In the run up to Christmas, but before the frantic time, we are going to explore the true spirit of the festive season, with the writer who re-invented it for the Victorians. We will look in detail at Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ and one of his lesser known short stories, also written especially for Christmas ‘The Haunted Man’. There is no need to read these in advance of the course, but students should bring copies of both books, available in cheap Penguin Classics.