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Lewis Carroll: A Portrait With Background
In this new biography, Donald Thomas reveals Lewis Carroll as a man who faced what Robert Browning described as 'The Dangerous Edge of Things', closer to the twilit underworld of psychopathology, crime and vice than his admirers thought possible, yet closer still to the golden afternoon of Wonderland.
Despite the apparent seclusion of his life in an Oxford college, Lewis Carroll as the Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson had strong political views and was unusually well informed about the vices of his age. He saw mid-Victorian London at its most raffish, while his library contained books on prostitution and the criminal underworld. He showed a sustained interest in law, crime and madness, counting the most eminent advocates and judges among his friends. Alice in Wonderland may appear as a spontaneous tale told on a summer afternoon. Donald Thomas shows it as the fruit of Dodgson's classical education and a reflection of momentous changes in mid-Victorian law and society.
Though a recluse in his later years, Dodgson in the 1860s was an inveterate theatre-goer, a friend of young actresses, a guest in the bohemia of the Pre-Raphaelites, and photographer of the famous. His summer months were spent in the elegance and comfort of the fashionable Victorian seaside.
This most paradoxical of Victorians was an opponent of vivisection and blood sports who teased his readers with the humour of cruelty. He was importunate in persuading 'little nudities' to pose before his camera, yet described any attempt to overcome their reluctance as 'a crime before God'. Dodgson, the anxious prude, left to the world of the unfettered imagination of Lewis Carroll in Alice and The Hunting of the Snark. Within forty years of his death, his progeny had escaped the nursery to rub shoulders with Swift and Sade, Freud and Surrealism.
Despite the apparent seclusion of his life in an Oxford college, Lewis Carroll as the Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson had strong political views and was unusually well informed about the vices of his age. He saw mid-Victorian London at its most raffish, while his library contained books on prostitution and the criminal underworld. He showed a sustained interest in law, crime and madness, counting the most eminent advocates and judges among his friends. Alice in Wonderland may appear as a spontaneous tale told on a summer afternoon. Donald Thomas shows it as the fruit of Dodgson's classical education and a reflection of momentous changes in mid-Victorian law and society.
Though a recluse in his later years, Dodgson in the 1860s was an inveterate theatre-goer, a friend of young actresses, a guest in the bohemia of the Pre-Raphaelites, and photographer of the famous. His summer months were spent in the elegance and comfort of the fashionable Victorian seaside.
This most paradoxical of Victorians was an opponent of vivisection and blood sports who teased his readers with the humour of cruelty. He was importunate in persuading 'little nudities' to pose before his camera, yet described any attempt to overcome their reluctance as 'a crime before God'. Dodgson, the anxious prude, left to the world of the unfettered imagination of Lewis Carroll in Alice and The Hunting of the Snark. Within forty years of his death, his progeny had escaped the nursery to rub shoulders with Swift and Sade, Freud and Surrealism.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 1997
11 people want to read
About the author
Donald Serrell Thomas
66 books33 followersaka Francis Selwyn
Donald Serrell Thomas is an English author of (primarily) Victorian-era historical, crime and detective fiction, as well as books on factual crime and criminals, in particular several academic books on the history of crime in London. He has written a number of biographies, two volumes of poetry, and has also edited volumes of poetry by John Dryden and the Pre-Raphaelites.
Donald Serrell Thomas is an English author of (primarily) Victorian-era historical, crime and detective fiction, as well as books on factual crime and criminals, in particular several academic books on the history of crime in London. He has written a number of biographies, two volumes of poetry, and has also edited volumes of poetry by John Dryden and the Pre-Raphaelites.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 20, 2019
Very weird individual.
July 4, 2025
While Lewis Carroll: A Portrait With Background is undeniably well-researched and rich in historical detail, I ultimately couldn't finish it. The writing itself is clear and informative, but some of the word choices and insinuations throughout the book made me increasingly uncomfortable.
Rather than offering a fair and balanced portrayal of Carroll, the author occasionally leans into speculative or overly suggestive language that seems more accusatory than analytical. These moments didn’t feel justified by the evidence and, for me, clouded what could have been a thoughtful biography with unnecessary innuendo.
Despite the potential for deeper understanding of Carroll’s world, the tone in parts of the book felt misleading and even dismissive of the complexity of his character. I had to put it down about halfway through—not because it lacked detail, but because the framing and wording made it hard to trust the narrative. For readers who care deeply about Carroll’s legacy, this book may be more frustrating than illuminating.
Rather than offering a fair and balanced portrayal of Carroll, the author occasionally leans into speculative or overly suggestive language that seems more accusatory than analytical. These moments didn’t feel justified by the evidence and, for me, clouded what could have been a thoughtful biography with unnecessary innuendo.
Despite the potential for deeper understanding of Carroll’s world, the tone in parts of the book felt misleading and even dismissive of the complexity of his character. I had to put it down about halfway through—not because it lacked detail, but because the framing and wording made it hard to trust the narrative. For readers who care deeply about Carroll’s legacy, this book may be more frustrating than illuminating.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews