CHILDREN'S LITERATURE AND LITERARY NONSENSE
IN THE VICTORIAN ERA
Children's literature in the Victorian era was characterised by two main aspects:
His didactic character, and that the main themes of Children's Literature were those of fantasy and adventure.
As people in Europe and American cultures had no need for children's books in the eighteenth century, and this need only arose in the seventeenth century but primarily focused on education, this was, of course, the first time that Children's literature appeared. And, in fact, this was the suitable moment because it was an era in which many movements arose, an era in which the emphasis on refinement, propriety, restraint and sexual prudishness were the values that were being imposed.
It is true that tales for children existed in the beginning of the nineteenth century, but the main problem was that educators, writers and publishers were suspicious about treating these children literature, these tales with pleasure, they were very distrust about these literature for children.
Actually, what is now known about children literature is that people considered that an appropriate reading for children has to be coherent with what a child is, a factor which change from period to period.
Thus, those values of the Victorian era, (specially those of restraint and sexual prudishness) were totally coherent with the Romantic idea that a child must be pure and innocent.
Consequently, moral tales that were being written, were perfect to these ideas of purity and innocence, and educators agreed with these type of children literature, which became as a manner of teaching children the right behavior, how they had to be obedient with his parents and with God.
In the Romantic period the ideal of the child survived to the Victorian era. The Romantic figure of the child was considered by many critics to be present in the works of some Romantic poets and so emerged in England by the hand of William Blake and other Romantic poets as Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. As Peter Coveney stated “ It was Blake who declared the 'vast majority of children to be on the side of Imagination or Spiritual Sensation”. In the case of Wordsworth, he imagined in his The Prelude and Ode: intimations of Inmortality from Recollections of early Childhood that the child is beautiful and pure-hearted but also has special perceptive powers that the adults do not have.
The idea of innocence of the child is also found in many Victorian works. The best example of this is Oliver Twist, the best known work by Charles Dickens, in wich the main theme is a child.
Thus, this image of innocence of children was only available in educational terms, but not in terms of enjoyful literature. Then, when started to emerge the kind of Children's Literature in which the main theme was the fantasy or adventures of a child? It can be considered that it started when many tales were printed, as those of the Grimm brothers among others, but this re-printed books were not addressed in the didactic literature, although were far of the fantasy themes. It was in the 1860's when this type of literature for children, far of that of didactic literature, became gradually more and more normal.
But without any doubt, Lewis Carroll was the major exponent of Children's Literature with his Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and all his works in which the central themes were fantasy, adventures...
LEWIS CARROLL
Lewis Carroll, whose real and complete name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, was the major exponent Children's Literature and Literary Nonsense.
This controversial author, famous by his writings Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass as well as The Hunting Snark and Jabberwocky, was also a logician, mathematician, Anglican Clergyman and photographer.
Since his childhood he demonstrated a precocious mind and at the age of 7 he was reading The Pilgrim's Progress.
Carroll used fantasy to question the way in which people in the Victorian era thought.
But his literature was far from didactical purpose, and thus it did not try to teach a moral message as in the previous literature for children.
Carroll had a privileged mind, although he had always had many difficulties which troubled in a great manner Carroll's childhood and his career in education.
One of these difficulties was his suffering from stammer. However, in spite of his stammer, Carroll spoke easily with children, whom he loved very much and dedicated his life to photograph them. This was very different when he was in company of adults, with whom he spoke with much difficulties.
His love to children (and specially to young girls) has been the central theme in many critical works, and yet many critics affirmed that he didn't have an active adult social life.
However, one of the best known works about Lewis Carroll “Carroll Myth”, written by Karoline Leach have tried to demonstrate that this image of Carroll's social life was false and that he did enjoy a very active adult social life.
HIS DEVOTION FOR CHILDREN: THEORIES OF PAEDOPHILIA
As Carroll's literature and photography was dedicated to children, and his friendships were only with young girls, this has led to the theory that Carroll was a paedophile; in addition to this, the fact that he was not interested in adult women, has made stronger the idea that his interest in child was not only artistic.
Anthony Goldschmidt was an student who made possible the existence of Carroll as sexual deviant.
Goldschmidt studied from a psycho-analystic point of view Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and stated that the opening section of Wonderland was a kind of cryptic message from Lewis Carroll's subsconcious. The events that appeared in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland were symbols which led to the real author's mind, with the author's subsconcious.
Some of this sexual interpretations made by Goldschmidt, are, for example that, in the fall down the rabbit hole, which he interpreted as a symbol of sexual penetration or another sexual interpretation is that when Alice selects the little door instead of the big, she is choosing to copulate with a female child instead of an adult woman.
