(1832–98). Lewis Carroll is known for writing the children's classics Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. These books are beloved for their unusual settings, lively characters, and clever wordplay. He also wrote poetry for children, including the famous nonsense poem The Hunting of the Snark. Early life and educationLewis Carroll was born in Daresbury, England, on January 27, 1832. His real name is Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, but he used the name Lewis Carroll for his fiction and poetry. His father was a clergyman. Charles was the eldest son in a family of 11 children. Because the children lived a rather isolated life in their small town of Daresbury, Charles spent much of his time inventing games to play with his brothers and sisters. At age 18 Charles entered Christ Church College at Oxford University, where he studied mathematics. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees there and became a deacon of the Church of England. He never married. For most of his life he lived at Christ Church while teaching mathematics. He published books on mathematics and logic under his real name, and he was a skilled portrait photographer as well. Alice's Adventures in WonderlandLewis Carroll was always fond of children. Among his many young friends were the three daughters of Dr. Henry Liddell, dean of Christ Church College. One day in 1862, Carroll, his friend Robinson Duckworth, and the three girls, Alice, Lorina, and Edith, rowed up the Thames River from Oxford. Throughout the day, Carroll began to tell the girls tales about a child named Alice. Later he wrote these stories out for the children. In 1865 the tales were published as a book called Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It was illustrated by the famous cartoonist and artist Sir John Tenniel. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland tells what happens to a girl named Alice after she follows a white rabbit into a rabbit hole that leads into the depths of the earth. There she meets all sorts of interesting creatures, including the Cheshire Cat, the March Hare, the Mad Hatter, and the Queen of Hearts, who cries, “Off with his head!” Through the Looking-GlassEncouraged by the success of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Carroll wrote a sequel called Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, which was first published in 1871. It contains the famous poem Jabberwocky, written in nonsense words. It begins with the verse: 'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
Through the Looking-Glass was based on more stories that Carroll had told the Liddell children. Like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, it was a popular book. Later worksIn 1876 Carroll published another famous nonsense poem, The Hunting of the Snark. Later in life he tried to return to the style of the Alice stories in Sylvie and Bruno (1889) and Sylvie and Bruno Concluded (1893). These were not as popular as his earlier books, however. Carroll died in Guildford, England, on January 14, 1898. |