Christmas-Tide

Elizabeth HarrisonProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.7

Word count: 265K words
Chapters: 27

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Christmas-Tide by Charles Dickens and Elizabeth HarrisonAuthor: Harrison, Elizabeth, 1849-1927,Language: English, Class: PN: Language and Literatures: Literature: General, Criticism, Collections, Release Date: Jan 21, 2013

Editor's review

Co-authored by Charles Dickens and Elizabeth Harrison, this book centers on the Christmas season, combining literary quality with a festive atmosphere; it is a public-domain work in the language and literature category. Dickens's Christmas writing has long been a tradition in English literature in which warmth and reflection coexist, and Harrison's participation adds a layer of education and festive practice to the text. The writing is suited to reading aloud and slow reading around the winter holidays, allowing readers to feel the rhythm of nineteenth-century English prose and to appreciate how Christmas, as a cultural image, is presented in literature. For readers studying peripheral texts of Dickens's work or examining the tradition of Christmas literature, this is a light but meaningful supplementary text; general readers may also treat it as a holiday sketch, experiencing in its short-piece rhythm a holiday spirit in which warmth and self-reflection go hand in hand.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy Dickens's work and want to expand their reading of his Christmas-related texts
General readers interested in the tradition of Christmas literature and festive culture
English learners who wish to read English short pieces aloud during the holidays

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting an in-depth analysis of Dickens's major long novels
Readers uninterested in holiday themes who prefer serious social issues
Readers who need a systematic literary history textbook rather than primary texts

Reading tips

Read a small section each day around Christmas, slow reading in keeping with the festive atmosphere.
Read it aloud once, then read it silently once, to feel the rhythm of nineteenth-century English prose.
After reading, note the Christmas images that appear in the book and sort out their cultural meanings.
Those with time may compare it with Dickens's other Christmas works and compare similarities and differences in theme.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book written by Dickens alone?

No. The materials show that this book was co-authored by Charles Dickens and Elizabeth Harrison, an educator of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. When reading, pay attention to differences in tone and focus between the two parts, but do not over-infer specific divisions of labor without sufficient materials.

Is it suitable as a Christmas gift for children?

It depends on the child's English level and reading habits. This book is an English public-domain text, and its language has a nineteenth-century style, so independent reading is difficult for young children. If used as parent-child shared reading or holiday read-aloud material, with an adult guiding and explaining, its value for holiday reading can be better realized.

Do I need to read Dickens's long novels before reading this book?

No. This book is relatively independent in length and subject matter and can be read directly. If readers are already familiar with Dickens's tradition of Christmas writing, understanding will be smoother; but without prior reading, appreciation of the text's festive atmosphere and prose style is not affected.

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About the author

Elizabeth Harrison Author · American · 1849–1927

Elizabeth Harrison (1849–1927) was an American pioneer of early childhood education, born in Athens, Kentucky. She founded the Chicago Kindergarten College, the predecessor of National Louis University, and served as its first president, promoting professional standards for kindergarten teachers. The mothers' meetings she organized later contributed to the founding of the national PTA. Three of her works are held here: The Vision of Dante: A Story for Little Children and a Talk to Their Mothers, Christmas-Tide, and In Story-land. These works, mostly addressed to children and parents, convey educational ideas through stories and seasonal themes in plain, accessible prose, reflecting her effort to link early childhood education with family upbringing. Public information on her early education and specific appointments is limited.