Lewis Carroll Sends Manuscript to Young Girl - November 26, 1862

This week (November 21-27) in English literary history – George Eliot was born (November 22, 1819); Thomas Hardy published Far from the Madding Crowd (November 23, 1874); Roald Dahl died (November 23, 1990); Author Robert Erskine Childers was executed for his involvement in the Irish Civil War (November 24, 1922); Agatha Christie’s Mousetrap opened in London (November 25, 1952); Charles Ludwidge Dodgson AKA Lewis Carroll sends manuscript to young girl (November 26, 1862); Poet Robert Burns postponed emigration to Jamaica (November 27, 1786). 

Highlighted Story of the Week -  

On November 26, 1862, Oxford professor Charles Lutwidge Dodgson sends a handwritten manuscript called Alice's Adventures Under Ground to 10-year-old Alice Liddell. The 30-year-old Dodgson, better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, made up the story one day on a picnic with young Alice and her two sisters, the children of one of Dodgson's colleagues. Dodgson, the son of a country parson, had been brilliant at both mathematics and wordplay since childhood, when he enjoyed making up games. However, he suffered from a severe stammer, except when he spoke with children. He had many young friends who enjoyed his fantastic stories: The Liddell children thought his tale of a girl who falls down a rabbit hole was one of his best efforts, and Alice insisted he write it down. 

During a visit to the Liddells, English novelist Henry Kingsley happened to notice the manuscript. After reading it, he suggested to Mrs. Liddell that it be published. Dodgson published the book at his own expense, under the name Lewis Carroll, in 1865. The story is one of the earliest children's books written simply to amuse children, not to teach them. The book's sequel, Through the Looking Glass, was published in 1871. Dodgson's other works, including a poetry collection called Phantasmagoria and Other Poems, and another children's book, Sylvia and Bruno, did not gain the same enduring popularity as the Alice books. Dodgson died on January 14, 1898 in Guildford, England and was buried at Mount Cemetery in Guildford. 

Check back every Friday for a new installment of “This Week in English Literary History.” 

Michael Thomas Barry is the author of six nonfiction books that includes the gold medal winning Literary Legends of the British Isles and the soon to be released America’s Literary Legends. Visit Michael’s website www.michaelthomasbarry.com for more information. His books can be purchased from Schiffer Books, Barnes & Noble, Powell’s Books, Amazon, as well as other fine book sellers.

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English Author Charles Dodgson "Lewis Carroll" was Born - 1832

English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, best known by his pseudonym, Lewis Carroll, was born on January 27, 1832 in the village of Daresbury, England. The eldest boy in a family of 11 children, Carroll was rather adept at entertaining himself and his siblings. His father, a clergyman, raised them in the rectory. As a boy, Carroll excelled in mathematics and won many academic prizes. At age 20, he was awarded a scholarship to Christ Church College - Oxford. Apart from serving as a lecturer in mathematics, he was an avid photographer and wrote essays, political pamphlets and poetry.

All of his life Carroll suffered from a bad stammer, but he found himself able to speak with children. The relationships he had with young people in his adult years are of great interest, as they undoubtedly inspired his best-known writings and have been a point of disturbed speculation over the years. Carroll loved to entertain children, and it was Alice, the daughter of Henry George Liddell, who can be credited with his pinnacle inspiration. Alice Liddell remembers spending many hours with Carroll, sitting on his couch while he told fantastic tales of dream worlds. During an afternoon picnic with Alice and her two sisters, Carroll told the first iteration of what would later become Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. When Alice arrived home, she exclaimed that he must write the story down for her.

He fulfilled the girl's request, and through a series of coincidences, the story fell into the hands of the novelist Henry Kingsley, who urged Carroll to publish it. The book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was released in 1865. It gained steady popularity, and as a result, Carroll wrote the sequel, Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There (1871). By the time of his death, Alice had become the most popular children's book in England, and by 1932 it was one of the most popular in the world. Besides writing, Carroll created a number of fine photographs. His notable portraits include those of the actress Ellen Terry and the poet Alfred Lord Tennyson. Lewis Carroll died on January 14, 1898.

 

Michael Thomas Barry is the author of numerous books that include Literary Legends of the British Isles: The Lives and Burial Places of 50 Great Writers. The book can be purchased from Amazon through the following links:

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