Who was Lewis Carroll?
Lewis Carroll was the pseudonym, or pen name, of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. He lived from January 27, 1832, to January 14, 1898. He had a stammer issue that lasted his whole life. He also was deaf in one ear, due to a fever he had as a child. In the book Reminiscences of Oxford (1900), Lewis is described as the following: “austere, shy, precise, absorbed in mathematical reverie, watchfully tenacious of his dignity, stiffly conservative in political, theological, social theory, his life mapped out in squares like Alice’s landscape”.
What was he known for?
Charles Dodgson, or Lewis Carroll, was known for being an author, photographer, mathematician, Anglican deacon, and inventor. According to Wikipedia, “Word ladder is a word game invented by Lewis Carroll. A word ladder puzzle begins with two words, and to solve the puzzle one must find a chain of other words to link the two, in which two adjacent words (that is, words in successive steps) differ by one letter.” Lewis Carroll was also known for talking to children more easily than adults. He viewed adulthood as dull, whereas childhood was full of imagination.
Where was he from?
Dodgson was born in Daresbury, Cheshire, England. He later died in Guildford, Surrey, England.
When did his works become well-known?
In the year 1862, Lewis Carroll told his friends, Robinson Duckworth and Alice Liddell, a fairy tale he created. The fairy tale was called Alice’s Adventures Underground. He wrote this story specifically for Alice as he mentioned in his diary. Carroll felt compelled to write an even better story after a rainy picnic incident. His friends noticed the difference. Duckworth wished that Carroll would write out the stories for him. Carroll wrote out many stories and adventures that he could think of. He also illustrated the book himself. When the book was done, he dropped it off at Alice Liddell’s house. Fortunately for Carroll, his good friend George MacDonald saw it and told Mrs. Liddell that the author of the book should publish it. Lewis Carroll revised the book and set out to publish it. The first printing happened in 1865, but it turned out to be terrible printing. This caused Carroll to print second editions in 1866. By the time of his death, 1898, his stories had become the most popular children’s story in England. In 1932, his works were the most popular and famous in the entire world. Everyone loved, and still loves Alice’s adventures.
Why did he choose to write “nonsense” stories?
It is said that Lewis Carroll used absurd stories to introduce his logical problems.
How can we learn from him?
He was a very logical man and used the things around him to generate a story. He was constantly creating more effective ways to complete a task. So, to answer the question, we can learn to be more inquisitive and let our imagination run wild.