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The Mystery of Lewis Carroll: Discovering the Whimsical, Thoughtful, and Sometimes Lonely Man Who Created "Alice in Wonderland"
Lewis Carroll was brilliant, secretive and self contradictory. He reveled in double meanings and puzzles, in his fiction and his life. Jenny Woolf's The Mystery of Lewis Carroll shines a new light on the creator of Alice In Wonderland and brings to life this fascinating, but sometimes exasperating human being whom some have tried to hide. Using rarely-seen and recently discovered sources, such as Carroll's accounts ledger and unpublished correspondence with the "real" Alice's family, Woolf sets Lewis Carroll firmly in the context of the English Victorian age and answers many intriguing questions about the man who wrote the Alice books. Was it Alice's older sister who caused him to break with the Liddell family? How true is the gossip about pedophilia and certain adult women that followed him? How true is the "romantic secret" which many think ruined Carroll's personal life? Who caused Carroll major financial trouble and why did Carroll successfully conceal that person's identity and actions? Woolf answers these and other questions to further illuminate at one of the most elusive English writers the world has known.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2010
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February 16, 2010
This is not so much a biography of Carroll as it is a carefully researched rejection of much of the biographical lore that surrounds the man. By revealing just how little we can know about Carroll due to the lack of records or the distorted collection of materials left by his heirs, Woolf reveals not a child-man obsessed with little girls, but rather a grown up who struggled with his faith, his role as provider for his family, and the Victorian norms that surrounded his interactions with the opposite sex. Woolf makes an interesting argument, drawn on the works of others and the original Carroll/Dodgson banks records she unearthed, that his innocuous relationships with children were a way for Carroll to enter families and gain friends. These relationships were promoted by his family after his death in order to conceal his relationships with women. Some of the "girls" cited in previous biographies as the unfortunate receivers of his attention were actually in their twenties!
Throughout the work Woolf emphasizes a very important point, and one that tends to be forgotten by those of us looking backwards: historical people must be considered within their historical context. You cannot understand Carroll by foisting onto him Freud or our own norms when he was interacting and living in a completely different and equally complex society. Take a page from Matthew Sweet and look more critically on the early modern biographers of Carroll and ask yourself what their hangs up might be before exploring his.
An excellent addition to work on Carroll and Victorian biography in general.
Throughout the work Woolf emphasizes a very important point, and one that tends to be forgotten by those of us looking backwards: historical people must be considered within their historical context. You cannot understand Carroll by foisting onto him Freud or our own norms when he was interacting and living in a completely different and equally complex society. Take a page from Matthew Sweet and look more critically on the early modern biographers of Carroll and ask yourself what their hangs up might be before exploring his.
An excellent addition to work on Carroll and Victorian biography in general.
August 24, 2010
It started with a school assignment.
“Mom, can you take me to the library? I have to write a five page paper,” my daughter told me one evening.
“When is it due?” I asked, hoping the answer would not be “tomorrow”. This has been known to happen.
“Next Friday. We have to write about a British author,” she said.
“Oh, really? Who are you writing about?”
“Lewis Carroll,” she chirped, grinning like his famous cat.
Ah, the creator of Wonderland.
So we went galumphing down to the library and found “The Mystery of Lewis Carroll” by Jenny Woolf. And after Allie was finished with it (and with her report), I sat down to read this book about the man who wrote the book I fell in love with when I was 8 years old.
Jenny Woolf’s book about “the whimsical, thoughtful and sometimes lonely man who created Alice in Wonderland” is truly a pleasure to read. In her introduction she grabbed my interest by describing her own fascination with Rev. Charles L. Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll. In addition to the usual, necessary stats and figures, the author recounts the times and influences that shaped Carroll and his works. Ms. Woolf does not shy away the fact that Carroll is sometimes accused of having “abnormal” relationships with children; in fact, she examines in detail his relationships with the young children he befriended, especially Alice Liddell and her siblings.
As Lewis Carroll has been one of my favorite authors since I first read “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”, I enjoyed this book immensely, relieved to find out that my hero was in fact an intelligent, talented and truly gentle person, and not some weirdo who was obsessed with little girls. Ms. Woolf’s book gives a well rounded, in depth look at Carroll and his life and times. Her skillful writing makes the book interesting and fun to read. In fact, the best recommendation I can make about this book is that my teen-age daughter, who “had to” read it for a school report, liked it almost as much as I did.
And, by the way, she got an “A” on her paper.
“Mom, can you take me to the library? I have to write a five page paper,” my daughter told me one evening.
“When is it due?” I asked, hoping the answer would not be “tomorrow”. This has been known to happen.
“Next Friday. We have to write about a British author,” she said.
“Oh, really? Who are you writing about?”
“Lewis Carroll,” she chirped, grinning like his famous cat.
Ah, the creator of Wonderland.
So we went galumphing down to the library and found “The Mystery of Lewis Carroll” by Jenny Woolf. And after Allie was finished with it (and with her report), I sat down to read this book about the man who wrote the book I fell in love with when I was 8 years old.
Jenny Woolf’s book about “the whimsical, thoughtful and sometimes lonely man who created Alice in Wonderland” is truly a pleasure to read. In her introduction she grabbed my interest by describing her own fascination with Rev. Charles L. Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll. In addition to the usual, necessary stats and figures, the author recounts the times and influences that shaped Carroll and his works. Ms. Woolf does not shy away the fact that Carroll is sometimes accused of having “abnormal” relationships with children; in fact, she examines in detail his relationships with the young children he befriended, especially Alice Liddell and her siblings.
As Lewis Carroll has been one of my favorite authors since I first read “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”, I enjoyed this book immensely, relieved to find out that my hero was in fact an intelligent, talented and truly gentle person, and not some weirdo who was obsessed with little girls. Ms. Woolf’s book gives a well rounded, in depth look at Carroll and his life and times. Her skillful writing makes the book interesting and fun to read. In fact, the best recommendation I can make about this book is that my teen-age daughter, who “had to” read it for a school report, liked it almost as much as I did.
