Book Blog.....Alice In Wonderland.

THE BANDERSNATCH

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Hey there Earthlings, Alternatives and Trollers. Put down that mouse and lend an ear. Welcome to The Bandersnatch blog where we talk weird, wacky and wondrous. I'm Mama Ogre and I have no idea what I'm doing.

Today is a book blog: a thoughtful review on the book Alice's Adventures in wonderland, its sequel and the history of its creation and its author.

Now I became aware of Alice in Wonderland as a child thanks to the 1951 Walt Disney version of the same name. I didn't read the book and its sequel Alice Through the looking glass until I was a teenager (I didn't know there was a sequel until I was nine/ten years old at least). At the present moment I own the penguin classics print and the copy holds both Alice stories. They include all original illustrations which I personally think is pretty cool.

I love reading the Alice stories, as well as watching several of the movie adaptions that are around. The ones I usually watch are the 1951 movie, the 1999 made for TV movie(This one had the actors Gene Wilder, Christopher Lloyd and Whoopi Goldberg in it as the Mock Turtle, the White knight and the Cheshire Cat respectively). Ive seen the recent Tim Burton adaptions of the books and whilst I am a keen lover of Tim Burton and I love Johnny Depp's adaption of the Mad Hatter and Mia Wasikowska's adaption of Alice is adorable. The Tim Burton effect which is normally a good thing failed this time and made the movie something I consider to be a little less than a decent one.

A lot of people agree that the Alice stories are a work of Genius, with a lot of complex and complicated layers underneath all the nonsense. Whilst the author Lewis Carroll most likely didn't have any ulterior or hidden motive when he wrote the stories but I'm sure he was aware of how surreal and cryptic his work would Lead towards several interpretations from all of his readers, after all several readers would read the words and project their own interpretive views onto the text.

I think many can agree that Alice is often tied to the goth subculture with its Victorian roots, qualities and values. I believe this is a misconception of the original work through cultural attachment. There's not many macabre undertones like the works of Edgar Allen Poe but the undertones of sinister like The red queens “off with her head” certainly lend to it. After all Alice in Wonderland is written for children and is primarily concerned with instilling mortality through wholesome and entertaining means instead of intimidating or dark.

Many scholars like Martin Gardener (recently deceased -1914-2010-mathematics and science fiction writer) have shown the book could be numerous parodies of popular Victorian culture. A suggestion prompts it belongs spiritually and rightly so with Gilbert and Sullivan's (well-known theatre writers) topsy turveydom (A play written/based on one of Gilbert's Bab Ballard's).

So lets start on , dear readers on the author....The man known to the world publicly as Lewis Carroll was born Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. In the village of Daresbury, Cheshire, England. Dodgsons family were conservative and strongly/ highly religious- they were high-church Anglicans- the family roots were predominantly English northerners with Irish ties with a lot of the men being either in the military or in the clergy. Until he was twelve Dodgson was educated at home and presented reading lists showing he had a strong intellect.

Scholastically (A very long word vaguely meaning school-wise) he excelled with mathematics being his best subject. This led to being matriculated (the formal process of entering uni) at Oxford through Christ Church in 1850. In 1852 Dodgson got first-class honours in mathematics moderations (a set of examinations) causing a nomination to a studentship (pretty much a scholarship). In 1854 he received first-class honours again which put him first on the graduation list for a bachelor of arts. Although he failed an important scholarship by a self confessed inability to study, later on Dodgson won the Christ-Church mathematical lectureship in 1855 which he held for 26 years. Dodgson remained at Christ-Church in various positions until his death including sub-librarian which holds importance later.

Despite being brilliant at maths Dodgson began to write at a young age often contributing his work to many magazines. Between 1854 and 1856 his work was being Published in national publications. In 1856 Dodgson would start under the name that made him famous- Lewis Carroll- it was a play ion his real name and was chosen from a list of names by his editor Edmund Yates.

