January 27, 1832 – Birthday of Lewis Carroll, the creator of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”

On January 27, 1832, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (whose pen name was Lewis Carroll) was born in Cheshire, England.

Dodgson was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings were Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland; its sequel Through the Looking-Glass; and the poems “The Hunting of the Snark” and “Jabberwocky.”

In 1856, Dodgson, while a lecturer in mathematics at Christ Church College, got acquainted with the new Dean, Henry Liddell, and his family, becoming particularly close to the three girls: Lorina, Edith, and Alice. He grew into the habit of taking the children (first the boy, Harry, and later the three girls) on rowing trips to nearby Nuneham Courtenay or Godstow.

Alice Liddell

During these expeditions, he would tell the children stories. Alice begged him to write them down, and in 1864 he presented her with a handwritten, illustrated manuscript entitled Alice’s Adventures Under Ground.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (as it was called when published) begins when a bored young girl named Alice falls down a rabbit-hole into a fantasy world. She gets smaller by downing a bottle that says “DRINK ME” and taller by eating a cake that says “EAT ME.” She is a guest at a tea party along with the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, and the Dormouse. She is advised on the ins and outs of eating mushrooms by the Caterpillar (a scene later popularized by The Jefferson Airplane). She meets The White Rabbit, The Ugly Duchess, the Mad Hatter, the Mock Turtle, The Gryphon, The King and Queen of Hearts, and The Cheshire Cat (who disappears except for his grin), among others. Finally, she is called as a witness in a trial at which the Knave of Hearts is accused of stealing tarts. Just as the Queen of Hearts is yelling “off with her head,” Alice wakes up, and decides it was all a dream.

Alice with the Mad Hatter and March Hare at the tea party table

We now use the name “Wonderland” to refer to imaginary or dreamlike places. “Going down the rabbit hole” has several meanings, including taking hallucinogenic drugs. Alice’s observation that Wonderland keeps getting “curiouser and curiouser” has gained widespread usage, as has the Chesire Cat’s observation “We’re all mad here.”

You can read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland courtesy of Project Gutenberg, which makes works past copyright protection freely available. The link is here for a hypertext version with illustrations.

The video below features The Jefferson Airplane performing “White Rabbit.”