The tale is written as a novella. This is a short piece of fiction - longer than a short story, but shorter than a novel. Dickens published A Christmas Carol on 19th December 1843. It was traditional for ghost stories to be read at Christmas time, and this short novella form meant that the whole tale could be read aloud in one sitting.
Learn more about the form, structure and language in this podcast
Dickens's novella features four ghosts in total: Jacob Marley and the three Ghosts of Christmas. He combines the tradition of reading ghost stories with a moral tale of redemption.
Dickens used the form to appeal to the spirit of Christmas and to share a story that was so popular that the first print run of 6000 copies sold out by Christmas Eve in 1843!
Novella
The short novella form means the story can be read aloud in a short space of time, making it the ideal Christmas entertainment.