas.

This version of Scrooge’s ghostly encounters on Christmas eve is very close to the original story. I have translated the original into ‘easy to read’ English. I call this Inclusive English.

I have not changed

the story line,

who says what when,

the jokes or

the essence of the story.

Now you can read the original story easily.

Neurodiverse humans may find this version of A Christmas Carol an accessible eye read. The audio book is also available for ear readers.

This version makes a good study companion for the original book. Maybe you’re studying A Christmas Carol at school or college and are a little lost in all the old Victorian English.

This book can be read alongside the original to assist in understanding the language.

Also, this version is perfect for you if you speak English as a second or third language.

Some unusual tools have been used to make the text easy to read.

Sentences are short.

I often use bullets to break up long sentences or complicated ideas.

Lots of white space breaks up chunky text.

Text boxes provide definitions of words and ideas that may seem alien to you.

Bold is used instead of italics because bold is easier to read.

I hope this Inclusive writing of A Christmas Carol works for you. Happy Reading!

Yours in inclusivity,

Kath

Back to Table of Contents

Preface

In this ghostly little book, I have tried to raise the ghost of an idea.

This idea will not put you, my reader, out of sorts with

yourself,

with others,

with Christmas or

with me.

May this book haunt you with happiness! Rest assured there will be no reason for you to lay this book or the ghosts in it to rest.

Your faithful friend and servant

Charles Dickens

December 1843.

Back to Table of Contents

Stave 1: Marley’s Ghost

Marley was dead to begin with.

Oh yes, there can be no doubt about that. The register at his burial was signed by,

the clergyman,

the administrator,

the undertaker and

the chief mourner.

Scrooge also signed the register. And you can trust Scrooge’s signature. Scrooge used his signature on the stock exchange. There he had proved the trustworthiness of his name many times. Trust me (and Scrooge) when I say that Old Marley was as dead as a door nail.

Mind you! I’m not saying that I know what it is about a door nail that makes that type of nail dead. If I had to say which type of nail is the deadest, I would choose a coffin nail. But this figure of speech comes from our wise ancestors.

My still living hands must not disturb it or

our country would be doomed.

Therefore, please allow me to repeat and insist that Marley was as dead as a door nail.

Did Scrooge know that Marley was dead? Of course, he did! How could he think otherwise? Scrooge and Marley had been business partners for, I don’t know how many, years. All I know is that it was many, many years.

Scrooge was the executor of Marley’s will. He also inherited all of Marley’s worldly possessions. He was Marley’s only friend and the only unpaid mourner at his funeral. And in all honesty Scrooge wasn’t dreadfully cut up about the sad event.

And Scrooge wasn’t dreadfully cut up about the sad event.

In fact,

Scrooge being the excellent businessman that he was,

honoured the event

by working on the day and

closing a great bargain of a deal.

The mention of Marley’s funeral brings me back to my starting point. There is no doubt that Marley was dead. You must understand and accept this or nothing wonderful can come of this story.

Have you ever heard of the play Hamlet written by Shakespeare? No? Ah well that fine. Let me tell you a bit about it.

In the play, Hamlet’s father takes a stroll on his castle walls at night. And yes, Hamlet’s father was dead. Allow your imagination to add wind to the image for dramatic effect. Now, if we didn’t know for sure that Hamlet’s father was dead, there would be nothing special about this. Maybe the middle aged fellow was just being reckless. Maybe he took a stroll in a dark breezy spot one evening just to scare his weak minded son.

I’m sure you see the connection.

Scrooge never removed Marley’s name from the business sign above their office door. There it stood for years afterwards: Scrooge and Marley. People still thought of the business as, Scrooge and Marley. New customers sometimes called Scrooge, Scrooge. Sometimes they called him Marley. He answered to both names. It made no difference to Scrooge.

Oh! Scrooge was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone!

A squeezing, straining, grasping, scraping, clutching, greedy, old sinner!

Scrooge was as hard and sharp as flint.

But if you struck this flint against steel

no generous fire-giving spark would burst into life.

He was secretive, self-contained, and as solitary as an oyster.

The cold in Scrooge,

froze his old features,

pinched his pointed nose,

shrivelled his cheeks,

stiffened his walk,

made his eyes red and

his thin lips blue.

His voice was shrewd and grating. His grey hair, eyebrows and bristly chin were frosty looking. He always carried his own low temperature around with him. He iced his office on dog days and didn’t heat it one degree at Christmas.

Hot and cold had no effect on Scrooge. No amount of heat could warm him. No wintery weather could chill him. No wind was more bitter than Scrooge. No snow was more intent on its purpose than Scrooge. Pelting rain was more open to negotiation than Scrooge. Bad weather never got the better of Scrooge. The heaviest rain, snow, hail and sleet bragged that they were better at Scrooge in only one thing. They often came down handsomely. Scrooge never did.

Nobody ever stopped him in the street with a glad look to say, My dear Scrooge, how are you? When will you come for a visit?

No beggars appealed to Scrooge for a trifle of money.

No children asked him what time it was.

No person ever, not ever in his whole life, stopped to ask Scrooge for directions.

Even blind peoples’ dogs would tug their owners into doorways or courtyards when they saw Scrooge coming. The guide dogs would wag their tails for their masters as if to say, No eye at all is better than an evil eye, blind master!

Did Scrooge care? No! He wanted his life this way. He wanted to edge his way along the crowded paths of life warning all human connection to keep away!

«»

Once upon a time, on Christmas Eve old Scrooge sat busy in his counting house. Outside the weather was cold bleak and biting. To add to all that it was foggy as well. Scrooge could hear the people outside.

They were walking up and down,

wheezing,

thumping their hands on their chests and

stamping their feet on the pavement to keep them warm.

The city clock