This page is referenced by:

• 1 media/new_theory_of_parallels_cover.jpg 2020-11-09T11:54:20-08:00 Behind the Author 39 by Kelly Yang and Julianne Vu plain 2020-11-25T10:40:08-08:00
  lthough best known for his tales about Alice and her whimsical adventures in Wonderland, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known as his pen name, Lewis Carroll, was a respected academic who was quite passionate about topics such as mathematics and politics, both of which found their way into his fictional writing. Pictured at the top of this page is Curiosa Mathematica: A New Theory of Parallels, which was written by Dodgson, then published in 1890 by Macmillan and Co.. He studied mathematics at Christ Church, Oxford, and went on to receive the Christ Church Mathematical Lectureship in 1855. However, Dodgson the mathematician is hardly an interesting figure compared to Carroll. But it’s important to consider the man behind such characters as the Queen of Hearts or the Cheshire Cat, and how his real life influenced the creation of all the beloved characters in the Alice Tales.
  
  This particular edition was a gift to his sister, Henrietta H. Dodgson. Inscribed with purple ink on the inside in a loopy, slanted handwriting is a note that reads, “Henrietta H. Dodgson, from her affte. brother, The Author,” which is followed by a flourish then the date of inscription, “Nov. 7. 1890.” Archival information identifies it as a third edition, kept in an “orange-brown box with gold lettering on the spine” alongside a second volume to Curiosa Mathematica, titled Part II: Pillow Problems. One might ask how Dodgson intended for the two to be read, whether in order or as companions.
  
  The book’s design illustrates its intention, and an observer can learn more about who Dodgson was as an individual beyond Alice from the choices made for this book’s cover. For example, something can be gleaned from looking at the cover of Curiosa Mathematica. Dodgson is known to have cared about the stylicisms of his fictional works, so a natural question to ask of this book is, what is the significance of the illustration on the cover? Who did Dodgson mean for it to appeal to, or did he call attention to it on the front cover, then again within the pages of the book, because of a personal attachment to its related theorems? It’s featured again inside the book, this time with a caption that reads, “In every circle, the inscribed equilateral Tetragon is greater than any one of the Segments which lie outside it.” Considering its topic, this book was not meant for a wide audience, but rather, a smaller circle of dedicated academics who were also equally interested in mathematics. The drawing would have been significant to those familiar with its meaning, but not to the untrained observer.
   
  Moreover, a quick glance at its contents would show readers that the book is an introduction to Euclidean geometry, rather than a more conventional and common subject, which prompts the question of what Dodgson hoped to contribute to the canon by writing his own interpretation. Among his readers, how did the mathematical and academic communities receive Curiosa Mathematica and its subsequent editions? In this third edition, Dodgson comments in the preface that he wished to address readers’ criticisms in earlier editions.
  Stuart Dodgson Collingwood, a relative of Dodgson’s, recalled of one of his works, An Elementary Treatise on Determinants, that although it was of “little interest for the general reader,” it was popular “amongst the leisured few who [were] able to read mathematics for their own sake.”
  
  But Dodgson was also interested in a number of other fields, and in 1884, he published The Principles of Parliamentary Representation, a short work that focused on reinterpreting the economic notion of the “two-person zero-sum game” to fit the issue of proportional representation. His approach is grounded in quantitative reasoning, and many of the pages feature formulas, equations, and tables. Like his writings on mathematics, this piece of writing was considered a notable contribution to the field of politics.
  
  Well-respected and smart, it’s no wonder that Dodgson was able to write a children’s story that academics today are still examining and writing about. The nonsense of the Alice tales, although seemingly incomprehensible, are the deliberate choices of a man who had a very strong understanding of our reality and was, as a result, able to deconstruct it in a manner that reads in direct opposition to the reader’s understanding of their world. But this leads to another question: where does C.L. Dodgson end and Lewis Carroll begin?
     
  For the most part, there seems to be a clear boundary between the fictional works of Carroll and the more theoretical writings of Dodgson. Stories like Alice in Wonderland or The Hunting of the Snark can easily be attributed to Carroll, while the previously discussed works belong to Dodgson. But since so much of Dodgson’s academic career influenced his creative works, where is the line drawn in his canon?
  
