alice's adventures in wonderland (2012) program - Music Center

LEWIS CARROLL:
An Unconventional Character
12 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
left: Lewis Carrol at age 23.
right: Jillian Vanstone in Alice’s
Adventures in Wonderland,
photo by Cylla von Tiedemann,
courtesy of The National Ballet
of Canada
By Jenny Woolf
Alice’s curious adventures down the rabbit hole have intrigued readers ever
since they first appeared in 1865, and ‘Lewis Carroll’—whose real name was
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson—was a fascinating man.
A mass of self-contradictions, he was
prim yet broadminded, solemn yet
teasing, a natural performer who hoped
for fame yet shunned it when it came.
His father, a clergyman, had planned a conventional life for
him. As the eldest son of 11 children, young Charles always
knew that he would eventually become head of the family,
responsible for the welfare of his three younger brothers and
seven sisters, and he would also be expected to follow in his
father’s footsteps at Christ Church, Oxford. He was apparently
happy to accept these responsibilities, for his family
mattered to him a great deal. He did not attend school until
he was 12 years old, but the Dodgsons’ rural home was lively,
happy and affectionate, and it provided him with a secure
background. Equally importantly, it offered full rein to his gift
for entertaining children. Throughout his childhood, Charles
tirelessly created games for his band of brothers and sisters,
nursed and amused them when they were ill, and devised a
stream of funny stories, poems, puzzles, magic and puppetshows
to make them laugh. By the time he took up his college
existence, telling jokes and stories to children had become
part of the person he was.
In those early Christ Church days, Dean Liddell’s young
children seem to have become almost a substitute family for
him. He became friends first with Harry, the eldest, then with
the next three: Lorina, Alice and Edith. He looked after them,
sang with them, told them stories, took them out, created
games with them and helped them with their projects, just as
he had done with his own brothers and sisters. Perhaps their
company also offered him some emotional relief, for in some
ways Christ Church life did not suit him very well. Although
he was clever and conscientious, he could not keep order, and
he had problems tutoring wealthy and undisciplined young
men who ridiculed his stammer and did not want to learn.
He coped with his social difficulties by developing a solemn,
chilly public image that kept others at bay. This facade was
so successful that many colleagues who lived alongside him
for years hardly knew of his startling originality, subversive
humour or wide range of artistic interests. Although his
subject was mathematics, he owned hundreds of books of
poetry, myth, legend and magic, as well as a collection of toys
and fancy dresses. He was a keen photographer, and he was
passionate about the dazzle and glitter of the theatre.
continued on page 12 >
PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE 13