The Holly-Tree by Charles Dickens
The Holly-Tree is a short story by Charles Dickens that tells the tale of a young man named Paul Dombey who is obsessed with a holly tree in his garden. Despite the warnings of his family and friends, Paul becomes increasingly fixated on the tree, eventually causing him to neglect his business and personal relationships. The story explores themes of obsession, isolation, and the dangers of becoming too focused on one thing at the expense of everything else.
By Charles Dickens · First published 1855 · Genre: Short Stories, Autobiographical Novel, Historical Fiction · 16,365 words
First lines
BRANCH I. MYSELF
I have kept one secret in the course of my life. I am a bashful man. Nobody would suppose it, nobody ever does suppose it, nobody ever did suppose it, but I am naturally a bashful man. This is the secret which I have never breathed until now.
What this Textopian page supports
The Holly-Tree is listed on Textopian as a short story by Charles Dickens, dated 1855 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Charles Dickens
- Date: 1855 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Short Stories, Autobiographical Novel, Historical Fiction, Romance, Adventure
- Length: 16,365 words
- Structure: 1 section, 183 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Difficult (College Level)
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Genres
- Short Stories — The 'Holly-Tree' is a collection of three short stories which were combined and published as a single book.
- Autobiographical Novel — Charles Dickens pulls heavily from his own life experience to create the main plot of the 'Holly-Tree' and many of its themes.
- Historical Fiction — 'The Holly-Tree' was written and set in the mid-19th century Victorian era, drawing upon the societal norms and events of that time period.
- Romance — The story of 'The Holly-Tree' contains several romantic subplots.
Tags
Christmas · short story · Victorian · morality · family · charity · redemption · nostalgia · nature · friendship · community · love