"Old Marley was dead..." begins Charles Dickens' classic ghostly tale of discovery and redemption. From a previous post you'll not that I am working on a
Dickens Centenary event in Second Life (c) called
The Dickens Project.
Dickens was written to be read aloud. In fact the author diligently read his work to family and friends. Remembering there were no radios, televisions, vhs or dvd, much less internet in those days. Gathering to hear stories read or told was a common social activity. In fact all those things I listed are also storytelling tools, though one might argue that they are getting more and more impersonal. But that's another conversation. Dickens was meant to be read and read aloud.
The language is delicious, and while I might not give it the same quality that a Patrick Stewart, Albert Finney, or Ian McKellen might, it is still a grand story beautifully if not economically told. I have read it out loud every year for the past four years and every time I discover something new.
Consider reading it yourself! It can be gotten free at several online sites, including
Project Gutenberg.
"Meet Ebenezer Scrooge" from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Recording (c) 2012 by Judith Cullen
NOT for Commercial Use
