It seems like a simple fairy tale, but it goes much deeper than that. The true story behind alice in wonderland he loved children. Learn the true story behind the girl who inspired the world to go down the rabbit hole. Alice liddel is the name of who inspired lewis carroll to write the famous tale where famous characters like the cheshire cat, the hatter, the blue. When she was not medicated, she was raped by local employees. The true story behind alice in wonderland the pedogate. Turns out the real alice in wonderland was an 11yearold girl. He wrote alice s adventures in wonderland and its sequel through the lookingglass. Who was the real alice behind lewis carrolls alice in wonderland. Dodgson revised the story for publication, retitling it to alice s adventures in wonderland and adding the nowfamous scene of. Meet the girl who inspired alice in wonderland maria popova. To add the finishing touches he would research natural history for the animals presented in the book, and then had. Alice and the true story behind a popular fantasy on point.
No no, not the cliche story of falling down a rabbit hole into a mysterious unknown land with a red queen who cuts off heads and a man in a ridiculous hat who has tea parties. We can look at the political period in the 1860s for all sorts of pointers of what might have been on dodgsons mind. Alice liddell, the inspiration for lewis carrolls fictional character alice in alice in wonderland. Alice s parents decided to keep her in a sanitarium, and she was drugged most of the time. What is the true story behind alice in wonderland answers. The true story behind the book alice in wonderland tuul. Alice human sacrifice alice in wonderland wiki fandom. Getty images carroll would take photos of alice and her sisters. He wrote alices adventures in wonderland and its sequel through the. The smart and curious little girl has captivated generations of readers, but who is the real alice. The real story and places behind alice in wonderland. The man behind alice in wonderland is much like the tales he wrote.
Meet the girl who inspired alice in wonderland the. She became the basis of carrolls character in his story because of her and her sisters insistence that carroll tells them a story. Alices adventures in wonderland is, on one level at least, the story of a girl who disappears down a rabbit hole to a fantastic place full of bizarre. He has a very weak argumentation for this, but he does make an interesting case about how the book could satirize english politics. The real story about alice liddell, dodgsons basis for the heroine alice pleasance liddell was a real life girl who lived in london during the 1860s. The true history of alice in wonderland sideshow collectibles. Were all familiar with alice, the goldenhaired protagonist of lewis carrolls alice in wonderland. The queen of hearts is a fictional character from the 1865 book alices adventures in wonderland by lewis carroll. The novel alice in wonderland is not based on a true. The book had the benefit of amazing illustrations by john tenniel.
The true story behind alice in wonderland alice in. Upon a time lists about the original versions and real stories behind. There is some dispute as to how closely alice liddell can be identified with the alice. In alice in wonderland, unlike other fairy tales, the story represents a childs true progression through life. Alices adventures in wonderland commonly shortened to alice in wonderland is an 1865 novel written by english author charles lutwidge dodgson under the pseudonym lewis carroll. In 1865, john tenniel illustrated the story and it was published in its earliest version. From 19992005, a series of five killings took place. Alice s adventures in wonderland brought alice liddell and lewis carroll together forever.
Charles dodgson, a mathematician at christ church, oxford, first told his surreal story to the daughters of dean henry liddell as they rowed down the thames. But the real alice lived her life in an aboveground wonderland, almost as amazing and often surprisingly like the world of the rabbithole. This article is more than 4 years old onehundredandfiftyyears after alice fell down the rabbit hole, we look again at alice in wonderland, and the girl who inspired its author, lewis carroll. The alice in wonderland story first told history today. Turns out the real alice in wonderland was an 11yearold. So having a schizophrenic daughter was considered a phenomenon, a crime.
So taken was alice liddell with the story that she asked dodgson to write it down for her, which he did when he soon sent her a manuscript under the title of alice s adventures under ground. Both alices adventures in wonderland and through the lookingglass and. On april 25, 1856, dodgson and a colleague from oxford, father robinson duckworth were taking alice, lorina, and edith liddell in a rowboat down the river thames. All the great fairy tales are from another era, the reality was different and the values extremely conservative. The creepy true story behind lewis carrolls alice in. Alice in wonderland fans have marked 150 years since the fateful boat trip. Geek guest writer kayla morgan takes us down the rabbit hole and through the looking glass to examine the real history of alice in wonderland. The true story behind alice in wonderland refinery29. The true history of lewis carrolls alice in wonderland, the life of alice liddell, and what remain in real life of these fantastical tales. Starting with a bottle drink me that makes alice shut up like a telescope, and a cake eat me that turns her into a giant, carrolls story often returns to the subject of food and drink. She is a foultempered monarch whom carroll himself describes as a blind fury, and who is quick to give death sentences at the slightest offense. John tenniels illustrations of alice do not portray the real alice liddell, who had dark hair and a short fringe. In 1862, a young oxford don named charles dodgson took 10yearold alice liddell and her two sisters boating on the river isis.
If he wrote about it in the story through the character alice, he was finally able to express to the world what his childhood felt like. Alices adventures in wonderland is, on one level at least, the story of a girl. Deeper, hidden meanings and themes in alice in wonderland. Gardner recounts this curious anecdote of the collaboration. Queen of hearts alices adventures in wonderland wikipedia. The movie alice in wonderland is based on the famous childrens novel of the same name, by lewis carroll. Alice going down the rabbit hole is a philosophers quest for true. Alice pleasance hargreaves was, in her childhood, an acquaintance and photography subject of lewis carroll. Tenniels pictures of alice are not pictures of alice liddell, who had dark hair cut short with straight bangs across her forehead. One of the stories he told her during a boating trip became the childrens classic 1865 novel alices adventures in wonderland. Alices adventures in wonderland is an 1865 novel written by english author charles lutwidge. Alice in wonderland is an extraordinary sort of story. Since the fictional alice roams through subterranean wonders, dodgson called his tale alice in wonderland when he published it under his pen name lewis carroll.