And, by the way, she got an “A” on her paper.
March 4, 2010
This book aims to give an unprejudiced portrayal of the "real" Lewis Carroll. On the whole I think it does this.
Woolf tries hard to put Carroll into the context of his own historical period. Life and attitudes were different then and I found myself wondering what Victorians would think of our society, and would no doubt find many aspects of it even more shocking than we find his nude photos of children. (These were few in number and were apparently more acceptable to people of his own period than they are to us).
Woolf believes that religion was very important to Carroll's life and he felt that God was watching everything he did. The chapter on religion was more interesting than I expected it to be, as it also deals with spiritualism and eerie psychic stuff.
It may be said that Woolf at times portrays Carroll as more conventional than he is generally thought to be. It seems that his aim was to be seen as a dull and boring clergyman rather than a creative and exciting writer. Many of his writings were moralistic and not very good as he allowed the "clergyman" side of himself to take control. However there was a streak of wildness in him which he could not suppress. I had not realised that he tried so hard to do so.
This readable book seems to give a fair picture of a kindly but strange and very unusual Victorian man.
Woolf tries hard to put Carroll into the context of his own historical period. Life and attitudes were different then and I found myself wondering what Victorians would think of our society, and would no doubt find many aspects of it even more shocking than we find his nude photos of children. (These were few in number and were apparently more acceptable to people of his own period than they are to us).
Woolf believes that religion was very important to Carroll's life and he felt that God was watching everything he did. The chapter on religion was more interesting than I expected it to be, as it also deals with spiritualism and eerie psychic stuff.
It may be said that Woolf at times portrays Carroll as more conventional than he is generally thought to be. It seems that his aim was to be seen as a dull and boring clergyman rather than a creative and exciting writer. Many of his writings were moralistic and not very good as he allowed the "clergyman" side of himself to take control. However there was a streak of wildness in him which he could not suppress. I had not realised that he tried so hard to do so.
This readable book seems to give a fair picture of a kindly but strange and very unusual Victorian man.
March 22, 2010
Wow. If I ever became a famous figure, this woman can write my biography. They're usually hit-and-miss for me because they tend to paint a one-dimensional picture of the person written about (and really, how do you sum up an entire person--and make them real--in a book?). But Woolf was fabulous! She really explored all sides of him--curious, dull, charming, annoying, etc, etc. I loved it!
June 5, 2015
Biographer Jenny Woolf has taken on the difficult task of attempting to reconstruct the man who was Lewis Carroll from what little remains of his life documents (his personal diaries and other effects were heavily censored or "lost" by his family after his death), and for the most part she produces a fair and honest portrait of a still somewhat mysterious man, highly fussy and moralistic (especially in his later years) but also happy to flout Victorian middle-class convention.
Let's just get right to the question everyone seems to want answered: was Carroll a pedophile? Woolf thinks not. The Victorians, not yet hampered by the works of Freud, considered images of children to be signs of innocence, and further considered images of children in states of undress as angelic. Carroll, concerned with propriety, asked express written permission of every parent to take photographs of their children, and indicated specifically whether they would be clothed or unclothed. The children who were photographed by Carroll had nothing but admiration for him as adults; no one indicated any signs of improper behavior on his part when he was taking photographs. And if Carroll's own family, so concerned with propriety that they censored and destroyed much of his private documents after his death, did not destroy or attempt to hide his photographs of nude children, there is only one reasonable assumption to be made: that Victorians, Carroll included, did not view these photographs the way we do, through a lens of possible exploitation and pornography. It is not that such things didn't exist in 19th century England -- they did -- but that Carroll and others of his circle and his era did not think of child nudes in the same category as pornography.
There are, and will always remain, some mysteries about Lewis Carroll. Woolf suggests that four of the diaries Carroll kept in his twenties which have, like the Snark, softly and silently vanished away, may have recorded a disastrous love affair with an unknown married woman -- an event over which he agonized most of the rest of his life. Woolf also comes up with the clever tactic of diving into Carroll's bank account -- one of the few documents which remained entirely intact and unexpurgated by his family -- to discover where and how he spent much of his money in order to obtain a more complete picture of the man.
Interestingly, Carroll did not want to be known as "the man who wrote 'Alice in Wonderland'" and would often pretend that he, the Rev. Dodgson, knew nothing about the matter; acquaintances would have to tease the truth out of him. In like manner, Woolf has had to tease out much of the truths about Carroll the person, rather than Carroll the author. That she has done so in a manner that shows clear affection for her subject and does its best to avoid lurid speculation, especially when so many others have chosen to judge a 19th century man by 21st century morals, is particularly noteworthy.
Let's just get right to the question everyone seems to want answered: was Carroll a pedophile? Woolf thinks not. The Victorians, not yet hampered by the works of Freud, considered images of children to be signs of innocence, and further considered images of children in states of undress as angelic. Carroll, concerned with propriety, asked express written permission of every parent to take photographs of their children, and indicated specifically whether they would be clothed or unclothed. The children who were photographed by Carroll had nothing but admiration for him as adults; no one indicated any signs of improper behavior on his part when he was taking photographs. And if Carroll's own family, so concerned with propriety that they censored and destroyed much of his private documents after his death, did not destroy or attempt to hide his photographs of nude children, there is only one reasonable assumption to be made: that Victorians, Carroll included, did not view these photographs the way we do, through a lens of possible exploitation and pornography. It is not that such things didn't exist in 19th century England -- they did -- but that Carroll and others of his circle and his era did not think of child nudes in the same category as pornography.
