COVE

“Lewis Carroll” photograph by himself, 1856, Wikipedia. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (1832-1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an Aanglican deacon, photographer, mathematician and author best known for his groundbreaking story, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.(1865) Born in Daresbury, Cheshire, England, Carroll grew up in a devoutly religious household, the eldest son of 11 children. This upbringing set the stage for him to have a facility for storytelling and entertaining young readers. In this self-portrait, Carroll is seen reading a book, an authentic display of his academic prowess. Carroll’s formal education included studying mathematics at Christ's Church, Oxford. He excelled and later became a mathematical lecturer. Carroll also discovered his love for photography around this time, and began taking portraits of the Liddell family, whose father, Henry, was the dean of Christ's Church. Alice Liddell served as the inspiration for his titular character Alice, in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland,  although some modern day scholars are skeptical as to the nature of their relationship. Lewis wrote multiple mathematics books, some of his work still being relevant in the field in modern day. Lewis Carroll implemented his passion of entertainment, and childlike wonder into his writing as is evident in the Alice series. By embracing fantasy and mastering the use of nonsensical language, Carroll was pivotal in children’s literature progressing from didactic teachings of the  Victorian era to captivating tales of entertaining characters and far away places. Carroll’s work has never gone out of print and continues to impact generations to this day.