Alice and Wonderland vs. Victorianism
How Alice in Wonderland Relates to Victorianism Victoria became queen of Great Britain in 1837. Her reign lasted until 1901; this period was called the Victorian Age. Victorian writers had to deal with the contrast of poverty and the prosperity of the middle and upper classes. This led to a pessimistic tone, which appeared in much of the best Victorian poetry and prose. Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson invented "Lewis Carroll" for use on a poem published in The Train in 1856. The story of Lewis Carroll is one of the most unique and curious in Victorian literature. Carroll was a Victorian nonsense writer for children, whose work caught the attention of adults as well. Nonsense was not a Victorian invention. In 1865 Carroll wrote Alice in Wonderland, which was said to be a revolution in that it presents a comical, but exciting, outlook on an entire middle class world turned upside down. He considered Alice in Wonderland to be "a realm apart from the world where the rule of Moral Order was absolute" (Lewis, 98) The Victorian Age was an age of intensified sexism and misleading notions. This era is described as "wondering between two worlds, one dead, and one powerless to be born" (Arnold, 153). During this period the wo
growing up process. The book marked an emancipation of children's literature from heavy-handed didacticism. It made a copious contribution to the common heritage of literary reference. The rich glow of fantasy was controlled by a scientific, analytical mind. The Knowledge of the mathematics and logic provided an essential element in Carroll's literary achievement. Carroll could rhapsodize about his dream-Alice because she was living in the happy hours "when sun and sorrow are but names-empty words signifying nothing!" It was said to be a "watershed in history of children's literature; whose significance can hardly be overrated. "Alice in Wonderland holds up a mirror to the world of Victorian rationalism in which everything is comprehensively skewed" (James, 98) Carroll's reluctant conclusion that totally independent life patterns are impossible and even dangerous. In 1862 Dodgson presented Alice with a manuscript version of a story he had made up at a picnic. It was entitled Alice's Adventures Underground which eventually expanded to Alice in Wonderland. She received it on Christmas of 1862. It was published on July 4th 1865. Carroll had a life long attraction rep
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Approximate Word count = 802
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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