NEOCLASSICISM: A Christmas Carol an adaptation of the Charles Dickens

Neoclassicism (from Greek νέος neos, Latin classicus and Greek -ισμός ismos)^[1] is the name given to Westernmovements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome. The main Neoclassical movement coincided with the 18th century Age of Enlightenment, and continued into the early 19th century, latterly competing with Romanticism. In architecture the style continued throughout the 19th and 20th centuries and into the 21st.

(from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoclassicism)


The Story:

In 1843, Ebenezer Scrooge, a bitter and miserly old moneylender at a London counting house holds everything that embodies the joys and spirit of Christmas in contempt. He refuses to visit his cheerful nephew, Fred, at his Christmas dinner party with his family, and forces his underpaid employee Bob Cratchit to beg to take the day off for his own family. On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley, who had died seven years prior and is now forced to spend his afterlife carrying heavy chains forged from his own greedy ways. Marley warns Scrooge that he will suffer an even worse fate if he does not repent, and foretells that he will be haunted by three spirits that will help guide him.

The first spirit is the Ghost of Christmas Past, which shows Scrooge visions of his own past that take place around the Christmas season, reminding Scrooge of how he ended up the avaricious man he is now. In the visions, Scrooge spends much of his childhood neglected by his father over the holidays at boarding school until he is finally brought home by his loving sister Fan, who dies prematurely after giving birth to his nephew, Fred. Scrooge later begins a successful career in business and money lending, and becomes engaged to a woman named Belle, though she later calls off the engagement when his obsession with wealth drives her away. The elderly Scrooge is unable to bear witnessing these events again and extinguishes the spirit with its candle snuffer cap.

The second spirit is the Ghost of Christmas Present, which shows Scrooge the happiness of his fellow men on Christmas Day. Among them are Fred, who playfully makes jokes with his family at Scrooge's expense, and the Cratchit family, who are barely able to make do with what little pay Scrooge gives them. Scrooge is touched by the Cratchits' sickly young son Tiny Tim and his commitment to the spirit of Christmas, and is dismayed to learn from the spirit that Tim may not have much longer to live. Before dying, the spirit warns Scrooge about the evils of "Ignorance" and "Want", which manifest themselves before Scrooge as two wretched children who grow into violent, insane individuals.

The third and final spirit is the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, which toys with Scrooge by chasing him through the streets of London on a carriage before showing him the final consequences of his greed. Scrooge sees in this future that he has died, though none mourn for him: Fred and his wife are elated to inherit his wealth; Scrooge's charwoman Mrs. Dilber is shown to have robbed him and given his belongings to a fence named Old Joe; and the men who attended his funeral had only gone for a free lunch. Tiny Tim is also shown to have died, leaving the Cratchit family to mourn him on Christmas. Scrooge is horrified and asks the spirit whether the images he has seen are sure to happen or can be changed. To little response, the spirit reveals Scrooge's own grave, showing his own date of death as December 25 of a forthcoming year, and forces Scrooge to fall into his empty coffin sitting in an deep grave atop the fires of Hell.

Scrooge suddenly awakens to find it is Christmas Day, and that all three spirits have visited him over the course of one night. He joyously gives a child on the street some money to buy a prize turkey and have it delivered to the Cratchits. He then attends his nephew's dinner, giving money to the poor and celebrating with his fellow men along the way. When Bob Cratchit comes to work, Scrooge grants him the day off and raises his salary after he has him deliver the money to the bank. As he steps out, Bob Cratchit affirms with the audience that Scrooge has become a kinder man and a second father to Tiny Tim, who survives thanks to Scrooge's charity. As the film ends showing Scrooge carrying Tiny Tim on his shoulders down the streets, Tiny Tim quotes, "God bless us, everyone."

(from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol_(2009_film))

The Criticism:

The story was a recreation of the 1843 novella by Charles Dickens with the same name.

It fits the theory because, the flow of the story and the plot is all the same. You might think that this fits the modernist theory, well it kinda does. It fits in the sense that, it was made in a modern time. It doesn't fit the theory in a sense that, the story is not made to the point-of-view of the writer.

The story was basically made the same way as the original. It was made new with the touch of the classic approach, which is basically the neoclassicist theory is all about.