184 years of Lewis Carroll: he learned to read his (small) people

"Alice in Wonderland" Lewis Carroll authored 184 years. His wonderful book does - literally - speak to the imagination, but is also seen as THE BASIS OF modern literature. "Adults have to upset their lives, not children."

Follows rabbit girl, girl falls into a bottomless pit and girl ends up in a different world. It's like the story of a drunken teenager who is looking for an excuse for being late returning home after a night of entertainment at the Square. However, the premise of one of the most important works in children's literature. Countless generations of children grew up with "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland", or "Alice in Wonderland". Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known by the pen name Lewis Carroll, wrote the story for the daughter of a friend, Alice Pleasance Liddell.

"The book reflects the obsession of adults for punctuality and precision," suggests professor Geert Buelens in literature from the University of Ghent. "It shows what can be harsh and authoritarian adults. Think of the Queen of Hearts: '! Off With Their Heads' "In contrast, the sweet girl Alice. In the literature, Lewis Carroll is labeled as THE BASIS OF contemporary children's literature. He who (small) learned to read people.

Tormented adults

Humor and fantasy. Those are the primary values ​​used Carroll for his world famous book. In contrast to the often moralizing evangelical stories to swallow children at the time Carroll had feverishly, has "Alice in Wonderland" is not immediately clear morality. Professor Buelens redirects to a website that offers more information: "The book celebrates the ability of children to imagine things and believe. The emphasis is on the joy of childhood and childlike fantasy. "

"Carroll remembered exactly what was needed," it continues, "a natural and attractive character who enters the challenge of a weird and wonderful world. A tormented rabbit, dressed formally, indicating that the adults who have to upset their lives, not the children. "

Just because the book has no explicit moral, received Carroll's story over the years a different interpretation every time. Will Broker, professor of Kingston University of London also stuck in his book "Alice's Adventures: Lewis Carroll in Popular Culture". Starting in 1930, people began to think that there had to be a deeper meaning behind the merry nonsense story that Carroll wrote from his pen. "In the thirties there was psychoanalysis, in the sixties psychedelic, and in the nineties pedophilia," says Broker.

From drug addict to pedophile

People from the sixties assumed that Lewis Carroll lived on drugs because his "Alice in Wonderland" them very reminiscent of their own experiences with LSD and cannabis. "They thought he spoke their language," says Professor Broker. Much can we take them not blame? A white rabbit speaks a crazy hatter and food that makes you grow and shrink: you would for someone less labeled as junk.

"When in the nineties the theme of pedophilia increasingly come into focus also seems Carroll's relationship with the twenty years younger Alice Liddell to have a different meaning," says Professor Broker.

"A white rabbit speaks a crazy hatter and food that makes you grow and shrink: you would for someone less labeled as junk"

Also not entirely unjustified, teaches the syllabus English Literature Professor Geert Buelens: despite the age difference, Lewis Carroll was his muse Alice Pleasant Lid dell asked in marriage also the reason that the girl's mother the contact between the two broke. "These different interpretations have more to do with the ideas of the time than that of the Victorian children's story," concludes Professor Broker yet.

 However you look at it: when Alice enters her Wonderland, we are all a bit jealous. Is it on the world in which they do escape, her space cake Av ant la letter, or talking on her white rabbit in suits? You can search a lot behind a story, but sometimes it's better just read, without wishing to be the Were fried Witse of literature. Or how Alice itself as wound corpse says: 'It's no use going back to yesterday, because i was a different person then. "