L Carroll. Biography of Lewis Carroll, the writer’s work, interesting facts
Carroll Lewis (real name Charles Latwidge Dodgson) (1832-1898), English writer and mathematician.
Born on January 27, 1832 in the village of Daresbury (Cheshire) into a large family of a rural priest. Even as a child, Charles was interested in literature; he set up his own puppet theater and composed plays for it.
The future writer wanted to become a priest, like his father, so he entered Oxford University to study theology, but there he became interested in mathematics. He then taught mathematics at Oxford's Christchurch College for a quarter of a century (1855-1881).
On July 4, 1862, young Professor Dodgson went for a walk with the family of his Liddell acquaintances. During this walk, he told Alice Liddell and her two sisters a fairy tale about Alice's adventures. Charles was persuaded to write down the story he had invented. In 1865, Alice in Wonderland was published as a separate book. However, Dodgson, who by that time had already been ordained as a priest, could not sign it with his name. He took the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. The author himself considered “Alice” a fairy tale for adults and only in 1890 did he release its children’s version. After the release of the first edition of the fairy tale, many letters came from readers asking to continue the fascinating story. Carroll wrote Through the Looking-Glass (published 1871). Exploring the world through play, proposed by the writer, has become a common technique in children's literature.
The Alice books are not Carroll's only works.
In 1867, he left England for the only time in his life, going to Russia with his friend. Carroll described his impressions in the Russian Diary.
He also wrote poems for children and the book “Silvia and Bruno”.
The writer himself called his works nonsense (nonsense) and did not attach any significance to them. He considered the main work of his life to be a serious mathematical work dedicated to the ancient Greek scientist Euclid.
Modern experts believe that Dodgson made his main scientific contribution with his works on mathematical logic. And children and adults enjoy reading his fairy tales.
In the lush greenery of a tiny village in the south-east of the county, on January 27, 1932, Cheshire, Lewis Carroll was born - real name Charles Lutwidge Dodgson - British logician, mathematician, writer. In total there were 7 girls and 4 boys in the family. He started studying at home and showed himself to be smart and quick-witted. He was left-handed, according to unverified data, he was forbidden to write with his left hand, which traumatized the young psyche (presumably this led to stuttering).
From an early age, the boy entertained his family with magic tricks, puppet shows and poetry. At the beginning of 1851 he moved to Oxford to enter one of the most aristocratic colleges at Oxford University. Lewis was not a very good student, but thanks to his outstanding mathematical abilities, he won a competition to give mathematical lectures at Christ Church. For 26 years he gave these lectures, which Lewis considered boring, but they provided good income. According to the college charter, he was ordained a deacon (which gave him the right to preach sermons without working in the parish).
As an unmarried lecturer in the mathematics department at Oxford University, he enjoyed the company of young women. Carroll's hobbies gave rise to rumors about his pedophilia. Modern biographies of Lewis Carroll also mention this fact. However, in recent decades it has become known that almost all of the author's little girlfriends were over 14 years old, and many of them were 16 and 18 years old. In addition, Lewis was an avid bachelor and did not make friends with the opposite sex.
In the mid-1950s, Charles began writing works on humorous and mathematical topics. And already in 1856, by translating into Latin and rearranging the words of his name, he created the pseudonym “Lewis Carroll”. However, his mathematical works were published under the real name of the writer. In 1856, a new dean appeared at the college - Henry Liddell, with whom his wife and five children arrived, including 4-year-old Alice. In 1864, Lewis Carroll's famous novel about the adventures of a little girl in Wonderland was born. The work is based on stories that the author told his friends in his youth.
The incredible commercial success of the first Alice book changed Dodgson's life, as Lewis Carroll became quite famous all over the world, his mailbox was flooded with letters from admirers, and he began to earn very significant sums of money. However, Dodgson never abandoned his modest life and church positions.
In 1867, Lewis Carroll left England for the first and last time and made a very unusual trip to Russia for those times. Visits Calais, Brussels, Potsdam, Danzig, Koenigsberg along the way, spends a month in Russia, returns to England via Vilna, Warsaw, Ems, Paris. In Russia, Dodgson visits St. Petersburg and its environs, Moscow, Sergiev Posad, and a fair in Nizhny Novgorod.