There are, and will always remain, some mysteries about Lewis Carroll. Woolf suggests that four of the diaries Carroll kept in his twenties which have, like the Snark, softly and silently vanished away, may have recorded a disastrous love affair with an unknown married woman -- an event over which he agonized most of the rest of his life. Woolf also comes up with the clever tactic of diving into Carroll's bank account -- one of the few documents which remained entirely intact and unexpurgated by his family -- to discover where and how he spent much of his money in order to obtain a more complete picture of the man.
Interestingly, Carroll did not want to be known as "the man who wrote 'Alice in Wonderland'" and would often pretend that he, the Rev. Dodgson, knew nothing about the matter; acquaintances would have to tease the truth out of him. In like manner, Woolf has had to tease out much of the truths about Carroll the person, rather than Carroll the author. That she has done so in a manner that shows clear affection for her subject and does its best to avoid lurid speculation, especially when so many others have chosen to judge a 19th century man by 21st century morals, is particularly noteworthy.
January 30, 2013
Jenny Woolf interprets the life of Charles Dogson, known to the world as Lewis Carroll. She examines far flung letters and diaries and recently discovered bank account records. From these she pieces together his story, noting gaps and speculating on how and why these gaps exist.
She concludes that the innuendo that surrounds Carroll is not deserved. She presents him as a pious eccentric with wide ranging interests. He was a Renaissance man for his time with accomplishments in photography, mathematics, and medical studies in addition to his famous children's novels.
His stammer may be a reason for his bachelor life or it could be the restrictive economics and career options of his time. As the oldest of 11 brothers and sisters (only 3 of whom married), upon his father's death he became the head of his birth family. His teaching position provided room and meals. If he married, he would lose his faculty position and would need to become a minister, most likely in a rural parish.
While he had many adult friends, it appears his closest friendships were with young children, mostly girls. When they became adults, most remained his friends. Woolf contends that these childhood friendships and the nude photographs (1% of his photographic output) that resulted from them are the root of Lewis's tarnished reputation. She says that there is no evidence that the girls' Victorian families had any reservations about the photos for reasons that she explains as an extension of the period's views of women and children. She presents Carroll as a deeply religious and repressed Victorian man, trapped by the morals and class system of his time.
The book is arranged by topic which had me flipping on a few occasions to understand the time relationship of the photos, the bank records and other topics.
She concludes that the innuendo that surrounds Carroll is not deserved. She presents him as a pious eccentric with wide ranging interests. He was a Renaissance man for his time with accomplishments in photography, mathematics, and medical studies in addition to his famous children's novels.
His stammer may be a reason for his bachelor life or it could be the restrictive economics and career options of his time. As the oldest of 11 brothers and sisters (only 3 of whom married), upon his father's death he became the head of his birth family. His teaching position provided room and meals. If he married, he would lose his faculty position and would need to become a minister, most likely in a rural parish.
While he had many adult friends, it appears his closest friendships were with young children, mostly girls. When they became adults, most remained his friends. Woolf contends that these childhood friendships and the nude photographs (1% of his photographic output) that resulted from them are the root of Lewis's tarnished reputation. She says that there is no evidence that the girls' Victorian families had any reservations about the photos for reasons that she explains as an extension of the period's views of women and children. She presents Carroll as a deeply religious and repressed Victorian man, trapped by the morals and class system of his time.
The book is arranged by topic which had me flipping on a few occasions to understand the time relationship of the photos, the bank records and other topics.
April 23, 2018
It only took me about 4.5 years, but I finally finished! (I have a serious problem with officially abandoning books that don't hold my interest.)
This isn't a bad book per se, but it is incredibly dry. It also suffers from a problem that I call the "never ending chapter(s) of doom" - when an already dry and slightly boring chapter drones on for 30 or 40 pages with no good stopping points, making it 1) hard to find a good place to pause one's reading, and 2) even harder to start back up again because you know there won't be a good place to stop again.
Reading this did help me land in the camp that Carroll/Dodgson might have been a bit of a dandy and an odd duck, but that he really doesn't seem to deserve the slander of being called a pedophile. His photography hobby when viewed through the lens of modern society is definitely eyebrow raising, but when viewed in the context of the time it actually appears rather innocent, and an investigation of his surviving letters, journals, and financials (as well as those with whom he corresponded) seem to indicate he was actually a champion of the marginalized, and not likely one to take advantage of children.
But I definitely wouldn't suggest anyone else read this, and I won't be adding anything else by Woolf to my TBR pile.
This isn't a bad book per se, but it is incredibly dry. It also suffers from a problem that I call the "never ending chapter(s) of doom" - when an already dry and slightly boring chapter drones on for 30 or 40 pages with no good stopping points, making it 1) hard to find a good place to pause one's reading, and 2) even harder to start back up again because you know there won't be a good place to stop again.
Reading this did help me land in the camp that Carroll/Dodgson might have been a bit of a dandy and an odd duck, but that he really doesn't seem to deserve the slander of being called a pedophile. His photography hobby when viewed through the lens of modern society is definitely eyebrow raising, but when viewed in the context of the time it actually appears rather innocent, and an investigation of his surviving letters, journals, and financials (as well as those with whom he corresponded) seem to indicate he was actually a champion of the marginalized, and not likely one to take advantage of children.
But I definitely wouldn't suggest anyone else read this, and I won't be adding anything else by Woolf to my TBR pile.
April 2, 2011
If you know me, you are aware of my obsession with Alice in Wonderland. Knowing all of the tales and drama and rumor that surrounds Lewis Carroll/Charles Dodgson, I was excited to stumble on this gem, which claims to debunk all rumors and lay down the truth. Well, most of the "truth" sources have been destroyed in the 100 years, so that is a hard claim to uphold. However, I was intrigued by Woolf's idea to look into his financial records. A lot can be found knowing how a person keeps their records and finances. That was perhaps the most interesting part of the book (so in a way, I'm glad it was first so I would keep reading; on the other hand, I could have used sometime to look forward to towards the end). This was, unlike the cover implied, not a book about the creation of Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass/Alice's Adventures... whatever you want to call them. Rather, it spanned his whole life, devoting just a small chapter to the Liddell family (which only a brief amount was said on the topic of Alice). The mystery of their estrangement (which I assumed would be the mystery mentioned in the title) was not elaborated on.
