4th of July!

(Above: the boating party listen to the story of Alice,  Alice in Wonderland (1986 BBC) Dir: Barry Letts)

Today officially marks so called "Alice's day" (Or at least, that's what Oxford calls it now) when, in 1862, Charles Dodgson/Lewis Carroll started to tell the Alice stories to the Liddell sisters and Robinson Duckworth on Oxford boating trips. This by Karoline Leach:

Summer of  1862.  Charles Dodgson  is telling the ‘Alice’  story to the three famous sisters, Ina, Alice and Edith Liddell,  while  on their famous river-trips.  Indications are the girls  loved  the tale and were always begging for new instalments, but that Dodgson was less enthusiastic (on one occasion he calls  it the ‘interminable’ Alice’s Adventures, and is peeved because he wants to sing them a new song he just made up instead). At around the same time Alice asks him to write her story down. He promises he will do so.

 Whilst the actual writing of the story would take Dodgson over 6 months to start, the germ of what would become Alice's adventures Underground and, world famous as Alice's adventures in Wonderland, indeed started on these boating trips between friends, the story's episodic structure reflects this, as do the in jokes made for the 4 listeners of the tale. Even if Dodgson was less enamoured with having to continually come back to the Alice story and add extra episodes. The world is forever glad he did! 

(Above: The Three Liddell sisters, 1864, Lorina (seated) Alice (right) and Edith (left) captured in the artwork The Sisters by Sir William Blake Richmond)

Today's recommendation is Alice in Wonderland (1986 BBC) which begins at this very first storytelling boating trip, on the 4th of July. Kate Dorning plays a dual role in this version. She plays both a quiet Alice Liddell, and a delighfully eccentric, wild Alice. For once the two look different, perhaps reflecting that Dodgson never saw his fictional creation as actually being Alice Liddell herself!

Of course Alice160 celebrations will be all year round this year, but the epicentre, as always, is Oxford. Alice's day celebrations are tomorrow there.  If you can't make it, there's a whole list of events worldwide that I've curated here, including at home options. For reading recommendations, I VERY much recommend Macmillan's complete Alice for English language readers, and Jenny Woolf's biography the Mystery of Lewis Carroll (originally published 2010) which is available in English and Japanese editions.

Whichever way you decide to celebrate, have a wonderful July 4th, and July!

All in the golden afternoon (Poem by Lewis Carroll, 1865)

NOTE

This poem is about the boating party in the Summer of 1862. As ever with Dodgson it is laced with a lethal wit. Here Dodgson jokingly identifies himself as the "wary one" the storyteller, Prima is Lorina, Secunda is Alice, and Tertia is Edith. The three Liddell sisters who along with Canon Robinson Duckworth, heard the tale of Alice over the summer. In the poem, they are jokingly referred to as the "cruel three", the people that make the teller of the Alice tale keep going. The "dreamchild" that is in this poem refers to the fictional Alice. Dodgson always took great pains to differentiate the fictional Alice of his stories from his friend Alice Liddell. 

ALL in the golden afternoon

Full leisurely we glide;

For both our oars, with little skill,

By little arms are plied,

While little hands make vain pretence

Our wanderings to guide.

Ah, cruel Three! In such an hour,

Beneath such dreamy weather,

To beg a tale of breath too weak

To stir the tiniest feather!

Yet what can one poor voice avail

Against three tongues together?

Imperious Prima flashes forth

Her edict 'to begin it' -

In gentler tone Secunda hopes

'There will be nonsense in it!' -

While Tertia interrupts the tale

Not more than once a minute.

Anon, to sudden silence won,

In fancy they pursue

The dream-child moving through a land

Of wonders wild and new,

In friendly chat with bird or beast -

And half believe it true.

And ever, as the story drained

The wells of fancy dry,

And faintly strove that weary one

To put the subject by,

"The rest next time -" "It is next time!"

The happy voices cry.

Thus grew the tale of Wonderland:

Thus slowly, one by one,

Its quaint events were hammered out -

And now the tale is done,

And home we steer, a merry crew,

Beneath the setting sun.

Alice! a childish story take,

And with gentle hand

Lay it were Childhood's dreams are twined

In Memory's mystic band,

Like pilgrim's wither'd wreath of flowers

Pluck'd in a far-off land. 

4th of July

(Dodgson's original drawing of the fictional Alice, via British Libary)

Today marks 4th of July 1862, the day that Charles Dodgson, on a whim during a boat trip in Oxford, began telling the story that would become Alice's adventures in Wonderland to Robinson Duckworth, Edith Liddell, Alice Liddell, and Lorina Liddell. The tale continued over subsequent weeks and further into the summer.