In the continuation of the book, which was written in 1871, the author describes the further adventures of the heroine. Filled with fantastic characters and colorful landscapes, as well as wit and plenty of puzzles, these two books have become some of the most famous and revered children's books in the world.
Lewis Carroll was also an honorary portrait photographer. He loved to photograph children and famous people. Among his last sitters were Alfred Lord Tennyson, D. G. Rossetti and John Millais. By combining his best qualities as a photographer and an author of fantastic comics, the writer became the most unforgettable, talented and original person of his time.
An equally interesting fact from the biography of Lewis Carroll is that he was an inventor. His main and famous invention is the nyctograph. This is a device for quickly jotting down ideas or notes in the dark. The writer himself often woke up at night and wanted to write down an idea, but did not want to light a lamp (we all remember what time Carroll lived in). This is exactly how the idea came to make such a device, which served to discover a new form of shorthand - nyctography. Initially, the writer called the device a “tiflograph”, but renamed it “nyctograph” at the suggestion of one of his comrades. Carroll also invented the book dust jacket, which fits over the binding or main cover, and the travel chess set.
Lewis Carroll died on January 14, 1898 in Guildford, Surrey, at the home of his seven sisters, from pneumonia that broke out after influenza. He was buried there, along with his brother and sister at Mount Cemetery.
The biography of Lewis Carroll will not leave anyone indifferent, because we all love the wonderful series of books. Lewis Carroll's Alice has been filmed many times, which testifies to the popularity and universal love for this work.
Lewis Carroll. Self-portrait
Biography
He also published many scientific works on mathematics under his own name. One of his hobbies was photography.
Friendship with girls
Lewis Carroll was a bachelor. In the past, it was believed that he was not friends with members of the opposite sex, making an exception for actress Ellen Terry.
Carroll's greatest joy came from his friendships with little girls. “I love children (not boys),” he once wrote.
...Girls (unlike boys) seemed amazingly beautiful to him without clothes. Sometimes he drew or photographed them naked - of course, with the permission of their mothers.
Carroll himself considered his friendships with girls completely innocent; there is no reason to doubt that this was the case. Moreover, in the numerous memories that his little girlfriends later left about him, there is not a hint of any violation of decency.
"Carroll's Myth"
The information, as well as the quotes posted below, are taken from the article by A. Borisenko and N. Demurova “Lewis Carroll: Myths and Metamorphoses,” which, in turn, is based on the works of Guy Lebeily and Caroline Leach ( Hugues Lebaily And Caroline Leach).
In recent decades, it turned out that most of his “little” girlfriends were over 14, many 16-18 years old and older. Carroll's girlfriends often underestimated their ages in their memoirs. For example, actress Isa Bowman writes in her memoirs
As a child, I often amused myself by drawing caricatures, and one day, when he was writing letters, I began to sketch him on the back of an envelope. Now I don’t remember what the drawing looked like - it was probably a nasty cartoon - but suddenly he turned around and saw what I was doing. He jumped up and blushed terribly, which scared me very much. Then he grabbed my unfortunate sketch and, tearing it to shreds, silently threw it into the fire. (...) I was then no more than ten or eleven years old, but even now this episode stands before my eyes, as if it all happened yesterday...
In reality, she was at least 13 years old.
Another “young girlfriend” of Carroll, Ruth Gamlen, in her memoirs, reports how in 1892, Carroll’s parents invited Carroll to dinner with Isa, who was visiting him at that time. There Isa is described as a "shy child of about twelve", in fact in 1892 she was 18 years old.
Carroll himself also called the word “child” not only little girls, but also women 20-30 years old. Thus, in 1894 he wrote:
One of the main joys of my - surprisingly happy - life stems from the affection of my little friends. Twenty or thirty years ago I would have said that ten was the ideal age; now the age of twenty to twenty-five seems preferable to me. Some of my dear girls are thirty or more: I think that an old man of sixty-two has a right to still consider them children.
Research has shown that more than half of the “girls” with whom he corresponded were over 14 years old; Of the 870 comments he made about acting, 720 were about adult actors and only 150 about children.