This biography did give a great deal of insight into Dodgson's life as a whole- his family; upbringing; his life in the transition from Victorian Society to a more modern one, one he refused to adhere to as a rule; and his later life during and post-Oxford. There is no denying that parts of Dodgson's life was interesting and full of some degree of oddness (his obsession with purity and sin, young girls and nude photograph, and especially his obsession with the number 42 and word games), but he seemed overall like a normal kind of fellow who kept to himself, which in that time, bred rumor and lies.
What I didn't care for about the biography/biographer was small in number, but strong enough that I was really turned off. I disliked how she referred to him as Lewis Carroll rather than his name, Charles Dodgson. Yes, he is more well known by Carroll than Dodgson (and I can see why she did) but he spent a very short span of time as Lewis Carroll, never being called that in public, by friends or acquaintances, and in contrast, actually denied being Carroll for the better part of his life! The other thing that I didn't like was that the book certainly implied that the focus would be on the Alice years. The cover is covered (quite literally) with pictures that a reader associates with Alice in Wonderland, such as the White Rabbit, the photo of the real Alice Liddell (who is merely a mention in Woolf's book), and so forth. The subtitle even points out his creation of "Alice in Wonderland." If she were to accurately depict the book, she would have chosen a subtitle more focused on his weirdness in all relationships, his poor ability to have financial responsibility, his life as the caretaker for his family of 13, or countless other topics that more page space than "Alice". The back cover claims to debunk the rumors surrounding him (which I'm fairly certain in all my research that the rumors pertain to the Liddell family), and it even mentions that it will analyze whether his relationship was with Alice or her older sister, Lorina. This too, was not adequately covered. I feel like Woolf took something she knew would sell, actually wrote on something different (marketing it as what she knew would take public interest). I'm not denying that the book was well-written and certainly well researched. It was. I'm just disappointed in what is actually said in regards to the claims that it made.
This biography did give a great deal of insight into Dodgson's life as a whole- his family; upbringing; his life in the transition from Victorian Society to a more modern one, one he refused to adhere to as a rule; and his later life during and post-Oxford. There is no denying that parts of Dodgson's life was interesting and full of some degree of oddness (his obsession with purity and sin, young girls and nude photograph, and especially his obsession with the number 42 and word games), but he seemed overall like a normal kind of fellow who kept to himself, which in that time, bred rumor and lies.
What I didn't care for about the biography/biographer was small in number, but strong enough that I was really turned off. I disliked how she referred to him as Lewis Carroll rather than his name, Charles Dodgson. Yes, he is more well known by Carroll than Dodgson (and I can see why she did) but he spent a very short span of time as Lewis Carroll, never being called that in public, by friends or acquaintances, and in contrast, actually denied being Carroll for the better part of his life! The other thing that I didn't like was that the book certainly implied that the focus would be on the Alice years. The cover is covered (quite literally) with pictures that a reader associates with Alice in Wonderland, such as the White Rabbit, the photo of the real Alice Liddell (who is merely a mention in Woolf's book), and so forth. The subtitle even points out his creation of "Alice in Wonderland." If she were to accurately depict the book, she would have chosen a subtitle more focused on his weirdness in all relationships, his poor ability to have financial responsibility, his life as the caretaker for his family of 13, or countless other topics that more page space than "Alice". The back cover claims to debunk the rumors surrounding him (which I'm fairly certain in all my research that the rumors pertain to the Liddell family), and it even mentions that it will analyze whether his relationship was with Alice or her older sister, Lorina. This too, was not adequately covered. I feel like Woolf took something she knew would sell, actually wrote on something different (marketing it as what she knew would take public interest). I'm not denying that the book was well-written and certainly well researched. It was. I'm just disappointed in what is actually said in regards to the claims that it made.
September 21, 2025
Learning about the life of Lewis Carroll (real name Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) was an interesting and often times confusing journey. This book was well researched and quite comprehensive, but was not as entertaining as his some of his creative writing.
Carroll grew up in Rugby, which I found quite amusing. His studies and commitment to work at Christ Church also had a profound impact and influence on his personal character. Despite finding refuge in children and writing, I think he was burdened by inheriting the head of his family (he was the oldest) after his father passed as well as never finding a spouse and fathering his own family.
Carroll's most well known works on Alice were a tribute to his young friend, Alice Liddell. Some would argue that there is a lot of repressed, almost pedophilic sexuality in the writings, but I would mostly disagree. Fiction writers get influence from all sorts of things. Alice (the character) has long fair hair, whereas Liddell has short dark hair. Carroll drew a lot of influence from the French work, La Bagatelle as well ("The Rabbit," "The Fall," and "The little girl who is always crying"). Carroll was a hobbyist of photography (over 3,000 negatives), and only 1% is thought to have shown children nude or partially clothed. I'm not posthumously defending the guy, but how many parents take photographs of their nude children?
Carroll never made a large fortune in his life (his bank ledgers often spilled of red ink), but the Liddell family eventually made 2 million pound sterling of profit off of original manuscripts, letters, etc. so I'm sure they are grateful of the writings. His personal handwriting is quite whimsical to the eye.
The most profound information that I learned was his reverence of the number 42 as a mathematician and "Although Carroll is now something of an iconic figure for psychedelic drug users, there is only the tiniest shred of evidence that he ever took laudanum, morphine, cocaine, magic mushrooms or indeed that he sampled any mind-altering drugs at all." (81)
Carroll grew up in Rugby, which I found quite amusing. His studies and commitment to work at Christ Church also had a profound impact and influence on his personal character. Despite finding refuge in children and writing, I think he was burdened by inheriting the head of his family (he was the oldest) after his father passed as well as never finding a spouse and fathering his own family.
