Those who find themselves overwhelmed and dispirited by the seasonal grind — the crowded malls, the blinking lights, the endless Claymation specials — can take comfort in tonight’s discussion of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol at the Free Library of Philadelphia as we near the end of their celebration of the 200th anniversary of the author’s birth. This edition of the Dickens Literary Salon focuses on the tactful, quiet and nostalgic Yuletide traditions that were popular in the Victorian era and from which the 1843 novel drew inspiration. The author hoped his famously grumpy protagonist’s metamorphosis into a kindhearted and cheerful man would inspire people whose humanity and Christmas spirit he felt had been compromised by the grind of the Industrial Revolution.
Thu., Dec. 20, 6:30 p.m., free, Rare Book Department, Free Library, 1901 Vine St., 215-686-5322, free-library.org.
