Lewis

The creator of the Alice

in Wonderland stories.

H
Carroll

Lewis Carroll
e was a famous
mathematician. He was a
lecturer at Oxford University.
And he created the Alice in
Wonderland series of books. Lewis Carroll
(real name, Charles Dodgson) was a
fascinating man.

Charles Dodgson was born in 1832. In

1846, he went to Rugby School. After
finishing school, he went to Oxford
University. He graduated in mathematics
in 1854, and began to work as a maths
don at the university a year later. Whilst
working there, he wrote and published
several short stories and novels, as well
as various works on mathematics. But
Dodgson is most famous for his Alice in
Wonderland books.

The main character in the books, Alice, It wasn’t

was based on a real girl, Alice Pleasance me who
wrote it.
Liddell. Alice Liddell was the daughter
of the dean of Christ Church College
(Henry George Liddell) where Dodgson Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge
worked. On 4th July 1862, Dodgson took Dodgson, penname
Alice (aged 10) and her two sisters (Lorina Lewis Carroll. Born 27th
Charlotte, 13, and Edith Mary, 8), and January 1832. Died 14th
the Reverend Robinson Duckworth on January 1898 (aged 65).
a boat trip up the River Thames. During Author, mathematician
the journey, Dodgson passed the time and photographer.
Famous works include
by telling the children a nonsense tale. Alice’s Adventures in
He later wrote down the story, calling it Wonderland and Through
Alice’s Adventures Underground. When he the Looking-Glass.
finished the book in 1863, his friends and
family urged him to publish it.

The book was renamed Alice's Adventures

in Wonderland and published in July 1865.
It was immediately withdrawn from
circulation because of poor print quality.
A corrected edition was published in
November. It was a big success. In fact,
Queen Victoria enjoyed Alice's Adventures
in Wonderland so much that she asked
Dodgson for more of his work. In
Trivia
Dodgson developed an early version of the word game
GLOSSARY
a lecturer n
a teacher at a university or college
a don n
response, Dodgson sent her his most that is now known as Scrabble. a teacher at Oxford or Cambridge
recent mathematics book. University in England
a dean n
In 1856, Dodgson took up the new art form of an important administrator at a
Interestingly, Dodgson had mixed photography. He soon became a well-known university or college
nonsense adj
feelings about his fame as an author photographer. He created more than 3,000 images, but text or speech that doesn’t make
of children's stories. He preferred to only 1,000 have survived time and deliberate destruction. sense
a tale n
think of himself as a man of science a story
to urge vb
and mathematics who also happened Many have questioned his friendship with young girls. if you “urge” someone to do
to write nonsense. Dodgson never Some say it was a result of his complete lack of interest something, you persuade them
strongly to do it
publicly acknowledged that he was also in the adult world. Others say he was interested in adult to withdraw from circulation exp
Lewis Carroll, and he seldom signed his women – both married and single – and that he had if a book is “withdrawn from
circulation”, it is taken out of the
books, and never gave away his portrait. several scandalous relationships (by standards of the shops
a penname n
Dodgson died of bronchitis on 14th time). As a result, and in order to deflect criticism, it was an author's invented name
January 1898. He is buried in Mount his family who gave the false impression of a man who to deflect criticism exp
if you “deflect” criticism, you do
Cemetery, Guildford, Surrey, near the only liked the company of young children. At the time, things to neutralise criticism, often
home he bought for his family. this wasn’t seen as anything particularly unusual. by creating a distraction and making
people focus on that

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