Carroll's most well known works on Alice were a tribute to his young friend, Alice Liddell. Some would argue that there is a lot of repressed, almost pedophilic sexuality in the writings, but I would mostly disagree. Fiction writers get influence from all sorts of things. Alice (the character) has long fair hair, whereas Liddell has short dark hair. Carroll drew a lot of influence from the French work, La Bagatelle as well ("The Rabbit," "The Fall," and "The little girl who is always crying"). Carroll was a hobbyist of photography (over 3,000 negatives), and only 1% is thought to have shown children nude or partially clothed. I'm not posthumously defending the guy, but how many parents take photographs of their nude children?
Carroll never made a large fortune in his life (his bank ledgers often spilled of red ink), but the Liddell family eventually made 2 million pound sterling of profit off of original manuscripts, letters, etc. so I'm sure they are grateful of the writings. His personal handwriting is quite whimsical to the eye.
The most profound information that I learned was his reverence of the number 42 as a mathematician and "Although Carroll is now something of an iconic figure for psychedelic drug users, there is only the tiniest shred of evidence that he ever took laudanum, morphine, cocaine, magic mushrooms or indeed that he sampled any mind-altering drugs at all." (81)
July 8, 2010
I was under the belief that Lewis Carroll was not a pedophile, but a little pervy, and took a lot of drugs. Jenny Woolf did a great job validating one half of my beliefs and did nothing to answer the other.
Ms. Woolf spent an entire chapter defending her stance that Carroll did not have inappropriate intentions towards little girls and her defense holds up. However, unintentionally, in another chapter, she completely backs up my thoughts on Carroll being a little pervy, with all his 'lady friends.' When Woolf mentioned one lady friend who would not marry her husband unless he agreed to let her continue to kiss Carroll, I laughed so hard, I cried.
However, everyone I quizzed, all thought they knew one thing about Carroll, and that is he was a drug user. Jenny Woolf spends a tiny paragraph stating that he most likely did not take drugs. Maybe she was too busy defending his record with little girls to be bothered. Whatever her excuse is, it isn't enough of a reason to almost completely ignore half of the modern days perception of him.
Aside from that oversight, this is a good biography that had several insights into a man no one really knew. The layout of the chapters by subject, rather than chronologically, was a wise choice. There is even a chapter dedicated to his mathematics work. It is easy to forget that Carroll's main work was as a math professor and it was lovely to read about the work he did.
Thank you to Jenny Woolf for giving us a good read on a famous children's author.
Ms. Woolf spent an entire chapter defending her stance that Carroll did not have inappropriate intentions towards little girls and her defense holds up. However, unintentionally, in another chapter, she completely backs up my thoughts on Carroll being a little pervy, with all his 'lady friends.' When Woolf mentioned one lady friend who would not marry her husband unless he agreed to let her continue to kiss Carroll, I laughed so hard, I cried.
However, everyone I quizzed, all thought they knew one thing about Carroll, and that is he was a drug user. Jenny Woolf spends a tiny paragraph stating that he most likely did not take drugs. Maybe she was too busy defending his record with little girls to be bothered. Whatever her excuse is, it isn't enough of a reason to almost completely ignore half of the modern days perception of him.
Aside from that oversight, this is a good biography that had several insights into a man no one really knew. The layout of the chapters by subject, rather than chronologically, was a wise choice. There is even a chapter dedicated to his mathematics work. It is easy to forget that Carroll's main work was as a math professor and it was lovely to read about the work he did.
Thank you to Jenny Woolf for giving us a good read on a famous children's author.
March 14, 2010
I learned from this book that Lewis Carroll was very different from how he has been shown in the past, which is either as a pervert or a saint. He was neither. Also, I learned that you can't view a historical person from a modern point of view. Lewis Carroll was pretty wacky but he comes out of this book at least making sense
July 1, 2019
Most literary biographies are pretty staid and have clunky prose but this was a pleasure to read. The biography is not organized in chronological order (although we do start with his early years before Oxford) but rather into categories, such as his work in photography, his friendships, his religious beliefs, etc. What is amazing is that Woolf discovered Dodgson's (Carroll's actual name) bank accounts that had been boxed up when the bank closed years ago, which add one more mystery that at present cannot be resolved.
She tries to address why Carroll stopped doing photography in the 1880s given the evidence we still have and what event in his early 20s might have occurred that might have been the impetus for his prefering the company of young children (she suggests a romance with a married woman).
She definitely does not shy away from the psychoanalytical readings of Carroll that emerged in the 20th century, and I think she does a good job using actual letters between Carroll and the parents of children he befriended to show that those readings of Carroll are inaccurate.
From Woolf's biography, Carroll comes across as a complex, sympathetic yet, in some ways, challenging individual.
She tries to address why Carroll stopped doing photography in the 1880s given the evidence we still have and what event in his early 20s might have occurred that might have been the impetus for his prefering the company of young children (she suggests a romance with a married woman).
She definitely does not shy away from the psychoanalytical readings of Carroll that emerged in the 20th century, and I think she does a good job using actual letters between Carroll and the parents of children he befriended to show that those readings of Carroll are inaccurate.
From Woolf's biography, Carroll comes across as a complex, sympathetic yet, in some ways, challenging individual.
June 13, 2022
A good counterbalance to Morton Cohen's biography. I found parts of this helpful in filling in my knowledge of Carroll's family and later life. One feels that even in the midst of the many mysteries that surround his life, that the portrait created of Dodgson here is somehow more coherent, less romanticized or speculative than Cohen's work. Jenny Woolf argues against the idea that Carroll was pedophile or that he was in love with the real Alice Liddell, and I found her picture much clearer and less contradictory than Cohen on this point. There are many unknowns about Lewis Carroll's life, but Jenny Woolf does a good job of sticking to the provable, the probable, and she makes it very clear that what we see as the peculiarities of a single man may really be our own distance from Victorian culture and its mores. Not, in the end, a biography at all, for that go elsewhere (I read Cohen first and I would recommend that before reading this) but nonetheless, a convincing portrait of the man.