(Photo, detail of Christ Church, Oxford, image by Wordlander)

ARTE's documentary which now is uploaded with English subtitles to my Youtube and Archive.org (with thanks to @Hatteriastrange for subbing) goes into this day in more detail :)

Sky Arts's V and A Exhibition documentary is a love letter to Carroll's work, its impact on culture and why it matters

 

"All in the golden afternoon

Full leisurely we glide;

For both our oars, with little skill,

By little arms are plied,

While little hands make vain pretense

Our wanderings to guide."

- Lewis Carroll, frontispiece poem for Alice's adventures in Wonderland, used as the first lines of this documentary.

(Trailer above: click to play)

The V and A documentary Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser (co produced by Trafalgar releasing and Sky Arts UK) is nominally a look around the V and A exhibition of the same name. However the commentary and voices used build it into a much bigger picture: a love letter to Carroll's works and their impact on culture. The piece is presented by Andi Oliver and features heavy contributions from Kate Bailey, who devised the London exhibit. 

Starting in the Victorian era, with the Liddell sisters, Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) and the Alice's adventures Underground manuscript, the documentary charts a path from there to now, across 100 + years of theatre, film, art and fashion. 

The look at Charles Dodgson and his life is beautifully measured and mature, a rarity in any cultural work which speaks about Dodgson (this and the ARTE documentary mesh wonderfully together!) 

Included in this documentary are many impressive rooms and shots from the London exhibition, from a glowing video room comprised entirely of text from Carroll's books, to a seaside pier which slowly changes into the form of Carroll's caterpillar. Sometimes the camera will cut to shots of a little girl dressed as Alice exploring the exhibition rooms in wonder, these parts aren't too intrusive and we get to hear pieces of Carroll's books recited beautifully via a voice over. 

In particular attention is paid to how Alice has been appropriated by various different art movements up to the present day. Here we see art by Max Ernst and Ralph Steadman from the 20th century but also Chris Riddell's recent illustrations.

In a way, this piece argues that Carroll's place in popular culture isn't just a place but a way of thinking. As one contributor says "its a way of life, isn't it?"

Overall, a beautiful documentary which deserves to be seen and a beautiful prosperity recording of a very special exhibition.

• Sky Arts link (UK viewers only)

The new ARTE documentary about Carroll might be the best documentary ever made about this author

Watch this beautiful Documentary here (in French) or here (in german with optional autotranslated english subtitles) 

Unlike other things in the past, ARTE TV very much did their research here, featuring in the documentary prominantly is Oxford based Alice scholar Franziska Kholt and World expert on Lewis Carroll Edward Wakeling. The documentary is mainly about the path from Dodgson telling what would become Alice's adventures in Wonderland to the Liddell sisters and friends to the publishing of the expanded story, and the original draft manuscript eventually being given to Alice Liddell. In particular the documentary elaborates on what this meant for culture. Also features some very beautiful views of Oxford and surrounding places. 

The documentary also dismantles what Leach termed "the carroll myth" and explains why Carroll's reputation soured in the 20th century, a fault that lies with badly informed extremely early psychology hack writers and misunderstandings between the societal treatment of children in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Unfortunately this documentary hasn't quite had an English language release yet (although according to this page, it is coming) but I will update if/when this happens. For now, English language readers will have to autotranslate the youtube subtitles. Not perfect, but hopefully offers some glimpses into how good this piece is. 

Please enjoy :) 

SOURCES:

IMAGES: ARTE distribution DE

Alice's day 2021

Happy Alice's Day 2021!

Above you can watch Chris Riddell's drawing session and talk for the Story Museum which has just premiered on Youtube.

There are also other online events which you can find inside the 2021 programme. 

As always #alice'sday is very active on instagram today and you can catch up with what is happening currently in Oxford there :)

For Portuguese speaking Carrollians, Carrollsday in Brasil is on the 4th of July and an online programme including a talk by Adriana Peliano is available. 

Other suggestions on how to celebrate this day:

Go and watch an alice adaptation, or a film inspired by the Alice books. There are many and can fit most tastes and styles. 

