Timeline: History, 9/15/17; Ashley Wells, Dhr. Seven, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly, Wiki
The Secret World of Lewis Carroll
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| Sexy or "artistic"? Alice photos by Carroll, c. 1861 |
ALICE IN WONDERLAND, 1865, is said to be the most quoted book in print, second only to the Bible.
It has a passionate army of fans who regularly congregate around the world to celebrate its rich and playful world.
But what of its creator, the mild-mannered Oxford U Math Professor Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (a.k.a. stuttering author and photographer Lewis Carroll)?
Famed not only for his wonderful stories, Lewis Carroll is also known for his ambiguous relationship with the young girl who inspired his most beloved creation: Alice [in Wonderland] Liddell.
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| A different time, marriage at 12 |
It was a seemingly innocent infatuation that he documented in his pioneering and provocative child photography.
With contributions from the likes of thespian Richard E. Grant, social commentator Will Self, and author Philip Pullman, at once adoring and provocative, this documentary casts a conflicted eye over the creation of mischievous Wonderland.
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| Don't make it dirty, dear Dodgey! |
Pouring through historical evidence and stories passed down through generations, hear the tale of Carroll’s first encounter with the three underage Liddell girls and the first telling of Alice’s tumble down the rabbit hole one.
It was a hot and humid summer’s afternoon in a boat on the River Thames. This documentary was first broadcast in 2015. Content licensed from All3 Media International. Produced by Swan Films.
Child sex scandal: private diary confessions?
Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit
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"Come to bed," Liddell sisters with come hither looks. The age of consent appropriate for marriage proposals in England at that time was 12. (Suggestive photos by author Lewis Carroll).
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At least four complete volumes and around seven pages of text are suspiciously missing from Lewis Carroll/Prof. Dodgson's 13 diaries.[90]
The curious disappearance of the missing volumes remains unexplained for such a meticulous and obsessive writer. The pages were removed by an unknown hand.
The curious disappearance of the missing volumes remains unexplained for such a meticulous and obsessive writer. The pages were removed by an unknown hand.
Most scholars assume that the diary material was removed by family members in the interests of preserving the family name. But this has not been proven to everyone's satisfaction.[91] Definitive evidence of sexual misconduct was presumably destroyed to preserve the author's reputation.
Except for one page, material is missing from his diaries for the period between 1853 and 1863 (when Carroll was 21-31 years old).[92][93] This was a period when the writer began suffering great mental and spiritual anguish and confessing to an overwhelming sense of his own sin.
This was also the period of time when he composed his extensive love poetry, leading to speculation that the poems may have been autobiographical and about Alice Liddell.[94][95]
Many theories have been put forward to explain the missing material. A popular explanation for one missing page (June 27, 1863) is that it was torn out to conceal a proposal of marriage on that day by Dodgson to the 11-year-old Alice.
However, no conclusive evidence has been made public to suggest that this was so. One paper allegedly offers a little evidence to the contrary. It is said to have been discovered by Karoline Leach in the Dodgson family archive in 1996.[96]
It is known as the "cut pages in diary document." It was compiled by various members of Carroll's family after his death. [So is it an admission that they cut the pages?]
Part of it may have been written at the time when the pages were torn out or destroyed, though this is unclear. The document offers a brief summary of two diary pages that were removed, including the one for June 27, 1863.
The summary for this page states that Alice's mother Mrs. Liddell told Lewis Carroll/Reverend Dodgson that there was gossip circulating about him and the Liddell family's governess, as well as about his sexual relationship with the child "Ina," presumably Alice's underage sister Lorina Liddell.
The "break" with the Liddell family that occurred soon after was presumably in response to this sexual gossip.[97][98]
A plausible alternative interpretation has been made regarding Carroll's rumored sexual involvement with the child "Ina": Lorina was also the name of Alice Liddell's mother.
What is deemed most crucial and surprising is that the document seems to imply that Carroll/Dodgson's break with the Liddell family was not connected with the child Alice but her sister or someone else. It is odd that a recently discovered document is used to try to prove this.
Until a primary source is discovered, the events -- and the secret sexual life of the sinful celibate math don Lewis Carroll -- will remain in doubt. More
Until a primary source is discovered, the events -- and the secret sexual life of the sinful celibate math don Lewis Carroll -- will remain in doubt. More
