Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Did You Know? Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Yesterday, we got to spend some time with the delightful, but slightly perplexing Alice from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Today on Did You Know?, we've got some interesting facts about the book and it's writer, Lewis Carroll.


Did You Know?
  • That it is widely believed that Alice is based on Alice Liddell, a child friend of Lewis Carroll?
  • The book is filled with in-jokes that only Alice Liddell and her family and friends would understand?
  • Many of the characters are based on people that Carroll and the Liddells knew?
  • The story takes place on May 4th, Alice Liddell's birthday?
  • It is believed that there are many references to mathematical concepts throughout the book? Carroll was a mathematician, so this could be true. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is probably one of the most analyzed books of all time.
  • Louis Carroll's real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson?
  • Dodgson never publicly acknowledged that he was Louis Carroll? He did acknowledge it among his friends.
  • He had numerous health issues throughout his life? Dodgson had a fever that left him deaf in one ear, suffered whooping cough, had a weak chest, and stammered.
  • In addition to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There, Dodgson also wrote numerous mathematical texts?
  • Dodgson first told the story to Alice Liddell on a rowing trip on July 4, 1862? Alice begged him to wrote it down, and he finally did, giving her a handwritten and illustrated manuscript in 1864, entitled Alice's Adventures Under Ground.
Here's one of my favorite parts of Disney's interpretation of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

4 comments:

  1. Fascinating facts! I love that there are little inside jokes throughout the book. One of our friends is an animator and he always sneaks little personal jokes into his work. We love to try to find them!

    ~Jess

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    1. Cool! You know an animator? That would be a great job!

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  2. These facts are great! I learned so much! I had no idea that he kept his identity secret during his life! Wow!

    Yes, one of our close frienda is an animator- he is so talented and it is so fun to watch his work. :) I am always amazed by his talent and ideas.

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    1. It's always amazing to discover what makes each author tick. Thanks for reading!

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