Lewis Carroll transformed children’s literature with Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. It is a classic of English literature, which proved revolutionary. Until its publication, education and moral teaching had superseded entertainment in children’s stories.
Background of the Novel
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland broke the mould as it is exclusively for entertainment purposes. There is no moral to the story and what’s more, much of it is completely nonsensical. This met with much criticism by those who felt that it would contribute to the decline of children’s intellect. Nevertheless, the story was incredibly successful both in its own era and beyond.
Legend has it that Lewis Carroll penned Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland for a girl named Alice Liddell, who was the daughter of one of Carroll‘s colleagues at Christ Church College, Oxford. Ten-year-old Alice Liddell adored the story and Carroll was encouraged to publish the work.
With some additions, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was published in 1865. The novel has since been translated into numerous languages and it very quickly came to be considered an English classic. It was Carroll’s first novel, up until that point he had been known for comic children’s poetry.
Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll is the pseudonym of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, who was born in Cheshire in 1832. He was a keen academic and went on to become a mathematician at Oxford University.
Dodgson took on the pen-name Lewis Carroll in 1850. During this time, he was writing comic poetry and prose for magazine publication. After the immense success of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Carroll wrote a sequel entitled Through the Looking-Glass, which was published in 1871.
Dodgson remained at Oxford throughout his adult life. He penned books about mathematics and logic, and is also known to have devised several board games. A man of many talents, Dodgson was a keen photographer and is known for his portraits of artistic personalities and children.
Charles Dodgson never married and there have been subsequent rumours surrounding his close relationships with children, as portrayed in the fictional work The Ghost Road by Pat Barker.
The Legacy of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Today, it is hard to comprehend the impact of Lewis Carroll’s fiction. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland changed the face of children’s literature irrevocably. The combination of humour, absurdity, word play and outright nonsense coloured children’s stories for generations. For example, it would be difficult to imagine the success of Roald Dahl’s work had it not been for Lewis Carroll.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has sustained its popularity and is much-loved by both adults and children. It has been adapted numerous times. One of the most famous transformations being Disney’s Alice in Wonderland (1951). Most recently, Tim Burton, who is himself a master of the absurd and nonsensical, is adapting the novel.
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