February 24, 2019
I enjoyed this non-linear biography which instead was organized by major aspects and questions of Dodgson’s life. The author pulled from a variety of sources and provided supporting evidence throughout.
July 8, 2022
Lewis Carroll was very fascinating and eccentric. I loved reading about his life and what inspired him to write Alice In Wonderland. The author did a fantastic job researching questions people have had about Carroll and writing about him in a clear, entertaining way. Loved this book.
June 7, 2011
I applaud Woolf for going against the flow. She has chosen to portray Carroll completely within the context of his time and place rather than continuing in the popular style of examining him through a Freudian/post-Freudian, postmodern lens. She asserts that the Alice books weren't written about Alice Liddell, though they were written for her, and that Carroll wasn't as particularly involved with the girl as later writers have imagined.
Using contemporaneous accounts, Woolf demonstrates that the children Carroll befriended--both male and female--remained devoted to him as adults and never alleged any impropriety in his dealings with them. She disabuses readers of notions that Carroll was antisocial, and provides a reasonable, and rather benign, scenario for his schism with the Liddells.
She also explains his family's actions after his death, wherein they altered or destroyed materials so as not to give the impression that Carroll had lady friends. He had taken vows of celibacy, a requirement for his position at Christchurch college, and the family were afraid for his reputation; unfortunately, in altering references to his adult relationships with females, they inadvertently gave the impression of a disproportionate number of friendships with children. Alice's sister Ina's lies to reporters (later admitted in private correspondence) still figure large in how examiners perceive Carroll's estrangement from the Liddells, and his family's editing of his papers.
Woolf reveals newly unearthed materials in her attempt to explain a brilliant but mysterious man, and puts up a mainly logical apologia to balance against his detractors' output. Unfortunately, the writing is flawed by grammatical errors and too much repetition, making for a sludgy read. Better editing would have made quite a difference in the quality of this book.
Using contemporaneous accounts, Woolf demonstrates that the children Carroll befriended--both male and female--remained devoted to him as adults and never alleged any impropriety in his dealings with them. She disabuses readers of notions that Carroll was antisocial, and provides a reasonable, and rather benign, scenario for his schism with the Liddells.
She also explains his family's actions after his death, wherein they altered or destroyed materials so as not to give the impression that Carroll had lady friends. He had taken vows of celibacy, a requirement for his position at Christchurch college, and the family were afraid for his reputation; unfortunately, in altering references to his adult relationships with females, they inadvertently gave the impression of a disproportionate number of friendships with children. Alice's sister Ina's lies to reporters (later admitted in private correspondence) still figure large in how examiners perceive Carroll's estrangement from the Liddells, and his family's editing of his papers.
Woolf reveals newly unearthed materials in her attempt to explain a brilliant but mysterious man, and puts up a mainly logical apologia to balance against his detractors' output. Unfortunately, the writing is flawed by grammatical errors and too much repetition, making for a sludgy read. Better editing would have made quite a difference in the quality of this book.
May 15, 2012
Somehow, I made it all the way to adulthood without being aware that most people think that Lewis Carroll was a pervert. They might regard him as one of the most important children's writers of all time, but definitely as a pedophile and probably a substance abuser.
It is very important to note that this negative perception of Carroll did NOT begin during his lifetime, but after, and NOT within the context of his own Victorian environment, but in a post-Fruedian, post-Victorian one. Jennie Woolf does an admirable job of sifting and evaluating the existing enigmatic and incomplete evidence – letters, diaries, even Carroll's personal bank account. She presents a balanced assessment of Carroll's character, and a very compelling argument that he was not a pedophile. To me the most persuasive evidence was his lifelong donations to relief programs for women and children. This bio is a thoughtful, enjoyable analysis of a great author and a very private man.
It is very important to note that this negative perception of Carroll did NOT begin during his lifetime, but after, and NOT within the context of his own Victorian environment, but in a post-Fruedian, post-Victorian one. Jennie Woolf does an admirable job of sifting and evaluating the existing enigmatic and incomplete evidence – letters, diaries, even Carroll's personal bank account. She presents a balanced assessment of Carroll's character, and a very compelling argument that he was not a pedophile. To me the most persuasive evidence was his lifelong donations to relief programs for women and children. This bio is a thoughtful, enjoyable analysis of a great author and a very private man.
August 4, 2010
Biography about the author of Alice in Wonderland. A better book about this topic than my previously reviewed ALICE I HAVE BEEN by Melanie Benjamin , so, if you're looking for a book on this subject, I'd suggest this one. It is nonfiction, so beware, if you're not in the mood for that. But the author is very well-immersed in the subject and the entire thing's very well-researched. (It's obvious she's a journalist by trade.)
March 23, 2010
I learned a lot about Lewis Carroll, I also learned that unfounded rumors can get started by people that have no first hand knowledge of
someone and they still feel the need to judge. Aside from that, this book was well written and I believe throughly researched. A must read for Lewis Carroll fans.
someone and they still feel the need to judge. Aside from that, this book was well written and I believe throughly researched. A must read for Lewis Carroll fans.
February 25, 2010
A fascinating picture of Lewis carrol, really makes me wish I had met the man. The book is also very illuminating about victorian society. A must-read for those interested in Lewis carroll himself or his world.
