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Classic Authors: Lewis Carroll

© Susan Jensen

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll, lived a full life, dominated by his love for children. It was this adoration for youngsters that inspired him to create Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel, Through the Looking Glass as well as other stories and poems. Although he was a mathematician, a logician, a photographer, a writer of textbooks and a deacon, he is most remembered for the "Alice" books, which revolutionized children's literature.

Lewis Carroll was born on January 27, 1832, the son of a clergyman and the eldest of 11 children. As a child, he entertained his brothers and sisters with puppet shows and magic shows as well as poems and stories that he made up for their amusement.

Carroll was an excellent student, always receiving high marks and prizes for his achievements. He attended Richmond School and Rugby School. He received his bachelor's degree at Christ Church College, Oxford, in 1854 and stayed on at the school as a lecturer and a writer of guides for students. He was made "Master of the House" and a sub-librarian. It was during this time that he began submitting poems and stories to "The Comic Times."

Although he prepared for Holy Orders and was actually ordained a deacon in 1861, he never became a priest. Perhaps this was because of a stammer, which would have made preaching difficult. Or perhaps it was because he had other interests that he wanted to pursue. His other interests included photography, at which he became quite skillful.

As a photographer, Lewis Carroll enjoyed photographing children, especially those in the Liddell Family. Alice Liddell was a favorite model and friend. In fact, Carroll invented his Alice for this little girl. It was on a boat trip they took in the summer of 1862 that he began composing Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to entertain her. By the following February, Carroll had written the story down, composing a first draft of 18,000 words. Eventually the story expanded to 35,000 words and was published under the name Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The book was an immediate success and has since been translated into over 80 languages. Seven years later, Through the Looking Glass was published.

Although he is most known for the Alice books, Carroll also published The Hunting of the Snark (1876), two collections of humorous verse and two parts of Silvie and Bruno, which were never as popular as the Alice books. He also wrote several mathematics textbooks, as well as treatises and other articles.

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