In Victorian England at the end of the 19th century, girls under 14 were considered asexual. Carroll's friendship with them was, from the point of view of the morality of that time, a completely innocent quirk. On the other hand, being too close to a young woman (especially in private) was strictly condemned. This could have caused Carroll to declare his acquaintances the women and girls “little girls”, and to underestimate their age.
Bibliography
- "Useful and edifying poetry" ()
- "Algebraic analysis of the Fifth Book of Euclid" ()
- "Information from the theory of determinants" (
This is an amazing story of an English writer and scientist. At the same time, the whole world knows him as a storyteller who wrote one of the most famous stories about the adventures of the girl Alice. His career was not limited to writing: Carroll studied photography, mathematics, logic, and taught. He holds the title of Professor at Oxford University.
The writer's childhood
Lewis Carroll's biography originates in Cheshire. It was here that he was born in 1832. His father was a parish priest in the small village of Daresbury. The family was large. Lewis's parents raised 7 more girls and three boys.
Carroll received his initial education at home. Already there he showed himself to be a quick-witted and intelligent student. His first teacher was his father. Like many creative and talented people, Carroll was left-handed. According to some biographers, Carroll was not allowed to write with his left hand as a child. Because of this, his childhood psyche was disrupted.
Education
Lewis Carroll received his initial education at a private school near Richmond. In it he found language with teachers and students, but in 1845 he was forced to transfer to Rugby School, where conditions were worse. During his studies, he demonstrated excellent results in theology and mathematics. Since 1850, Lewis Carroll's biography has been closely connected with the aristocratic college in Christ Church. This is one of the most prestigious educational institutions at the University of Oxford. Over time, he transferred to study at Oxford.
Carroll was not particularly successful in his studies, excelling only in mathematics. For example, he won a competition for giving mathematical lectures in Christ Church. He did this work for 26 years. Although she was boring for a mathematics professor, she brought in a decent income.
According to the college charter, another amazing event occurs. Writer Lewis Carroll, whose biography many associate with the exact sciences, takes holy orders. These were the requirements of the college in which he studied. He is awarded the rank of deacon, which allows him to preach sermons without working in the parish.
Lewis Carroll begins writing stories in college. A short biography of an English mathematician proves that talented people have abilities in both the exact sciences and the humanities. He sent them to magazines under a pseudonym, which later became world famous. His real name is Charles Dodgson. The fact is that at that time in England, writing was not considered a very prestigious occupation, so scientists and professors tried to hide their passion for prose or poetry.
First success
Lewis Carroll's biography is a success story. Fame came to him in 1854; authoritative literary magazines began publishing his works. These were the stories "Train" and "Space Times".
Around the same years, Carroll met Alice, who later became the prototype for the heroines of his most famous works. A new dean arrived at the college - Henry Liddell. His wife and five children came with him. One of them was 4-year-old Alice.
"Alice in Wonderland"
The author's most famous work, the novel "Alice in Wonderland", appears in 1864. The biography of Lewis Carroll in English details the history of the creation of this work. This is an amazing story about a girl Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into an imaginary world. It is inhabited by various anthropomorphic creatures. The fairy tale is extremely popular among both children and adults. This is one of the best works in the world written in the absurdist genre. It contains a lot of philosophical jokes, mathematical and linguistic allusions. This work had a huge influence on the formation of an entire genre - fantasy. A few years later, Carroll wrote a continuation of this story - "Alice Through the Looking Glass."
In the 20th century, many brilliant film adaptations of this work appeared. One of the most famous was directed by Tim Burton in 2010. The main roles were played by Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp and Anne Hathaway. According to the plot of this picture, Alice is already 19 years old. She returns to Wonderland, where she was in her distant childhood, when she was only 6. Alice has to save the Jabberwocky. She is assured that she is the only one who is capable of this. Meanwhile, the dragon Jabberwocky is at the mercy of the Red Queen. The film seamlessly combines live action with beautiful animation. That is why the film became one of the highest-grossing films in the world in the history of cinema.
