Lewis Carroll

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Lore & Background

Dodgson came from a family of high-church Anglicans and pursued his clerical training at Christ Church, Oxford, where he lived for most of his life as a scholar, teacher and Anglican deacon (required for his academic fellowship at the time). Alice Liddell – a daughter of Henry Liddell, the Dean of Christ Church – is widely identified as the original inspiration for Alice in Wonderland, although Carroll always denied this. An avid puzzler, Carroll created the word ladder puzzle, which he called 'Doublets', which was published in Vanity Fair magazine between 1879 and 1881. In 1982 a memorial stone to Carroll was unveiled at Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey. There are societies in many parts of the world dedicated to the enjoyment and promotion of his works. Dodgson was born on 27 January 1832 at All Saints' Vicarage in Daresbury, Cheshire, the oldest boy and the third oldest of 11 children. When he was 11, his father was given the living of Croft-on-Tees, Yorkshire, and the whole family moved to the spacious rectory. During his early youth, Dodgson was educated at home. At the age of seven, he was reading books such as The Pilgrim's Progress. He also spoke with a stammer, a condition shared by most of his siblings. At the age of twelve he was sent to Richmond School in Richmond, North Yorkshire. that any earthly considerations would induce me to go through my three years again ... I can honestly say that if I could have been ... secure from annoyance at night, the hardships of the daily life would have been comparative trifles to bear.' He left Rugby at the end of 1849 and matriculated at the University of Oxford in May 1850 as a member of his father's old college, Christ Church. He had been at Oxford only two days when he received a summons home. His mother had died of 'inflammation of the brain' – perhaps meningitis or a stroke – at the age of 47. In 1852, he obtained first-class honours in mathematics moderations and was soon afterwards nominated to a studentship by his father's old friend Canon Edward Pusey. In 1854, he obtained first-class honours in the Final Honours School of Mathematics, standing first on the list, and thus graduated as Bachelor of Arts. Even so, his talent as a mathematician won him the Christ Church Mathematical Lectureship in 1855, which he continued to hold for the next 26 years. The young adult Charles Dodgson was about 6 feet (1.83 m) tall and slender, and he had curly brown hair and blue or grey eyes (depending on the account). As a very young child, he suffered a fever that left him deaf in one ear. At the age of 17, he suffered a severe attack of whooping cough, which was probably responsible for his chronically weak chest in later life. In early childhood, he acquired a stammer, which he referred to as his 'hesitation'; it remained throughout his life. He moved in the pre-Raphaelite social circle. He first met John Ruskin in 1857 and became friendly with him. Around 1863, he developed a close relationship with Dante Gabriel Rossetti and his family. He also knew William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, and Arthur Hughes, among other artists. He knew fairy-tale author George MacDonald well – it was the enthusiastic reception of Alice by the young MacDonald children that persuaded him to submit the work for publication. In broad terms, Dodgson has traditionally been regarded as politically, religiously, and personally conservative. Having failed to obtain exemption from the college's standard requirement for dons at the time, Dodgson was ordained a deacon in the Church of England on 22 December.

Reader's Guide

Lewis Carroll's significance lies in his creation of enduring works of Victorian literature that blend word play, logic, and fantasy. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass remain among the most important examples of the genre. His poems Jabberwocky (1871) and The Hunting of the Snark (1876) are classified as literary nonsense, and some of Alice's nonsensical wonderland logic reflects his published work on mathematical logic. Carroll also invented the word ladder puzzle, called 'Doublets', published in Vanity Fair between 1879 and 1881. In 1982 a memorial stone to Carroll was unveiled at Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey. Societies in many parts of the world are dedicated to the enjoyment and promotion of his works. His legacy includes both his literary contributions and his mathematical writings. His personal life—including his stammer, which he referred to as his 'hesitation', and his relationship with Alice Liddell, which he always denied as the inspiration—remains a subject of careful study.

Did You Know?

• Dodgson created the word ladder puzzle, which he called 'Doublets', published in Vanity Fair magazine between 1879 and 1881.
• At age seven, Dodgson was already reading books such as The Pilgrim's Progress.
• He suffered a fever as a very young child that left him deaf in one ear.
• Dodgson was ordained a deacon in the Church of England on 22 December, having failed to obtain exemption from the college's standard requirement for dons.
• The enthusiastic reception of Alice by the young children of fairy-tale author George MacDonald persuaded Dodgson to submit the work for publication.