Charles Lutwidge Dodgson

(1832 – 1898), better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll is an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the Snark" and "Jabberwocky", all examples of the genre of literary nonsense. He is noted for his facility at word play, logic, and fantasy.

Charles received his degree with a first in mathematics in 1854. In spite of his stutter, he enjoyed teaching math, and this helped him gain enough confidence to later deliver sermons as well. Charles was at this time under a studentship, which meant he would continue to study and teach at Christ Church for the rest of his life. Many aspects of Lewis Carroll's life influenced his writing. Some of these aspects include his mathematical background and logical disposition, interest in and photography, abnormal eating habits, dual personality, sleeping difficulties, Victorian lifestyle, and neglected childhood. These characteristics of his life are reflected in his literature, including in his most well-known novel, “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland”.

Carroll was always an extremely logical man, constantly inventing more effective methods to complete a task. He invented the Nyctograph, for taking notes in bed at night and devised unique memory aids. At one of his dinner parties, Carroll drew up a plan of the seating arrangements and who would be escorting whom, and listed the numerous advantages of his new seating method. Carroll invented a rule for finding a day of the week for any date, rules for wining in betting, more fair elimination rules for tennis tournaments, improved systems of parliamentary representation, and a scale for measuring liquor. He thought up many card, croquet, and word games including games of logic, Synergies, and Doublets, which is similar to a modern form of Scrabble. Carroll excelled in origami, enjoyed chess, and invented a travel chessboard. He also ordered five different sizes of notepaper so he would have the right size for each letter.

As in life, Carroll was extremely logical in his literature. He wrote many mathematical treatises including The Fifth Book, Euclid and His Modern Rivals, Euclid, Books I and II, Curiosa Mathematica, Part I : A New Theory of Parallels, and Curiosa Mathematica Part III: Pillow Problems. His fiction novels were full of elements of logic, such as cards, chess, and mirror reversals. The appearance of chess and croquet in Carroll's writing is due to his own interest and participation in these activities. Carroll's characters consistently ignored the commonly understood to reach a more logical conclusion. In Through the Looking Glass when the King asks Alice to look down the road to see who's coming, this type of logic is used by the King:

“Just look down the road and tell me if you can see either of them.”

“I see nobody on the road” said Alice.

“I only wish I had such eyes to see Nobody! And at such a distance too!”

Most of the book's adventures may have been based on and influenced by people, situations and buildings in Oxford and at Christ Church, e.g., the "Rabbit Hole," which symbolized the actual stairs in the back of the main hall in Christ Church. A carving of a griffon and rabbit, as seen in Ripon Cathedral, where Carroll's father was a canon, may have provided inspiration for the tale^. Since Carroll was a mathematician at Christ Church, it has been suggested that there are many references and mathematical concepts in both this story and also in Through the Looking-Glass. Red roses symbolized the English House of Lancaster, while white roses were the symbol for their rival House of York. This scene is an allusion to the Wars of the Roses.

He is the author of one of the most popular novels, both to children and adults alike. Adults enjoy it for its logical humor, but it is children who possibly understand his work the best and perhaps rightfully so, as Carroll understood little children best. Many of the unique episodes in his literature can be attributed to similar experiences he encountered in his life.

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 769