  An instance in which the boundary becomes unclear is with the book The Game of Logic. Published in 1880 by Macmillan and Co. and published under Lewis Carroll rather than C.L. Dodgson, it’s interesting to consider why the author would want this book to be associated with the fictional writings of Carroll instead of Dodgson’s academic publications. The tone of the book is informal and lighthearted, and uses a game devised by Carroll to communicate its point. In the book’s preface, Carroll writes to his readers, “A second advantage, possessed by this Game, is that, [...] it will give the Players a little instruction as well. But is there any great harm in that, so long as you get plenty of amusement?” (Carroll). The “instruction” mentioned by Carroll refers to the study of logical propositions and inferences. So, although published under Carroll’s name, The Game of Logic, seems to be a hybrid piece of writing that combines Dodgson’s mathematical endeavors with Carroll’s playful manner of writing.
  
  There are numerous instances in which Dodgson’s mathematics appears in the Alice tales, and they are fascinating to consider both in the context of the story itself, as well as how they were understood by readers. What’s more, Carroll’s nonsense and humor in Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass have inspired and influenced scientists and academics in the contemporary age. Understanding the man behind the page can provide a more nuanced and complex reading of these stories.

  Further Reading

  Biographical Information

  Collingwood, Stuart Dodgson. The Life and Letters of Lewis Carroll. The Century Co., 1898.
  In this biography, Collingwood, a relative of Lewis Carroll’s, recounts the famous author’s life, including relevant letters and photographs.

  C.L. Dodgson’s Works

  Dodgson, C.L. Curiosa Mathematica: A New Theory of Parallels. Macmillan and Co., 1890, G. Edward Cassady, M.D. and Margaret Elizabeth Cassady, R.N. Lewis Carroll collection, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.
  This book is an introduction to the subject of Euclidean geometry. Chapters contain definitions, axioms, and propositions and corollaries with their proofs. Additionally, the author includes alternative, nontraditional proofs of personal interest.

  Dodgson, C.L. The Principles of Parliamentary Representation. Harrison and Sons, 1884, G. Edward Cassady, M.D. and Margaret Elizabeth Cassady, R.N. Lewis Carroll collection, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.
  Dodgson attempts to provide a theory of proportional representation as well as a theory of how to appoint parliamentary seats.

  Carroll, Lewis. The Game of Logic. Macmillan and Co., 1886.
  Using a game that Carroll invented himself, the book presents a way for readers to understand classical logic through the utilization of symbols. Carroll elaborated upon the ideas in this book in a subsequent work, Symbolic Logic, which was published in 1897.

  Dodgson’s Influence on Alice

  Butts, Dennis and Peter Hunt. “How Often Does Charles Dodgson Appear in the ‘Alice Books? Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking-Glass (1873).” How Did Long John Silver Lose his Leg: and Twenty-Six Other Mysteries of Children’s Literature, The Lutterworth Press, 2013, pp. 25-30.
  Butts and Hunt investigate how Alice came to be regarded as nonsense and how that is a reflection of Dodgson’s academic, political, and religious beliefs. But it takes an angle by looking at the success of Alice through the lens of its primary audience: children.

  Eperson, D.B. “Lewis Carroll: Mathematician and Teacher of Children.” The Mathematical Gazette, Vol. 84, No. 499, March 2000, pp. 9-13.
  This article focuses Dodgson as a mathematician, but pays more attention to his relationship with children, and even touches on his relationship with Alice Liddell, who would go on to inspire Alice. We are much more familiar with how that relationship influenced Alice's strange adventures in Wonderland, but this article gives insight into how Dodgson influenced children outside of Alice.

  Meyers, Charlène. “Alice in the Wonderland of Science: Intertextual Figures in Scientific Articles.” English Studies at NBU, vol. 4, no. 1, 2018, pp. 19–28.
  Meyers’ article is about how Alice influenced scientists and consequently found its way back into the scientific community. Furthermore, the article talks about intertextual figures that reference Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and how their significance changes from discipline to discipline.

  Neill, Anna. “Developmental Nonsense in the Alice Tales.” Style, Vol. 47, No. 3, Fall 2013, pp. 380-396.
  Neill asserts that the images cultivated by children from nonsensical Alice stories, while not helpful in the development or maturation of children, are stored in the mind and help shape future readers’ perception of the books’ cultural and historical context.

