Tea at Trianon: Christian Themes in Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Monday, December 23, 2024

Christian Themes in Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'

From Magis Center:

The Cratchit family are the only characters to get the best eating scene. While it is very humble in portions, their feast contains roast goose, mashed potatoes, plum pudding, and gin punch. It is a vivacious scene. Their name is a spin on the English word “cratch,” which means to “eat heartily.” A “cratcher,” then referenced a “hearty eater.” But the symbolism comes along with both words being a variation of the word “cratch,” which comes from the old french term “creche,” which referenced where animals eat from: a manger.

“And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no place in the guest room.”
—Luke 2:7

The name Ebenezer also carries biblical symbolism. In the Books of Samuel, “Eben-Ezer” is mentioned as the location of a battle between the Israelites and the Philistines. Samuel prayed for God’s protection during the battle, and He answered: the Philistines retreated back to their own lands.

“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Jeshanah, and named it Ebenezer; for he said, ‘Thus far the Lord has helped us.’”
—1 Samuel 7:12

Ebenezer, then, is a stone that is set up as a reminding monument—set up by the receiver—that retells the help given by God. As a result, his name alludes to the fact that Dickens wants his readers to understand that God is the helper and Ebenezer will be the vessel. (Read more.)