In alice in wonderland, society and its justice system seem to be governed by fools and the result is abuse and oppression. Alice always asked dodgson to tell them a story, even though he was a painfully shy mathematician. In the original article, giles argues that alice s adventures in wonderland was not written by charles dodgson. Even though the rumors arent true that lewis carroll wrote alice s adventures in wonderland during a hallucinogenic trip, the book still remains a fascinating study of reality while being a prime example of the nonsensical fantasy genre. To fully experience what it means to vanish down a rabbit hole, just ask the internet about hidden messages in the book that coined the term, alice s adventures in wonderland. Magical creatures like the cheshire cat and the mad hatter are just a few of the quirky but sage companions during alice s adventure.
Alice in wonderland philosophy what does it all mean. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Alice human sacrifice is a song for older lovers of alice in wonderland from creepypasta wiki the alice killings remain, to this day, one of the strangest and unsolvable serial killings in japan. A mad tea party in lewis carrolls alice s adventures in wonderland. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of alice s adventures in wonderland and what it means. One of her most famous lines is the oftrepeated off with hisher head. She shared her name with alice, the heroine of the story, but scholars. When he reached 18, dodgson left home to attend oxford university, where he stayed for the next 20 years. Alice in wonderland celebrates her 150th birthday this year and we are still enthralled by her spell or rather, the spell cast by lewis carroll when he wrote the muchloved childrens book in.
The novel alice in wonderland is not based on a true story, but the character alice was. The events in the story correlate with the steps in a childs growth and progression through childhood and adolescence. Lewis carroll was a pseudonym for charles lutwidge dodgson, who was born in england in 1832. It is known that lewis carroll drank laudanum, which is suspected to be the contents small bottle that alice drinks in the story. Id always heard that the mad hatter from alice in wonderland was based mad hatters disease, something people got in the old days because hat makers worked with poisonous chemicals which after a while would make them go bonkers. An avid photographer, carroll was invited by henry liddell to snap photos of his family of. I worked really hard getting the lines out so do not repost or steal. But what you may not know is how close a relationship he forged with a young girl named alice liddell, the real alice in wonderland, and the inspiration behind his novels. Alice in wonderland is one of the most famous childrens stories in the world. The story of alice in wonderland was inspired by many things out of charles dodgson s environment. How she longed to get out of that dark hall, and wander about among those beds of bright flowers and those cool fountains, but. It is true that years later, leopold named his first child alice, and acted as.
The real story behind lewis carroll and alices adventure. Youre probably more likely to know charles lutwidge dodgson as british author lewis carroll. The tale remains so intrinsic to the common childhood that one could reference it and believe that not a single person in the room would miss what youre saying. The real story and places behind alice in wonderland british. Entrusted with entertaining the young ladies, dodgson fancied a story about a whimsical world full of fantastical characters, and named his protagonist alice. Is the movie alice in wonderland based on a true story. The book alice in wonderland, by lewis carroll, has been part of many childrens lives. In light of abcs upcoming once upon a time in wonderland, lets look back on the trauma of the disney classic.
The cheshire cat disappears leaving only the enigmatic grin behind. Timeline world history documentaries 1,049,143 views. The haunting true story behind alice in wonderland. On july 4, 1862, carroll and a friend took a then10yearold alice, as well as her sisters lorina and edith, on a boat trip from oxford to the nearby town of godstow to have a tea party on the. It tells of a young girl named alice falling through a rabbit hole into a subterranean fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures. Like alice and her topsyturvy adventures, much of lewis carrolls life story is what we make of it. The adult symbolism in alices adventures in wonderland.
The smart and curious little girl has captivated generations of readers, but who is the. The fairy tale might have stood the test of time but the true story behind alice in wonderland is, well, just a little bit creepy lewis carroll was a pseudonym for charles lutwidge dodgson, who was born in england in 1832. Alices adventures in wonderland duly came out from macmillan in 1865 under the pseudonym lewis carroll, which was arrived at by a complicated process that involved turning the names charles lutwidge into latin as carolus ludovicus and inverting them. The movie alice in wonderland is based on the famous. The creepy true story behind lewis carrolls alice in wonderland. Lewis carroll and the secret history of wonderland is an intriguing biography of lewis carroll and the real life young girl who inspired the alice stories. By all accounts, carroll felt most at ease around children. The fairy tale might have stood the test of time but the true story behind alice in wonderland is, well, just a little bit creepy.
This was an earlier version of the famous beggarmaid picture. The story behind alice in wonderland books and arts. Alice opened the door and found that it led into a small passage, not much larger than a rathole. Alice s adventures in wonderland is, on one level at least, the story of a girl who disappears down a rabbit hole to a fantastic place full of bizarre adventures. Henry george liddell was the dean of christ church at oxford. The story behind this story is a dramatic saga of a very creative, curious, and magnetic young girl who grew up to become a cultural icon and one of the most celebrated women of the last 100 years. The real alice in wonderland alice liddell in beggarmaid 2 june 1857taken by charles dodgson a. In 1932, when alice hargreaves received an honorary degree from columbia university, it had been known for some time that there had been a real.