  Pycior, Helena M. “At the Intersection of Mathematics and Humor: Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alices’ and Symbolical Algebra.” Victorian Studies, Vol. 28, No. 1, Autumn 1984, pp. 149-170.
  This article draws connections between Dodgson’s work with symbolical algebra and how his familiarity with this topic was significant as he developed the humor of Alice. It gives a synopsis of the role of the mathematician in the nineteenth century, and then delves into symbolical algebra, asserting that the application of letters and symbols as representative of numbers is meaningless, and required interpretation which could also be humorous.

  Tsayger, Mark. “A Mathematical Joke of Lewis Carroll.” Mathematics in School, Vol. 43, No. 3, May 2014, p. 4.
  Tsayger looks at one instance of Carroll’s mathematical humor in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and explains how what the basic reader might perceive as nonsense is actually based on a complex mathematical theory.

• 1 media/The_hunting_of_the_snark__an_agony_in_eight_fits_2000_leaf_1.jpg 2020-11-09T16:40:48-08:00 Beyond Alice 17 by Owen Lord and Reid Sharenberg plain 2020-11-25T10:47:24-08:00
  Charles Dodgson found fame during and after his lifetime with Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. He did this, of course, through his better known alias: Lewis Carroll. While his works involving the titular Alice were by far his most well known, Dodgson produced a wide array of fictional texts, from poems, to tales, to novels, all under his Carroll alias.
  
  Perhaps the best known of these works is The Hunting of the Snark (An Agony in Eight Fits). Several editions of this nonsense poem exist in the Cassady Collection, and are discussed at greater length below. Sharing its imagined world with the “Jabberwocky” poem found in Through the Looking Glass, the story (nonsensical in plot and language) follows a boat crew on the hunt for a “snark”.
  Before the notoriety of the Alice books, Carroll was writing short stories and poems. Carroll wrote and illustrated a periodical called Mischmasch primarily for the entertainment of his family. (Remember, Dodgson was a full time Oxford don at the time). Included in Mischmasch is the earliest known version of the “Jabberwocky” poem that was later immortalized in Through the Looking-Glass. He created The Rectory Magazine and Rectory Umbrella, which also consisted of mixed short works that reveal Carroll’s wit. A number of these works were collected and published posthumously in 1932’s The Rectory Umbrella and Mischmasch.
  

  These works coincided with his publishing of a series of humorous short tales - or “Knots” as Carroll referred to them - published in The Monthly Packet between 1880 and 1885. Carroll would later collate these works to form A Tangled Tale, a collection of the ten stories. The title of this work seems to reflect how Carroll viewed it - a tangled collection of stories that attempted to combine mathematics and humour - an experiment he himself believed was “but a lame attempt” at storytelling. 

  His critics, though, were more accepting of the work, recognizing Carroll’s clever attempts at interweaving abstract conceptual puzzles with comedic relief. It was Carroll’s 1890 work Sylvie and Bruno that received a far chillier response. Like A Tangled Tale, Sylvie and Bruno attempted to merge two styles of writing - the nonsensical, fantastical tales of Carroll with the more serious and logical writings of Dodgson. 

  While Carroll’s goal was laudable, the result was a work that read in a disjointed and meandering manner. It attempted to combine two disparate modes of literature, and in the eyes of many of his critics, failed. The moralistic analyses of Victorian society were lost on his younger readers, while Bruno’s baby-talk and adventures in Elfland were off-putting to adults. However, the work can be viewed as essential to pushing the boundaries of literary convention.

  While Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass are by far Carroll’s best known works, the literature beyond Alice gives us greater insight into the author’s mind. Dodgson was a man of many interests, and his final years writing under his Carroll alias demonstrate a desire to combine those many interests in a new form of literary expression - one that embraced not just fictional storytelling, but all manner of academic disciplines.
  
  

  This limited edition copy of Carroll’s The Hunting of the Snark is by Russian artist Iouri Shtapakov. The artist produced only two unique versions of this text in 2000, one belonging to the Cassady Collection. The illustrations in this edition were hand painted with watercolor and the text was handwritten by the artist. More specifically, according to the item’s description, “The illustrations are engraved in drypoint on plastic and handcoloured with watercolour. The handwritten text is in black ink.” The book is enclosed in a suede and leather case.

