Lost in Adaptation: A Christmas Carol Through the Ages

This paper examines film adaptations of Charles Dickens's 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol. It dives into what adaptations change as the story moves from page to screen, and the impact these changes have on the story and themes. This paper underscores the beating heart of Dickens's original tale, which was grounded in messages of not only redemption but awareness of one's social responsibility. The ways adaptations have often inadequately translated these themes through changes to characterization, dialogue, and elimination of pivotal scenes within the novella, are examined and explored.