In 1856 Henry Liddell arrived at Christ-Church and became its dean (Head of college) he brought his family with him and this move was a life changer for Dodgson. Whilst info was scarce, during the later 1850's it's proved that his friendship with the Liddell's was an important part of his life. Dodgson had an unusual habit of taking the Liddell children on rowing trips in the company of other adult friends. It was during this time that Dodgson wrote the first draft of Alice in Wonderland known at the time as Alice's adventures underground. This was inspired by Alice Liddell who begged him to write tit down.

Late in 1871 the long awaited sequel Through the looking glass and what Alice found there was published, Its darker mood had reflected several changes in Dodgsons life including his fathers death in 1868 which left him depressed for several years. Dodgson died of pneumonia after a bout of influenza on the 14^th of January 1898 at his sisters home in Guildford. Of course little had changed in the last twelve years of his life despite his fame and fortune. Whilst he'd stopped teaching in 1881 he remained at Christ-Church for the rest of his life.

What a life for a writer huh?..... so lets focus specifically on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The book as published on 26^th November 1865 three years after the infamous rowing trip where the influence for the main character Alice Liddell begged for a written copy of Dodgsons story. Alice received an earlier copy of the story in November 1864 although her version didn't include the Cheshire cat or the tea party.

The story follows young Alice the main character right down a rabbit hole after following the white rabbit due to pure curiosity. Alice meets a variety of characters on her journey such as the caterpillar, the Cheshire cast the mock turtle, the queen of hearts and more. After ,any hi-jinks and poems Alice is woken by her sister as if from an unusual dream....the story ends after Alice recites everything to her sister, with said sister wandering about the curious happenings for herself.

Unfortunately Alice in wonderland hadn't managed to make the 1888 pole of popular children's books. In general it received rather poor reviews with more credit going to the illustrations made by illustrator John Tenniel than to Dodgson. It did start to pick up in popularity through when through the looking glass was released in 1871. luckily it was popular enough by the end of the 19^th century for Sir Walter Besant -a fellow English novelist to write “Alice in wonderland was a book of that extremely rare kind which will belong to all generations to come until the language becomes obsolete”

The second Alice story through the looking glass was published on the 27^th December 1871and follows Alice after a question about a world behind a mirrors reflection. As she steps through the looking glass above the families mantle piece. Finding herself back in wonderland. Alice is told that wonderland is a giant chess board and if she makes it across the board tot he 8^th rank shell be made a queen. Alice does so and after a chaotic party afterwards finds herself back at home where it all started.

I really, really like both of the Alice stories due to the fact that all the characters in one way or another question logic and reality. Often promoting the reader to see things differently from another angle and the symbolism of the book pointed out by several scholars I think definitely adds to it. Since Dodgson was a mathematician there are many characters, situations and places that have been influenced by real life counterparts, mathematical concepts and Christ-church itself which I personally think is really cool.

There have been some rather damaging controversies made about Dodgson, one of the most popular which has commonly persisted was the fact that Dodgson had a hidden erotic interest in young girls. Some Scholars say that the child photography he took during his later years (which to be fair was a fad during the late Victorian era-several of the children mainly girls were often naked) is often cited and contributes as proof.

It is split between scholars if he was or wasn't interested in children or not as there is evidence brought up on each side, like numerous diary entries and letters talking about his relationships with adult women both single and married as well as those much younger than he was. One scholar points out that several of his “Child-friends” tended to be girls in their late-teens and early twenties. To be honest it could be that the scholars pointing out the 'paedophilia' label at Dodgson is viewing him with 20^th and 21^th century eyes.

Me, Myself Personally I don't believe Dodgson was a Paedophile. There's no tangible proof to say one way or the other that he was. Plus the suggestion of paedophilia emerged several years after his death and since his loving family intentionally suppressed a lot of evidence of his relationships with women to “Preserve” his reputation. They kinda shot him on the foot with that.

That is pretty heavy stuff to be quite honest with you, way heavier than I thought it would be, please comment your experiences with Alice in Wonderland and what is your opinion on Dodgson is. Please keep it clean, constructive, non-threatening and non violent words. There's a no tolerance for bullshit in this blog.

THIS IS THE BANDERSNATCH, I'M MAMA OGRE AND REMEMBER STAY WEIRD, STAY WACKY, STAY WONDEROUS AND I'LL SEE YOU SOON...