Travel to Russia
The writer was predominantly a homebody; he only went abroad once. In 1867, Lewis Carroll came to Russia. The biography in English of the mathematician tells in detail about this trip. Carroll went to Russia with the Rev. Henry Liddon. Both were representatives of theology. At that time, the Orthodox and Anglican churches were actively in contact with each other. Together with his friend, Carroll visited Moscow, Sergiev Posad, many other holy places, as well as the largest cities of the country - Nizhny Novgorod, St. Petersburg.
A diary kept by Lewis Carroll in Russia has reached us. A short biography for children describes this journey in detail. Although it was not originally intended for publication, it was published posthumously. This includes impressions of cities visited, observations from meetings with Russians and recordings of individual phrases. On the way to Russia and on the way back, Carroll and his friend visited many European countries and cities. Their path lay through France, Germany and Poland.
Scientific publications
Under his own name, Dodgson (Carroll) published many works on mathematics. He specialized in Euclidean geometry, matrix algebra, and studied mathematical analysis. Carroll also loved entertaining mathematics and constantly developed games and puzzles. For example, he owns a method for calculating determinants, which bears his name - Dodgson condensation. True, in general his mathematical achievements did not leave any noticeable mark. But work on mathematical logic was significantly ahead of the time in which Lewis Carroll lived. The biography in English details these successes. Carroll died in 1898 in Guildford. He was 65 years old.
Carroll the photographer
There is another area in which Lewis Carroll was successful. A biography for children details his passion for photography. He is considered one of the founders of pictorialism. This trend in the art of photography is characterized by the staged nature of filming and editing of negatives.
Carroll communicated a lot with the famous 19th century photographer Reilander and took lessons from him. The writer kept his collection of staged photographs at home. Carroll himself took Reilander's photograph, which is considered a classic of mid-19th century photographic portraiture.
Personal life
Despite his popularity among children, Carroll never married and did not have children of his own. His contemporaries note that the main joy in his life was his friendship with little girls. He often painted them, even naked and half-naked, naturally, with the permission of their mothers. An interesting fact to note: at that time in England, girls under 14 were considered asexual, so Carroll’s hobby did not seem suspicious to anyone. Back then it was considered innocent fun. Carroll himself wrote about the innocent nature of friendship with girls. No one doubted this, that in the numerous memories of children about friendship with the writer there is not a single hint of a violation of the norms of decency.
Suspicions of pedophilia
Despite this, serious suspicions have already emerged in our time that Carroll was a pedophile. They are mainly associated with free interpretations of his biography. For example, the film “Happy Child” is dedicated to this.
True, modern researchers of his biography come to the conclusion that most of the girls with whom Carroll communicated were over 14 years old. Mostly they were 16-18 years old. Firstly, the writer’s girlfriends often underestimated their age in their memoirs. For example, Ruth Gamlen writes in her memoirs that she dined with Carroll when she was a shy child of twelve. However, researchers were able to establish that at that time she had already turned 18. Secondly, Carroll himself used to use the word “child” to refer to young girls up to 30 years old.
So today it is worth admitting with a high degree of confidence that all suspicions about the unhealthy attraction of the writer and mathematician to children are not based on facts. Lewis Carroll's friendship with his dean's daughter, from which the amazing "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" was born, is absolutely innocent.
Lewis Carroll, English writer and mathematician, died on January 14, 1898. the site decided to remember the most striking stories associated with him or his life.
1. After reading “Alice in Wonderland” and “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” Queen Victoria was delighted and demanded that the rest of the works of this wonderful author be brought to her. The queen’s request, of course, was fulfilled, but the rest of Dodgson’s works were entirely devoted to... mathematics. The most famous books are “Algebraic Analysis of the Fifth Book of Euclid” (1858, 1868), “Notes on Algebraic Planimetry” (1860), “Elementary Guide to the Theory of Determinants” (1867), “Euclid and His Modern Rivals” (1879), "Mathematical Curiosities" (1888 and 1893) and "Symbolic Logic" (1896).
2. In English-speaking countries, Carroll's tales rank third among the most cited books. The first place was taken by the Bible, the second by the works of Shakespeare.
Carroll was one of the first portrait photographers
3. The first Oxford edition of Alice in Wonderland was completely destroyed at the request of the author. Carroll did not like the quality of the publication. At the same time, the writer was not at all interested in the quality of publication in other countries, for example, in America. In this matter, he completely relied on the publishers.