April 18, 2010
I liked that this book is organized categorically rather than chronologically. It wasn't really anything I hadn't heard before (except that maybe it was Ina who was in love with Charles, rather than Charles being in love with Alice), but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
June 20, 2024
First published in 2010, this book was put on my over-ambitious bucket list as soon as I had noted the reviews. Now I have actually read it. Jenny Woolf sees the Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, the brilliant creator of Alice in Wonderland and much else as a fascinating product of the Victorian Age, who must be judged in that context. She warns against making too many modern assumptions, especially the persistent one that he must have been some kind of paedophile because of his fascination with little girls and looks into details of his early upbringing in a remote rectory where he was imbued, along with members of his large family, with the conventional Anglican Christian beliefs and traditions of the time. Her research is thorough, and it is clear that she is acquainted with all the other biographies of the man who is known throughout the world as Lewis Carroll.
Her main claim to originality is the relatively recent discovery of his bank accounts, which had been simply forgotten since the nineteenth century, the ledger gathering dust in a vault in Oxford, the city in which he spent most of his life as a Maths Don at Christ Church College. She matches the figures as much as she can with known people and places, and finds mysteries to add to all the others, because Carroll (as she refers to him throughout) was secretive and often self-contradictory. His diaries survive in an incomplete form, with many pages deleted or amended after his death, and a large number of letters between Carroll and friends and relatives have similarly been ‘adjusted’, not least by members of the family of the ‘real’ Alice Liddell.
Carroll was an enthusiastic photographer, an important one in the history of the art when it was in its infancy, the preserve of people like him – a fairly well-off clergyman with time and money to spare. His speciality was little girls dressed in impressive clothes posing against carefully designed backgrounds. Sometimes they posed near-naked. To him and to the parents (they often requested the photo sessions and he always asked their permission) they represented childhood innocence, sinlessness, a kind of purity which stopped at puberty. Fear of sin ruled his life: he was the ultimate clergyman at about the same time as the sensational first publication of Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species and well before Sigmund Freud loomed into view, with doubts and uncertainties and a strong belief in logical reasoning. He was also highly imaginative (of course), delightfully whimsical and a born entertainer. Because of this, Jenny Woolf reminds us, Alice (the character that is) is an extraordinary figure in literature
Lewis Carroll wrote Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking-Glass (1871) primarily for his child muse Alice Liddell. They are still extremely popular and have been much adapted for film, primarily because of the author’s wit and invention. Some of the power of the subversion, for example in the form of parodies of verses by devout Christians, has faded, but at the time of its publication, when practically all books for children were didactic and moralising, it was refreshing and exhilarating to encounter one which was not caught in the usual stranglehold. The spirited Alice is given plenty of agency. She begins the story with a strong feeling of ennui, and soon expresses her disenchantment with lessons.
The book first appeared, with its religious scepticism, and with what some would have assumed was a portrayal of a godless world, when the Evangelicals were losing their influence, though the former seminarian Dodgson remained pious in his own way, writing sermons (and papers on Euclid) until his death in 1898. As Lewis Carroll, he seems to have had a parallel mindset which rejected the use of standard homilies, but included playing with mathematical puzzles. Close to Alice Liddell’s way of thinking, and to that of his first readers and listeners, he valued their intelligence. He includes parodies of the moralist Isaac Watts’s song ‘Against Idleness and Mischief’ in which the ‘little busy bee’ becomes a ‘little crocodile’, of ‘The Old Man’s Comforts and How He Gained Them’ (‘You are old, Father William’) by Robert Southey and ‘The Spider and the Fly’ (‘Will you walk a little faster... ‘) by Mary Howitt The author’s narrative voice is not a controlling one: the readers or listeners are expected to work things out for themselves. Alice’s moments of power are made into dreams, but the ‘Alice’ books make uncomfortable reading for some adults in a world of rude and aggressive grown-ups playing strange, bewildering games which might seem familiar to children.
Janet Woolf’s book, if nothing else, is a stimulus and a reminder for us to reread the Alice books. There will be something in them which is fresh and new every time.
Her main claim to originality is the relatively recent discovery of his bank accounts, which had been simply forgotten since the nineteenth century, the ledger gathering dust in a vault in Oxford, the city in which he spent most of his life as a Maths Don at Christ Church College. She matches the figures as much as she can with known people and places, and finds mysteries to add to all the others, because Carroll (as she refers to him throughout) was secretive and often self-contradictory. His diaries survive in an incomplete form, with many pages deleted or amended after his death, and a large number of letters between Carroll and friends and relatives have similarly been ‘adjusted’, not least by members of the family of the ‘real’ Alice Liddell.
Carroll was an enthusiastic photographer, an important one in the history of the art when it was in its infancy, the preserve of people like him – a fairly well-off clergyman with time and money to spare. His speciality was little girls dressed in impressive clothes posing against carefully designed backgrounds. Sometimes they posed near-naked. To him and to the parents (they often requested the photo sessions and he always asked their permission) they represented childhood innocence, sinlessness, a kind of purity which stopped at puberty. Fear of sin ruled his life: he was the ultimate clergyman at about the same time as the sensational first publication of Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species and well before Sigmund Freud loomed into view, with doubts and uncertainties and a strong belief in logical reasoning. He was also highly imaginative (of course), delightfully whimsical and a born entertainer. Because of this, Jenny Woolf reminds us, Alice (the character that is) is an extraordinary figure in literature
Lewis Carroll wrote Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking-Glass (1871) primarily for his child muse Alice Liddell. They are still extremely popular and have been much adapted for film, primarily because of the author’s wit and invention. Some of the power of the subversion, for example in the form of parodies of verses by devout Christians, has faded, but at the time of its publication, when practically all books for children were didactic and moralising, it was refreshing and exhilarating to encounter one which was not caught in the usual stranglehold. The spirited Alice is given plenty of agency. She begins the story with a strong feeling of ennui, and soon expresses her disenchantment with lessons.
