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The Author
Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) has created two of the best-known and most popular children’s books in the world. His real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson and he arrived at his
mom-de-plume by translating back to English the Latin version of his name and reversing the order. He was the seventh of eleven children, he was educated at Rugby and Christ Church, Oxford, where he was a mathematical lecturer for
more than 25 years. He was ordained a priest but held no office. He was a shy man who felt more comfortable among children which he entertained by telling them stories. ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ was published in
1865 and in 1972 a sequel ‘Through the Looking Glass’ appeared. What most people do not know is that Lewis Carroll was the author of several mathematical books of which the most influential was ‘Euclid and his Modern
Rivals’ (1879). When Queen Victoria met the famous author she asked him to send her one of his books and was rather surprised to receive one of them rather than a copy of ‘Alice’.
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The story
Alice, the eponymous heroine, a bit of a brat if you ask me, allows her curiosity to get the better of her with nearly disastrous results. She follows a White Rabbit dressed in coat
and tails (who wouldn’t), falls down a rabbit hole and finds herself unhurt in Wonderland, a place where things ain’t positively what they appear to be. Food and drink has a curious effect on people, animals speak and argue,
while others transform themselves into bizarre creatures. It is just as well that Alice has the sense and the poise to take all these things in her stride. She teaches good manners to the hookah-smoking giant Caterpillar; she
argues logically with the Frog; saves the Duchess’ baby (which turns into a piglet) from severe injury; has fun with the ever-smiling Cheshire Cat; she has tea with the Mad Hatter and his friend the Dormouse; and plays croquet
with the Queen of Hearts and her court. Not bad for a little girl who has not been away from the house before!
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