He continued to state:
“ It is difficult to hold that his interest in children was inspired by a love of childhood in general, and in any case based on a mental rather than physical attraction, in view of two facts: that he detested little boys...and that his friendship almost invariably ended with the close of childhood.”(Phillips,ed.,331)
The seminal article of Goldschmidt ( which was influenced by his studies of Freud) has led to many different interpretations , interpretations of all kind, that are not based in anything.
By the other hand, it has been stated that Carroll had no adult life at all, because Dodgson's diary contained “no evidence of any love affair”.
ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND AND THE IDENTITY OF ALICE
In 1856 Henry Liddell, arrived at Christ Church in which Carroll spent many years of his life, bringing with him his family. This family would be of a great importance in the life and the career of Lewis Carroll. Dodgson's became close friends with Liddell's wife and specially with their three daughters: Lorina, Edith and Alice Liddell.
It has been supposed that Alice, the main character of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, was based in Alice Liddell, the daughter of Henry Liddell. But this another theory that is not based in anything.
For example, it's pointed out that Dodgson always denied that the main character of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was based in any real child.
However it is true that the Liddell's family were important in reference to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Carroll often took the children on rowing trips to nearby Nuneham Courtenay or Godstow.
In one of those trips, on July 4, 1862, Dodgson invented the story of the work that would became the most important for Children's Literature. He told the story to the young Alice Liddell and she was who encouraged him to write it down.
So after these trip, Dodgson decided to write the story, and so he made. He presented her with a handwritten, illustrated manuscript entitled Alice's Adventures Under Ground in November 1864.
In 1865 the work was finally published with the title of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, but many other titles before this had been rejected: as those of Alice among the Fairies and Alice's Golden Hour.
He didn't put his real name Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, but he wouldn't put his pen name Lewis Carroll by which he would be best known for the rest of his life and nowadays.
In addtion to this, his “alter ego” was spread and he was not only recognized by this pen name but also he would gained many fans around the world, and became rich.
But it is still an object of interest by many authors and critics wether the main character of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is based in Alice Liddell.
Becker Lennon, an American literature figure and a talented writer, recognised the power of Carroll's mythological significance. But Lennon also made a analysis of Alice Liddell, the little girl who had inspired Carroll.
Lennon suggested that the relationship with Alice Liddell was the romantic relationship that had been for Dodgson the nearest thing to a sexual passion he ever knew and that Carroll fell in love with her...
By the other hand L. Taylor wrote in his The White Knight:
“There is no doubt in my mind that Dodgson was in some sense in love with his heroine or that the breakdown in their relationship which occurred as Alice grew up was the real disappointment of his life.”[Alexander L.Taylor, The White Knight (Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd, 1952) Preface, p.V]
These two theories of both Lennon and Taylor had no support and were not influential in Carroll's scholarship.
It has been clear that many theories about Carroll's life and his relationship with Alice Liddell have led to many theories that hasn't been proved to be true, and obviously it would be impossible to quote all the authors and critics, and all the works that had made suggestions of Carroll's life. The sure thing is that Lewis Carroll has been a very controversial author and that he has become an eternal figure in English Literature, but above all in Children's Literature.
ANALYSIS OF A PIECE OF ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND
As it has been said, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is one of the most representative works of Children's Literature. Here, I am going to make an analysis of a piece of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
There was a table set out under a tree in front of the house, and the March Hare and the Hatter were having tea at it: a Dormouse was sitting between them, fast asleep, and the other two were using it as a cushion, resting their elbows on it, and talking over its head. `Very uncomfortable for the Dormouse,' thought Alice; `only, as it's asleep, I suppose it doesn't mind.'
The table was a large one, but the three were all crowded together at one corner of it: `No room! No room!' they cried out when they saw Alice coming. `There's plenty of room!' said Alice indignantly, and she sat down in a large arm-chair at one end of the table.
Mad Tea Party
`Have some wine,' the March Hare said in an encouraging tone.
Alice looked all round the table, but there was nothing on it but tea. `I don't see any wine,' she remarked.
`There isn't any,' said the March Hare.
`Then it wasn't very civil of you to offer it,' said Alice angrily.
`It wasn't very civil of you to sit down without being invited,' said the March Hare.
`I didn't know it was your table,' said Alice; `it's laid for a great many more than three.'
`Your hair wants cutting,' said the Hatter. He had been looking at Alice for some time with great curiosity, and this was his first speech.
