Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, "and what is the use of a book," thought Alice, "without pictures or conversations?"
What many of us don't know, however, is that Lewis Carrol was the pen name of the Oxford mathematics professor, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, and that Alice was Alice Liddell, the daughter of Henry Liddell, Dean of Christ Church, Oxford. I remember watching a travel channel show about Oxford and learning that the iconic character Alice was based on a real little girl, but it wasn't until I read Alice I Have Been that I learned some of the details of her life and her relationship with the shy, stuttering professor, whose image has been dwarfed by his own tales.
This is a novel, not non-fiction, but the story is based on facts. Thankfully, the author, Melanie Benjamin, included a blissfully enlightening afterward that explains where fact and fiction overlap. Kudos to her, because I believe that that is a must-have for all works of fiction that utilize real people and true events. What Benjamin does successfully in this novel is create a portrait of a time period that we have very definite opinions about: the Victorian era. Whether we curse its prudishness or crave its supposed innocence and stability, there's no denying that we have our own modern prejudices regarding it.
It is Alice's world. Her father is the Dean of Christ Church, and she and her sisters are the princesses of Oxford. The story begins in 1859 with the rebellious, seven year old Alice, dressed in her stifling petticoats, and the young professor, Mr. Charles Dodgson, offering to take the girls off of their governess' hands for an afternoon adventure. They went on many such adventures.
Some of their afternoons were captured in photographs because, as an early photographer, Dodgson was a novelty, even more-so because he took portraits when landscapes were the norm. His passion for photography proves to be fundamental to Benjamin's storyline, and she provides some fascinating insights into Victorian perceptions of photography, particularly photographs of children, in her afterward. As you can see in the portrait below, the real Alice was not a blonde, as she is usually depicted, but a brunette.
As Alice grows older, her friendship with Mr. Dodgson is cut off. There are whispers about why, and we follow her as the mystery haunts her into young womanhood and, finally, old age, as she struggles to balance her true self with the famous Alice of Wonderland, created by the man she once favored above all others.
This is a beautiful book that captures the mindset of childhood and presents the complexities of human relationships. It will immerse you in the Victorian era and challenge you to see it in a new light. I have never been a huge fan of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, but I find the real people behind the story irresistible.
It is Alice's world. Her father is the Dean of Christ Church, and she and her sisters are the princesses of Oxford. The story begins in 1859 with the rebellious, seven year old Alice, dressed in her stifling petticoats, and the young professor, Mr. Charles Dodgson, offering to take the girls off of their governess' hands for an afternoon adventure. They went on many such adventures.
Some of their afternoons were captured in photographs because, as an early photographer, Dodgson was a novelty, even more-so because he took portraits when landscapes were the norm. His passion for photography proves to be fundamental to Benjamin's storyline, and she provides some fascinating insights into Victorian perceptions of photography, particularly photographs of children, in her afterward. As you can see in the portrait below, the real Alice was not a blonde, as she is usually depicted, but a brunette.
 |
| "Alice as Beggar Girl" by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson |
As Alice grows older, her friendship with Mr. Dodgson is cut off. There are whispers about why, and we follow her as the mystery haunts her into young womanhood and, finally, old age, as she struggles to balance her true self with the famous Alice of Wonderland, created by the man she once favored above all others.
This is a beautiful book that captures the mindset of childhood and presents the complexities of human relationships. It will immerse you in the Victorian era and challenge you to see it in a new light. I have never been a huge fan of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, but I find the real people behind the story irresistible.
Relevant Reads:
No comments:
Post a Comment