Go and read the Alice books, or other works by Carroll (Link via Phantomwise blog)

Learn about Lewis Carroll (essay by Jenny Woolf) 

Sincerely Yours, Lewis Carroll (2004) is a rare example of biopic depiction of Carroll done right

(Mark Zsifkovitz as Charles Dodgson, AKA Lewis Carroll, still from the film)

My friend Curiouser Archive uploaded a better quality version of the 2004 short film Sincerely Yours, Lewis Carroll recently on Youtube, and every time I watch this film (and yes, I have seen this several times now. I love it that much) I am struck with director and writer's mature approach to the life of Charles Dodgson. It is so far the only decent "biopic" of Lewis Carroll I have seen.

The film takes place a few years before 1862, when Dodgson told the Liddells Alice's adventures Underground. The film tells the story of the year Dodgson first discovered photography and the events in this year. The film does this via Dodgson's own diary excerpts and poems. Unlike other Carroll biopics, this film does not just centre on the Liddells and Alice Liddell. We are given far more insight into Dodgson's life and hobbies than in other fictionalized portrayals. As a result Dodgson feels much more like an actual person here and not a caricature or a monster. By ignoring sensationalist inaccuracies that Leach termed "the Carroll myth" entirely, this film presents a refreshingly realistic and biographically accurate Dodgson. 

 No, its not completely perfect, it could have been a wonderful full length film. No Duckworth, or Dodgson's intellectual adult friends aren't characters. But it is a decent start, and I hope it will inspire other filmmakers and writers to write more accurate portrayals, and look past the temptation to fulfill the myths Dodgson has much been subjected to.

After seeing so many terrible portrayals of Dodgson for my journal article, watching this was like throwing back curtains and letting the light in. 

Highly, highly recommended :) 

Upcoming Film adaptations of Carroll's work...

NOTE: This list does not cover films using Carroll's characters only, so Come Away and Dorothy and Alice are not included.

This list comes with a massive disclaimer, all of these film versions are in production or development, and so some in development stage could still get scrapped!



A list of upcoming film works based on Carroll.

Based on the Alice books:

In the Land of Wonder (في أرض العجائب) 

Director: Nadine Khan (نادين خان) 

Country: Egypt, Sweden

Status: In pre production (as of September 2020) 

Studios: MAD productions, Anagram Sweden, Les Contes Modernes.

Runtime: 80 minutes estimated (via mandy.com) 

A modern adaptation of Lewis Carroll's Alice, transported to Cairo. When ten year old Alice sees the rabbit belonging to her magician father scramble out of the house carrying a watch, she's drawn into a bizarre city which vaguely resembles her home. 

Get Lost

Director: Daniela Amavia

Country: USA

Status: In pre production (as of March 2021)

Studios: Patriot Pictures, Greca Entertainment

Grieving backpacker Alicia is lead into a strange nocturnal version of Budapest after following a young teenager. Currently unknown how Carroll based the film will be. 

Alice

Director: Ross Evans

Country: USA

Status: Script being written (as of January 2021) 

Studios: Netflix, Alloy Productions

Alice stumbles into a world of wonder at a music festival. Currently unknown how Carroll based the film will be. 

Based on the Hunting of the Snark

The Hunting of The Snark 

Director: Simon Davidson

Country: UK

Status: In Post Production (as of December 2020) 

Studios:  Imperious Films

Runtime: 

A crowdfunded adaptation of Lewis Carroll's classic poem about a strange crew who get into an even stranger predicament when they try and hunt the mythical Snark. Includes references to Carroll's other work too. Premiere was set in 2020 but stalled due to coronavirus. 

Based on Sylvie and Bruno

Sylvie and Bruno and Sylvie and Bruno Concluded

Director: Michael Kostelnik

Status: Conceptual phase

Studios: ?

Runtime: ?

Very little about these films (currently at conceptual stage) is known. There is only one entry on IMDB:

Sylvie and her younger brother Bruno escape the repressed Victorian era to explore a world of fantasy and wonderment. 

 If they do make it to production, they would be the first ever adaptations of this notoriously tricky source material. Its currently unknown if the plot will include the real world strand as well as the Outland stories. 

A scribbly biro Lewis Carroll

Art by Rapunzette

Mr Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) by my dear friend Victoria-Westhill 

This drawing reminds me of the great times we all had in the tumblr carrollian community. In fact going through and archiving things on here is quite emotional. I started that blog when I was 17. I'm 23 now. 

Where does the time go? 

Photograph of Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) 

Via my dear friend Victoria-Westhill

New documentary featuring Carroll out in 2020 (by ARTE)

Franziska Kohlt's blog and twitter informs us that there is a new documentary on the way, featuring herself as well as Edward Wakeling. This will air in France and Germany. 

