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The True Meaning Of Alice's Adventures In Wonderland By Charles Dodgson

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In 1862, floating upon the river Isis, Charles Dodgson narrated for Alice Liddell and a few others in company his original tale of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Gliding along underneath the blue sky, Dodgson wove his words into one of the most classic children stories of all time. Thesis: Although Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland may have only begun as a children’s story, many adults have sought to discover the “true meaning” of the novel. Curiosity has led to years of searching and interpretation of the origins of Carroll’s novels, and the symbols inside, developing into theories ranging from practical to nearly impossible, eventually evolving into their own stories in the film industry. The history of the novel itself …show more content…

Modern historians like to speculate that the relationship between Dodgson and Alice was inappropriate, as he often photographed the children naked, however, Dodgson’s practice was distinctly Victorian. Meaning, many Victorian families enjoyed having their children’s photograph taken, oftentimes naked. Dodgson prided himself on only photographing the children after first meeting them, and gaining their permission to photograph. Nonetheless, the mysterious breakup still remains unsolved. Cavendish states in his article: “The friendship between the Liddell’s and Dodgson had broken down in 1863, for reasons that are not clear – the relevant page in his diary was cut out by one of his descendants – but it may be that Mrs. Liddell was uneasy about him and Alice.” And while we cannot say for sure that Dodgson had been inappropriate with Alice during his photography sessions, the missing page could surely clear up what event exactly triggered the eventual loss of friendship between the families. It is difficult for the modern world to understand why a grown man would write so much literature inspired by a young girl, and despite what cannot be understood, one thing is for sure: Dodgson was taken by Alice Liddell to a place in his imagination, whether sexual or …show more content…

One of the most recent films, Alice in Wonderland, produced by Disney in 2010, is likely the most evolved interpretation yet. Stemming from the pubescent development theory, Tim Burton’s film features a young woman, a bit older than the original Alice, and her adventure through Underland. The difference in age can probably be accredited to Burton’s audience, as he wanted Alice to appear to a bit older crowd still going through the identity struggle the original Alice had gone through. The new plot includes a prophecy that Alice will defeat the Red Queen, and slay a beast called the Jabberwocky (an character that originated from one of Dodgson’s later poems sharing the name of the beast.) New characters and beasts, including the Bandersnatch, and the White Queen, appear in a darker version of Dodgson’s original tale; a product of years of interpretation and metamorphosis into this modern version. (This and my conclusion isn’t

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