`You should learn not to make personal remarks,' Alice said with some severity; `it's very rude.'
The Hatter opened his eyes very wide on hearing this; but all he said was, `Why is a raven like a writing-desk?'
`Come, we shall have some fun now!' thought Alice. `I'm glad they've begun asking riddles.--I believe I can guess that,' she added aloud.
`Do you mean that you think you can find out the answer to it?' said the March Hare.
`Exactly so,' said Alice.
`Then you should say what you mean,' the March Hare went on.
`I do,' Alice hastily replied; `at least--at least I mean what I say--that's the same thing, you know.'
`Not the same thing a bit!' said the Hatter. `You might just as well say that "I see what I eat" is the same thing as "I eat what I see"!'
This belongs to Chapter 7 of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
Alice finds the March Hare, the Hatter, and the Dormouse sitting together in a large table which is under a tree and in front of the house. The March Hare and the Hatter having tea, while the Dormouse is asleep.
When Alice arrives they are in one corner of the table, and they are disagreeable with the idea of Alice's joining, and they cried to Alice No room! No room!
They have a very absurd and confusing conversation, and they are all the time contradicting the words of Alice.
Although they are not agree with the joining of Alice, she sits in the same table.
When she sits, the March Hare replied to her about sitting on the table without being invited. Then, she replied to him about offering wine when there isn't any wine. The conversation begins to be very puzzling.
What can be said about this scene, is that the logic/illogic of the March Hare reveals the peculiarities of language. This conversation shows the talent of Carroll in using the language. It is very interesting the way in which Carroll resorts to word games and to puzzles, and by the other hand, this use of language makes the scene very funny.
In addition to this, what is also remarkable is that this combination on the use of the language, is a perfect mixture of sentences with sense and nonsense.
This chapter, as well as all the chapters of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland are full of fantastic creatures, adventures, and very humorous incidents that makes Carroll's best known work a very enjoyable literature not only for child but also for adults.
LITERARY NONSENSE
Lewis Carroll was not only the major exponent of Children's Literature, but also of Literary Nonsense. In fact, all his works contain traces of Literary Nonsense, and in Carroll's literature both Children's Literature and Literary Nonsense are intrinsically linked.
As a definition, the term Literary Nonsense refers to a genre of literature, used in both poetry and prose, that combines sense and nonsense elements to create an effect of confusion and humor in the readers. Some technniques used to create Literary Nonsense are, for example, neologism and faulty cause and effect. Thus, what a text needs to be within the genre of Literary Nonsense is the abundance of nonsense technniques that tend to overshadow the host genre. If the text have only occasional nonsense technniques, then it is not considered as Literary Nonsense.
As the effect of nonsense is to create humorous literature, Literary Nonsense in the nineteenth century has been written for children, but also for adults.
Literary Nonsense has its roots in two major branches:
the folk tradition, through folktales, drama, games, songs and games.
The intellectual absurdities of court poets, scholars, and intellectuals
Nonsense may be used in that literature in which appears fantastic creatures, talking animals, magic,etc...but these elements typical of Children's Literature are not nonsensical by themselves.
The most known nonsensical poems of Lewis Carroll are The Hunting of the Snark and Jabberwocky, this last included in the sequel of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass.
JABBERWOCKY
|
'Twas brillig, and the slithy
toves "Beware the Jabberwock, my
son! He took his vorpal sword in
hand: And, as in uffish thought he
stood, One two! One two! And through and
through "And hast thou slain the
Jabberwock? 'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves |
The poem Jabberwocky was published in 1855 in a comic-magazine. The story is about a boy who went into the forest, searching the green pigs which ran away. Before entering the forest, his father adivised him of the creature that is in it. But when the boy enters the forest,
he find the jabberwocky and has to fight the enormous creature. The boy defeat the jabberwocky and return home with the head of the creature with him.
This poem is a ballad that has seven four-line stanzas, the first stanza is repeated at the end. The poem has many nonsensical elements which makes it humorous though confusing.
In spite of this, the main theme of the poem – describing the passage in which the boy enters the forest and fight with the jabberwocky- is easily recognisable. But it is also true, that Carroll's invented words in the poem, makes the reading more confusing and chaotic.
Carroll use of metaphors is very complex in the poem and it has been many suggestions about the meaning of various words.
In reference to the invented words of the author, it is very interesting and remarkable the combination of two existed words to create a new one.
Bibliography
1. Taylor, Alexander. The White Knight. Edinburgh: Oliver& Boyd,1952.
Webliography