  Shtapakov has worked in a number of media but is best known in Russia for his engravings and illustrations of the works of J.R.R Tolkein, Boris Vian, George Orwell, Jack Kerouac, Edward Lear and Daniil Charms. As evidenced by this list, he has a proclivity for fantastic and nonsense literature, making Snark a suitable choice. According to a biography of the contemporary artist, “He not only considers the technical aspects of his paintings, but also the optical, philosophical and ethical aspects” (http://www.artnet.com/artists/yury-shtapakov/biography).
  
  We certainly see this side of the artist in his reworking of Carroll’s Snark. The piece is truly individual, and a work of art in and of itself. In “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”, Walter Benjamin speaks to the aura of artwork being lost as it is mass produced. This book by Shtapakov has maintained that “aura” by being a direct recipient of the artist’s hand. This edition is signed. Following Benjamin’s general ideas, a signature would usually be the intimate exception on an otherwise mass produced work. In this case, the signature is further evidence of Shtapakov’s presence. 
  

  One  of 100 special editions published at the behest of Carroll, this version of the Hunting of the Snark was to be gifted to various friends and distant family members - many of them children.  As a result, it is uniquely well-crafted. The front piece is a radiant red color, its illustrations etched in what appear to be gold leaf. Imprinted on the front is an image of a man with a curiously oversized head ringing a bell at the top of a mast, a field of stars interspersed with wispy clouds behind him - an illustration by the historical genre painter Henry Holiday.

  Moving onward there’s a series of pages with information about the book, as well as an inscription: “To a dear Child : in memory of golden summer hours and whispers of a summer sea.” Interspersed between these pages are multiple blank ones nearly unblemished despite the age of the book. 

  While scrolling through the pages, one might be struck by the size of the text, and the spacing. Each line is given plenty of room, and when there needs to be a break between Stanzas, the spacing is even wider. The only exception to this rule is the preface, which is single spaced and fills the page.

  Finally, the illustrations within the book itself are crazy, with many of them giving grotesque interpretations of the characters within - oversized heads, exaggerated facial expressions, etc. In one particular image on page 102, Holiday renders a beautiful illustration of what one can only assume to be the Snark. It peers out of the darkness of a chasm, its features formed by the varying shadows and curling branches of the trees at the top of the deep gorge. The effect is chilling, melding natural features with those of some eldritch, otherworldly entity. 

  What truly makes this piece unique, though, is how it was personalized for its recipient. In the inner cover, we find a letter from Selwyn Blackett (in nearly illegible cursive), the brother of the original owner, Mabel, that recounts how the book was given to her by Carroll. Moving forward to page 5, we see a handwritten dedication to Mabel scrawled on the page above the title. If one turns the page again, they find a note in Carroll’s handwriting - a poem personally written for Mabel, referencing Alice. Each line begins with a letter from Mabel’s name - implying that Carroll spent a not-inconsequential period of time writing the message for Mabel.
  
  

  Further Reading

  https://www.gutenberg.org/files/620/620-h/620-h.htm
  Here is a pdf version of Carroll's Sylvie and Bruno, the last novel published in his lifetime.

  Gubar, Marah. “Lewis in Wonderland: The Looking-Glass World of Sylvie and Bruno.” Texas Studies in Literature and Language, vol. 48, no. 4, 2006, pp. 372–394. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40755471. Accessed 10 Nov. 2020.
  In this critical article on Sylvie and Bruno, the author considers how the novel was received badly in part due to its lack of similarities to the Alice stories, then argues that there are in fact many parallels. She comments on a number of other elements of the novel, including the breakdown between Carroll, the narrator and Alice.

  http://aliceiseverywhere.com/mischmasch/
  Listen to Heather Haigha from Alice is Everywhere’s website discuss Mischmasch.

  http://www.gutenberg.org/files/651/651-h/651-h.htm
  Here is a pdf version of Phantasmagoria and Other Poems by Carroll.

  http://www.gutenberg.org/files/29042/29042-h/29042-h.htm
  Here is a pdf version of A Tangled Tale by Carroll. Included is ten brief stories that were published over the course of five years in the Monthly Packet magazine.