Biography of Lewis Carroll

The poetry, novels, letters and essays under the name of Lewis Carroll have been widely influential in children's literature since his lifetime during the Victorian Era. The brilliance of Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) has been evident since his birth in Cheshire, England on January 27, 1832. The first of eleven children, Charles was raised in a surprisingly close-knit, upper-class family. His wholesome upbringing sparked wonder in the young Dodgson. Innocent exploration filled the days and nights of Charles's childhood and later inspired the themes interweaved in his literary works.
Dodgson was an extremely bright pupil, writing poetry beginning in grammar school. In college he studied and eventually gained success in literature as well as mathematics. He excelled in the subjects to such an extent that he was appointed a lecturer in math and was adopted eternally into the Christ Church, his alma mater. Dodgson became a deacon, and lived his life wearing clothes of such, upheld his vows and never married. After college, Charles embarked on an investigation of his infatuations. He began publishing his writings in newspapers and magazines, and soon became known under his well-known pseudonym, Lewis Carroll.
Due to his love for tedious details, Charles also found himself passionate for photography. In the Victorian Era, developing photographs was an extremely difficult process, and involved the use of many chemicals and perfect timing, so it was perfect for Dodgson’s logical and math-oriented brain. The subjects that frequented Dodgson’s pictures and free time engagements were young children, most oftenly pre-pubescent girls. He believed young girls to be the embodiment of youth and beauty. A surprising factor of his photography was that the young subjects were usually nude; sparking the idea of Dodgson’s supposed pedophilia.
Charles was often accompanied by young children on his outings to plays, social events and even outwardly stated he preferred children to adults. Charles had been inflicted with a stammer that affected greatly his self confidence since his youth, but it was rumored that his speech impediment disappeared when speaking with children. Charles was fascinated by children of all types, but his favorite by far was Alice Liddell. Dodgson was taken by Alice, and she was the muse for most of his literary works, the most popular being Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
Despite his apparent good health, Charles died from a bronchial infection on January 14, 1898 in Surrey, England. The legacy of this famed writer lives on, however, in his many literary works that were innovative and unheard-of for Dodgson’s time. Charles was the first writer to use a female as the main character, and also pioneered the strategy of using a child’s point of view as the main plot. He is said to be one of the “inventors of childhood”, or children’s literature for this very reason.
The literary era of Charles's time was the Romantic Period. The signs of this are evident in the themes of his work. Strange, far away places were common settings in a Romantic novel, which was obvious in Carroll’s creation of Wonderland. The common man as a hero was another popular theme, and Carroll epitomizes this with his use of Alice, a small girl, saving the poor creatures from the wickedness of the Queen. The bizarre fantasy and nonsense that often accompanies his writing is also cliché for this period of literature.
Not only the literary era, but in the historical context of Carroll’s works, the Victorian Era provides a supporting backbone for the themes throughout his work. The Victorian Era was a time of science, advancement and discovery. This is evident in Dodgson’s many publications of his discoveries and theories in mathematics and science. Child labor was a big issue during this time period, which was also a time when children first began to read books. There is a distinct correlation between this historical situation and Carroll’s writing. He addressed political and social themes in his use of the gallant white knight, and it’s reflection of Victorian gentlemen and their values.
Carroll is often classified as writing nonsense literature and is recognized by his use of made-up words and comic verse, but it’s for this reason he was one the most avant-garde and influential writers of his time.




Sources

Bump, Jerome. Victorian Studies; Winter 85, Vol. 28 Issue 2, pg. 316.
Indiana University Press.


Smith, Roger. Dictionary of World Biography: The 19th Century; January 2000, p1-3


Leach, Karoline. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll): A Brief Biography. 22 April 2011. <www.victorianweb.org/authors/carroll/themeov.html>


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