Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass are two of the most famous fantasies in world literature, and yet their roots are firmly in nineteenth century and the university city of Oxford, England.
Oxford's, streets, colleges and buildings, the River Thames, and the villages on its banks, are imbued with literally hundreds of intricate connections to the books. Their author, Charles Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll, spent most of his life as an academic at Christ Church, one of the largest and oldest of the Oxford colleges. His muse, Alice Liddell, who is the thinly-disguised Alice of the books, was the daughter of the Dean of Christ Church, and lshe lived there as she was growing up. The 'Alice' books began as stories told to Alice and her sisters, and Dodgson incorporated local people, places, and events that they would recognise. But as the books grew, he included a much wider range of satire and caricature, until Oxford itself became an eccentric Wonderland.
This book, a guide and a history, explores the city, the colleges, and the river that Alice and Lewis Carroll knew and shared, in all their eccentric and entertaining glory.
By:
Peter Hunt
Imprint: Bodleian Library
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 198mm,
Width: 129mm,
ISBN: 9781851246298
ISBN 10: 1851246290
Pages: 120
Publication Date: 24 April 2025
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming
About this book Before we begin: ‘Dodgson’ and ‘Carroll’ Alice, Charles and Oxford The real Alice: what Alice would have known What Charles Dodgson knew and what Lewis Carroll wrote The Alice of Wonderland and Looking-Glass The books and this book The curious case of John Tenniel The City Ashmolean Museum Oxford Botanic Garden – and other Gardens High Street: a bank, marmalade, two (or three) hatters and an hotel 92–4 The Old Bank and the mysterious Mr Forster 83–4 The marmalade makers 48–9 The mad High Street hatter 22 Yet another hatter 17–18 The Mitre: a most distinguished establishment Museum of Natural History: a rabbit, a dodo and a fish Pembroke College and a bat The railway comes to Oxford The other railways The paper house An invisible uncle St Aldate’s: Alice’s Shop and a sheep Trinity College and a duck Christ Church Cathedral windows: legend, tragedy and a cat Chapter House door and Queen Alice Christ Church Meadow and the way to the river Deanery garden: Alice’s world Great Hall and Alice’s neck Tom Quad and the writing of Alice Tom Tower and Great Tom: time matters The River Folly Bridge Upstream Binsey, a dormouse, and a well Godstow and some wel traps Port Meadow Downstream Iffley Nuneham Sandford
Peter Hunt is Professor Emeritus in Children's Literature at Cardiff University and Adjunct Professor at Dublin City University.