The book first appeared, with its religious scepticism, and with what some would have assumed was a portrayal of a godless world, when the Evangelicals were losing their influence, though the former seminarian Dodgson remained pious in his own way, writing sermons (and papers on Euclid) until his death in 1898. As Lewis Carroll, he seems to have had a parallel mindset which rejected the use of standard homilies, but included playing with mathematical puzzles. Close to Alice Liddell’s way of thinking, and to that of his first readers and listeners, he valued their intelligence. He includes parodies of the moralist Isaac Watts’s song ‘Against Idleness and Mischief’ in which the ‘little busy bee’ becomes a ‘little crocodile’, of ‘The Old Man’s Comforts and How He Gained Them’ (‘You are old, Father William’) by Robert Southey and ‘The Spider and the Fly’ (‘Will you walk a little faster... ‘) by Mary Howitt The author’s narrative voice is not a controlling one: the readers or listeners are expected to work things out for themselves. Alice’s moments of power are made into dreams, but the ‘Alice’ books make uncomfortable reading for some adults in a world of rude and aggressive grown-ups playing strange, bewildering games which might seem familiar to children.
Janet Woolf’s book, if nothing else, is a stimulus and a reminder for us to reread the Alice books. There will be something in them which is fresh and new every time.
July 19, 2021
The Mystery of Lewis Carroll is a fascinating perspective on a fascinating person, presented in detailed but lively writing. The classic Alice books have provided endless opportunities for the analytically-minded to tease out possible hidden meanings in the text, and their enigmatic creator has been the subject of almost as much speculation. Jenny Woolf explores the complexity and controversy of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson with so much enthusiasm here that it makes for wonderfully compelling reading. It's really interesting to get a glimpse of primary sources like letters and diary entries, and I'd like to read more of them in full sometime.
Of course the most controversial topics are addressed, but there are also chapters devoted to more relatable matters in Dodgson's life, from faith to finances. Ending the book on the financial chapter ended things on a slightly dry note, but it's a revealing aspect of Dodgson's story anyways.
This was both a thorough and entertaining read, and makes me want to go back and explore everything by or about Lewis Carroll!
Of course the most controversial topics are addressed, but there are also chapters devoted to more relatable matters in Dodgson's life, from faith to finances. Ending the book on the financial chapter ended things on a slightly dry note, but it's a revealing aspect of Dodgson's story anyways.
This was both a thorough and entertaining read, and makes me want to go back and explore everything by or about Lewis Carroll!
April 18, 2020
This book was recommended to me, and boy I am glad it was!
I would say that more than a biography about Lewis Carroll, its a detailed research that rejects a lot of the connotations that have been associated with Lewis Carroll's life. You all know what I mean! It not only talks about the man, but about the culture and influence that was current during the man's life, which is something that should always be considered in a biography.
This marvelous book also takes in consideration the recently discovered bank account records that answer some of the questions we have of his life. It gives new insight and information about a man that is still clouded in mystery, and I enjoyed every page of this book.
Highly recommended, though now I have to check the updated book to see what new discoveries have been found!
I would say that more than a biography about Lewis Carroll, its a detailed research that rejects a lot of the connotations that have been associated with Lewis Carroll's life. You all know what I mean! It not only talks about the man, but about the culture and influence that was current during the man's life, which is something that should always be considered in a biography.
This marvelous book also takes in consideration the recently discovered bank account records that answer some of the questions we have of his life. It gives new insight and information about a man that is still clouded in mystery, and I enjoyed every page of this book.
Highly recommended, though now I have to check the updated book to see what new discoveries have been found!
November 14, 2018
This is an OK book. I knew nothing about Lewis Carroll before reading and it was informative. The writing style is somewhat tedious and there is repitition of information. If you want to learn about the life of the writer of Alice in Wonderland this is the book but I am sure other authors have approached the subject in a more entertaining manner. Lewis's life was somewhat depressing and very restricted and this makes for slow reading and that is not the fault of the writer, its what she had to work with. I would say if you want some information about the Lewis Caroll you can get it here but be ready for Victorian England at its repressive best
December 4, 2021
immense amount of info, sometimes repetitive from chapter to chapter. Seems like an honest evaluation of the man's life, personality, fears, and pleasures. I have always loved and reread several times his Alice books. Much of his material spoken of here I was not aware of and will need to look into, especially the Hunting of the Snark. The author's evaluation of Carroll's interest in females especially young "child friends" seems valid to me, but perhaps because it is what I would rather believe.
August 30, 2017
Jenny Woolf does a superb job of revealing the magnificently intelligent, cagey, and sometimes puzzling nature of Charles Lutwidge Dawson, or as he's more famously known, Lewis Carroll.
I bought this book with high hopes as "Alice in Wonderland" is a story I've always loved, both in it's book and film versions. Woolf didn't disappoint, as she pulled back the curtain and showed me what was behind the making of this wonderful tale.
I enjoyed every part of this book.
I bought this book with high hopes as "Alice in Wonderland" is a story I've always loved, both in it's book and film versions. Woolf didn't disappoint, as she pulled back the curtain and showed me what was behind the making of this wonderful tale.
I enjoyed every part of this book.
March 23, 2019
Goes back to the basics to reexamine Lewis Carroll, trying to experience him in his context, and others also in their time period. Broke new ground by finding and sifting through his bank account, which he opened while in his twenties and maintained until his death in 1898. Thought it looked at matters pretty sensibly and fairly, no points belabored but butressed and circled back to as needed. Recommended!
February 8, 2020
I loved the Alice books as a child and felt sure that I would like the man who wrote them. But there is such a lot of varied stuff and so many interpretations of the books and of him, that I got confused. This book made sense to me that he was a really unusual person and also a man of his period who was gentle, kind and well remembered by the children who he knew in his lifetime. I felt he was the kind of person who could have written my favourite childhood books.
January 17, 2022
This is a fascinating look at the man who created my favorite enduring literary work, and I learned a lot about his various pursuits which, interestingly, only peripherally included writing. I also enjoyed learning about his life in the context of Victorian England, and how he both fit and eschewed the sensibilities of the time. Additionally, Woolf writes with a well-researched, humorous, and informative style befitting Lewis Carroll.
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