Dec. 19, 2024

A Christmas Carol Trivia

Show Notes
Transcript

Journey Joe Mitchell unwraps the story behind Dickens' holiday classic. From the author's personal debt crisis to last-minute publishing changes, this episode reveals the fascinating origins of this beloved tale. Learn which dinner item became a Christmas tradition because of the story and discover how a visit to a London school changed Tiny Tim's fate.

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Calorogus Shark Media Greeting's literary lovers. I'm journey Joe Mitchell,

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and welcome to a spirited edition of five Daily trivia Questions.

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Let's explore some fascinating facts about Charles Dickens's holiday classic.

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Question one, What personal debt crisis inspired Dickens to write

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a Christmas Carol in just six weeks? And how many

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copies did he initially expect to sell? Question two? Which

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common Christmas dinner item became popular after Dickens mentioned it

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in the story despite not being a traditional holiday food.

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Question three? What real London school inspired the character of

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Tiny Tim and how did Dickens's visit there change the

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story's ending? Question four? Which famous phrase did Dickens cut

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from his original manuscript night before publication, causing a printing delay?

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Question five? What did Dickens do at every public reading

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of a Christmas carol? That became a Victorian Christmas tradition.

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We'll be right back with these ghostly answers after this break.

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Welcome back, trivia fans. Let's reveal today's answers. Question one

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asked what personal debt crisis inspired Dickens to write a

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Christmas Carol in just six weeks and how many copies

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did he initially expect to sell. Answer. Facing debt from

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his wife's pregnancy and failing novel Martin Chuzzlewit, Dickens hoped

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to sell six thousand copies to pay a two hundred

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pounds debt. He ended up selling six thousand copies the

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first day of publication. Question two asked which common Christmas

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dinner item became popular after Dickens mentioned it in the

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story despite not being a traditional holiday food. Answer. Turkey

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became a Christmas staple after Screwed sent one to the Cratchets.

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Before that, goose was the traditional English Christmas dinner. London

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Poulterers began advertising Christmas Carol turkeys by eighteen forty four.

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Question three asked what real London school inspired the character

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of Tiny Tim and how did Dickens's visit there change

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the story's ending. Answer. After visiting the Field Lane Ragged School,

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Dickens changed his original ending where Tiny Tim dies. Believing

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the story needed hope. He based Tim on several disabled

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children he met there. Question four asked which famous phrase

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did Dickens cut from his original manuscript the night before publication,

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causing a printing delay. Answer. He removed dead as a

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Doornail from the opening line, then restored it at midnight,

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making the printers reset six pages. He wrote a note

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saying the phrase is perfect, the printers must wait. Question

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five asked what did Dickens do at every public reading

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of a Christmas carol that became a Victorian Christmas tradition.

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Answer He wore a sprig of holly in his coat

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buttonhole and tossed it to the audience during Fezwig's party scene.

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Victorian families began keeping the spriggs as good luck charms,

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starting the holly decoration tradition that concludes today's five daily

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trivia questions. I'm Journey Joe Mitchell, and today's questions were

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crafted with the help of AI technology. See you tomorrow.

A Christmas Carol Trivia

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