For the majority of the 19th century, England enjoyed several advancements in science, philosophy, and economics. The sixty-four year period of Queen Victoria’s reign, known as the Victorian Era, was “a time of progress and prosperity in England.” (English Literature 485). The English were one of the first civilizations to experience the Industrial Revolutions, promoted several social reforms, and continued the expansion of their already large empire. It seems the Victorian Age was synonymous with ingenuity and high morals. It is debated, if Victorian society actually upheld its own standards. Under the guise of high intellect and propriety hid the corrupted clockworks of the Victorian mind. Lewis Carroll in his work, Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, secretly criticizes the hypocrisy of the Victorian Era. Carroll draws satirical parallels between Victorian England and the looking-glass world with allusions to British imperialism, motif of reversal, the symbol of chess, and the satirical mirror poem “Jabberwocky,” and manipulates the parallels to critique the retrogressive ways of the allegedly progressive Victorian England. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson was the creator of satirical works Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There. He used a pseudonym, Lewis Carroll, to preserve his academic reputation because he was a mathematics professor at Oxford University. (English Literature 528). Another possible reason for the use of a pen name was to obscure his identity in case someone recognized his work as seditious. Carroll chose children’s literature as the vehicle for his satire because of its subtlety, and he felt more comfortable around children, who were les... ... middle of paper ... ...uide to Everyday Life in Regency and Victorian England, from 1811-1901. Cincinnati, OH: Writer's Digest, 1998. Print. Jabberwocky." Poetry for Students. Ed. Elizabeth Thomason. Vol. 11. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001. 90-109. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 2 Apr. 2011. Kelly, Richard. "EBSCOhost: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking- Glass and What Ali..." EBSCO Publishing Service Selection Page. Salem Press. Web. 02 Apr. 2011. . Scott-Kilvert, Ian, and Derek Hudson. British Writers. Vol. V. New York: Scribner, 1979. Print. Seaman, L. C. B. Victorian England. London, Methuen., 1973. Print. Swisher, Clarice. Victorian England. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 2000. Print.
For it is a commonplace of our understanding of the period that the Victorian writer wanted above all to “stay in touch.” Comparing his situation with that of his immediate predecessors, he recognized that indulgence in a self-centered idealism was no longer viable in a society which ever more insistently urged total involvement in its occupations. The world was waiting to be improved upon, and solved, and everyone, poets, included had to busy themsel...
As I mentioned earlier, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known by his pseudonym Lewis Carroll, beside being an English author was a mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer . Carrol created the character of Alice to entertain a daughter of his good friend Dean of Christ Church, little girl named Alice Liddell. The story was first published in 1865.
Alice in wonderland has compelled many artists and writings to adapt, Lewis Carroll 's book into movies. The original animated movie of Alice in Wonderland came out in 1951; which was produced by Disney. There have been many remakes, but for the purpose of this essay the 2010, live action remake by Tim Burton can reveal the most change. Keeping these two versions in mind, it is possible to get a snapshot of some ways American culture has shifted over the 59 year period. There are five main changes of importance from the original and the remake of Alice in Wonderland. Those changes are: the age of Alice, the dynamic of characters in Wonderland, the Gender roles, the violence, and the agency of Alice throughout the movie. These key changes can be linked to many subliminal messages being conveyed about American
Alice Walker's Literature “Writing saved me from the sin and inconvenience of violence” -Alice Walker (Lewis n.pag) Walker is considered to be an African American novelist, short story writer, poet, essayist, and activist. Most of her literature is mostly from her personal experiences and is moral to a number of African Americans all over the world. Walker defines herself as a “womanist” which means “the prophetic voice concerned about the well-being of the entire African American community, male and female, adults and children.
"The Condition of England" in Victorian Literature: 1830-1900. Ed. Dorothy Mermin, and Herbert Tucker. Accessed on 3 Nov. 2003.