4. In Victorian England, being a photographer was not at all easy. The process of photographing was unusually complex and labor-intensive: photographs had to be taken at extremely high shutter speeds, on glass plates coated with collodion solution. After shooting, the plates had to be developed very quickly. Dodgson’s talented photographs remained unknown to the general public for a long time, but in 1950 the book “Lewis Carroll – Photographer” was published.
5. During one of Carroll's lectures, one of the students had an epileptic attack, and Carroll was able to help. After this incident, Dodgson became seriously interested in medicine, and he acquired and studied dozens of medical reference books and books. To test his endurance, Charles attended an operation where a patient's leg was amputated above the knee. His passion for medicine did not go unnoticed - in 1930, the Lewis Carroll Children's Department was opened at St. Mary's Hospital.
In Victorian England, a child under 14 was considered asexual and asexual.
6. In Victorian England, a child under 14 was considered asexual and asexual. But communication between an adult man and a young girl could ruin her reputation. Many researchers believe that because of this, girls underestimated their age when talking about their friendship with Dodgson. The innocence of this friendship can also be judged by Carroll’s correspondence with his older girlfriends. Not a single letter hints at any love feelings on the part of the writer. On the contrary, they contain discussions about life and are completely friendly in nature.
7. Researchers cannot say exactly what kind of person Lewis Carroll was in life. On the one hand, he had a hard time making friends, and his students considered him the most boring teacher in the world. But other researchers say that Carroll was not shy at all and consider the writer a famous ladies' man. They believe that relatives simply did not like to mention it.
Lewis Carroll was a suspect in the Jack the Ripper case
8. Lewis Carroll loved to write letters. He even shared his thoughts in the article “Eight or Nine Words of Wise About Writing Letters.” And at the age of 29, the writer started a journal in which he recorded all incoming and outgoing correspondence. Over 37 years, 98,921 letters were registered in the journal.
9. In addition to being accused of pedophilia, Lewis Carroll was a suspect in the case of Jack the Ripper, a serial killer who was never caught.
The real Alice had to sell 1 handwritten version of the book for £15,400
10. The exact date of that memorable boat ride on the Thames during which Carroll told his story about Alice is unknown. It is generally accepted that “Golden July Noon” is July 4, 1862. However, the Journal of the English Royal Meteorological Society reports that on July 4, 1862, 3 cm of rain fell per day from 10:00 am, with the main amount falling from 2:00 pm late at night.
11. The real Alice Liddell had to sell the first handwritten version of Alice's Adventures Underground for £15,400 in 1928. She had to do this because she had nothing to pay for the house.
12. There is Alice in Wonderland syndrome. During an acute attack of a certain type of migraine, people feel themselves or surrounding objects disproportionately small or large and cannot determine the distance to them. These sensations can be accompanied by a headache or occur independently, and the attack can last for months. In addition to migraines, Alice in Wonderland syndrome can be caused by a brain tumor or taking psychotropic drugs.
13. Charles Dodgson suffered from insomnia. Trying to escape from sad thoughts and fall asleep, he invented mathematical puzzles and solved them himself. Carroll published his “midnight tasks” as a separate book.
14. Lewis Carroll spent a whole month in Russia. He was, after all, a deacon, and at that time the Orthodox and Anglican churches were trying to establish strong contacts. Together with his theologian friend Lyddon, he met with Metropolitan Philaret in Sergiev Posad. In Russia, Dodgson visited St. Petersburg, Sergiev Posad, Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod, and found the trip exciting and educational.
Lewis Carroll spent a whole month in Russia
15. Carroll had two passions - photography and theater. He, being a famous writer, was personally present at the rehearsals of his fairy tales, showing a deep understanding of the laws of the stage.
16. During the time of Lewis Carroll, felt hat makers worked for a long time with mercury vapor. Mercury poisoning often resulted in symptoms such as slurred speech, memory loss, and tremors, which is reflected in the saying “Mad as a hatter.” This is why the Hatter from Alice in Wonderland, aka the Hatter, is presented as mad.