A new series of TV documentaries on famous books and their origins, manuscripts and authors will be hitting the screens in early 2020 – and last week we started filming for the first episode in Oxford, which is about the origins of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – and some, perhaps unexpected, links and sources (including what the University of Oxford’s crest has to do with Alice’s dream)! I am extremely honoured to appear on it as expert alongside collector and Carroll scholar extraordinaire Edward Wakeling.
The documentary will be available on French and German Television, and online after it’s aired, for those elsewhere!

I welcome the idea of a thoroughly researched documentary with world experts and scholars.

However considering the disaster in 2015 with the BBC documentary, I am also extremely nervous. 



As to date there has been no progressive and considerate documentary. I hope ARTE do their research and can present us with a nuanced look at Carroll, his life, and the era he lived in. 

Please. Please.

 

`Stuff and nonsense!' said Alice loudly. `The idea of having the sentence first!'   `Hold your tongue!' said the Queen, turning purple. `I won't!' said Alice. 

Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll's) original illustration of Alice and the Queen of Hearts for Alice's adventures Under Ground/Alice's adventures in Wonderland.

(Image via Alice'sillustratedaventures)

Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) by Freak2maker

The Lewis Carroll Society of the Nethertlands is a thing and I stupidly forgot...

Lewis Carroll Society Netherlands has been active since 2016 and has an apparently excellent journal dodo/Nododo which publishes not only essays, but Carroll style pieces of fiction and puzzles too! 

Their content is normally in both Dutch and English.

Here's a few links: 

Main site

Facebook Page

Twitter

Happy 4th of July!

Happy July the 4th!

Here's some of Dodgson's first sketches for Alice's adventures Underground. 

Summer of  1862. 

Charles Dodgson  is telling the ‘Alice’  story to the three famous sisters, Ina, Alice and Edith Liddell,  while  on their famous river-trips.  Indications are the girls  loved  the tale and were always begging for new instalments, but that Dodgson was less enthusiastic (on one occasion he calls  it the ‘interminable’ Alice’s Adventures, and is peeved because he wants to sing them a new song he just made up instead). At around the same time Alice asks him to write her story down. He promises he will do so.

(Essay quote from Karoline Leach) 

Horrors (Early Carroll Poem)

This is one of my favourite early poems by Carroll. 

Not only does it parody gothic literature, here Carroll hones his dream narrative writing craft. 

A modest start, but it does foreshadow Carroll's later use of dreams quite nicely!

Methought I walked a dismal place

  Dim horrors all around;

The air was thick with many a face,

  And black as night the ground.

I saw a monster come with speed,

  Its face of grimmliest green,

On human beings used to feed,

  Most dreadful to be seen.

I could not speak, I could not fly,

  I fell down in that place,

I saw the monster’s horrid eye

  Come leering in my face!

Amidst my scarcely-stifled groans,

  Amidst my moanings deep,

I heard a voice, 

“Wake! Mr. Jones, 

you’re screaming in your sleep!”

 

I have great respect for many biographers and a high regard for a few. But some just didn't do their homework.

Dodgson himself must take some of the blame. His rigorous attempts to protect his privacy and to shun all forms of publicity made successive generations suspect that he had something to hide - some dark secret that if revealed would tarnish his reputation for ever - some dreadful error of judgement that would cause society to shun him - or some awful characteristic that would repel even the most broad-minded of souls. He had a public name but not a public face.
After his death, the custodians of his literary estate did little to release the truth. They followed the social sensitivities of the late Victorian and early Edwardian age - the private life of Lewis Carroll was not for public consumption. His literary legacy fared badly - many of his papers and personal effects were destroyed in the name of haste and expediency, but other motives were in play. Highly important documents were removed from the scope of future research - his 24 volume letter register containing summaries of all correspondence received and sent since 1860, his complete photographic catalogue of all pictures taken from 1856 to 1880, the drafts and proofs of many publications, and parts of his thirteen volume diary.

So biographers are bereft of key primary source material. But to indulge in highly spurious speculation is not the way forward.

Edward Wakeling, 2003. 

‘Open your mouth, and shut your eyes’ (Edith Mary Liddell; Ina Liddell; Alice Liddell)

July 1860

Wet collodion glass plate negative

10 in. x 8 in. (254 mm x 203 mm)

Lewis Carroll

Via G00melo5artblog

Facts (Early Carroll poem)

Were I to take an iron gun,
And fire it off towards the sun;
I grant ‘twould reach its mark at last,
But not till many years had passed.

But should the bullet change its force,
And to the planets take its course,
'Twould never reach the nearest star,
Because it is so very far.