At the time of his death, Charles L. Dodgson (1832-1898)(Fig. 1), known better to the public by his famous nom de plume Lewis Carroll, was by all measures an interesting if famous, eccentric personality. Most of his contemporaries saw in him a deeply religious man who was generally reticent and shy among the adult public but could be wonderfully silly, almost child-like and creative among his favored audience, little pre-pubescent girls. It was for these very special children that Carroll wrote his two famous nonsense
most obviously conveyed by the writers of the time. Houghton examines the dogmatic framework behind the ideals presented by Victorian writers, as such dogmatism is often seen as one of the defining characteristics of the age. A profound difference between the Victorians and the Romantics, for instance, seems to be expressed when he writes:
Lewis Carroll’s life as a writer and as a person can be described to some people as secretive or peculiar. He was born in Daresbury, Cheshire, England in 1832 under the name Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. All the books that he published was wrote with the pen name of Lewis Carroll. Being a mathematician, photographer, and novelist, he was a much respected man in England. At an early age he excelled in mathematics and went to college at Christ College. Even though he was a prestige mathematician, Lewis Carroll in known for his nonsense style of writing. Critics have tried to guess of reasons why this style was plagued with Lewis’s writing but none are guaranteed true. On the other hand, some
The musical piece “Alice’s Theme” was composed in 2010 by composer Danny Elfman. This piece was written for Walt Disney Pictures’ “Alice in Wonderland”. Danny Elfman has represented Alice as lonely, questioning herself and anxious until the end of the film where she discovers her true purpose. Her journey is gradually revealed and represented through the different sections, instruments and lyrics. This is through the successful use of all the musical elements. These musical elements include duration, expressive devices, pitch, structure and texture.
Lewis Carroll's use of puns and riddles in Alice in Wonderland help set the theme and tone. He uses word play in the book to show a world of warped reality and massive confusion. He uses such play on words to reveal the underlying theme of growing up', but with such an unusual setting and ridiculous characters, there is need for some deep analyzing to show this theme. The book contains many examples of assonance and alliteration to add humor. Carroll also adds strange diction and extraordinary syntax to support the theme.
The Victorian Era in English history was a period of rapid change. One would be hard-pressed to find an aspect of English life in the 19th century that wasn’t subject to some turmoil. Industrialization was transforming the citizens into a working class population and as a result, it was creating new urban societies centered on the factories. Great Britain enjoyed a time of peace and prosperity at home and thus was extending its global reach in an era of New Imperialism. Even in the home, the long held beliefs were coming into conflict.
Growing up is a concept feared by many people, especially children. The future is scare because no one knows what will happen. Children are the most afraid of growing up because they are uncertain if they will make the right choices. The decisions one makes in life effects their future. This leads to children having mixed emotions about whether or not they want to become an adult. In the novel, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll uses symbols to show the themes of growing up and uncertainty of the future.
The characters in Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass are more than whimsical ideas brought to life by Lewis Carroll. These characters, ranging from silly to rude, portray the adults in Alice Liddell’s life. The parental figures in Alice’s reality portrayed in Alice in Wonderland are viewed as unintellectual figures through their behaviors and their interactions with one another.
During Queen Victoria's reign in England, ideals and the very thought of going against the “current” was born and passed along, embellishing into our mainstream personal views on practically everything. Throughout her reign of 64 years, till her death in 1901, England saw changes that changed their own way of doing things, their own way of thinking and refining their views to the point where it represented their work and no one could disagree with them. It was during her successful reign in England that incomprehensible things took place that changed history within such fields and specialties as art, literature, music, philosophy, sciences, and modern inventions. It is because of this time period, known as the Victorian Era, we have many of the modern conveniences, ideas, philosophies, and knowledge that we enjoy, and take for granted, on a daily basis. This period bridged the gap from the dark and medieval ages to our present and productive day. Authors, playwrights, and philosophers documented the changes that society underwent during the Victorian era. Oscar Wilde’s The importance of being earnest and even Charles Dicken’s works have included these such changes in society. This would not have come about without the influence of the ideas and works of several people from Britain, living under
Alice in Wonderland belongs to the nonsense genre, and even if most of what happens to Alice is quite illogical, the main character is not. “The Alice books are, above all, about growing up” (Kincaid, page 93); indeed, Alice starts her journey as a scared little girl, however, at the end of what we discover to be just a dream, she has entered the adolescence phase with a new way to approach the mentally exhausting and queer Wonderland. It is important to consider the whole story when analyzing the growth of the character, because the meaning of an event or a sentence is more likely to mean what it truly looks like rather than an explanation regarding subconscious and Freudian interpretations. Morton states “that the books should possess any unity of purpose seems on the surface unlikely” (Morton, page 509), but it’s better to consider the disconnected narrative and the main character separately, since the girl doesn’t belong to Wonderland, which is, as Morton says, with no intrinsic unity. Whereas, there are a few key turning points where it is possible to see how Alice is changing, something that is visible throughout her journey. Carroll wants to tell the story of a girl who has to become braver in order to contend with challenges like the pool made by her own tears, or assertive characters, like the Queen.