ENDURING, ENDEARING NONSENSE by Andrew Green Did you read and enjoy Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland books as a child? Or better still, did you have someone read them to you? Perhaps you discovered them as an adult or, forbid the thought, maybe you haven't discovered them at all! Those who have journeyed Through the Looking Glass generally love (or shun) the tales for their unparalleled sense of nonsense . Public interest in thebooks--from the time they were published more than acentury ago--has almost been matched by curiosity abouttheir author. Many readers are surprised to learn that theMad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat and a host of other absurdand captivating creatures sprung from the mind of CharlesLutwidge Dodgson, a shy, stammering Oxford mathematicsprofessor. Dodgson was a deacon in his church, an inventor,and a noted children's photographer. Wonderland, and thusthe seeds of his unanticipated success as a writer, appearedquite casually one day as he spun an impromptu tale toamuse the daughters of a colleague during a picnic. One ofthese girls was Alice Liddell, who insisted that he write thestory down for her, and who served as the model for theheroine. Dodgson eventually sought to publish the first bookon the advice of friends who had read and loved the littlehandwritten manuscript he had given to Alice Liddell. Heexpanded the story considerably and engaged the servicesof John Tenniel, one of the best known artists in England, toprovide illustrations. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland andits sequel Through The Looking Glass were enthusiasticallyreceived in their own time, and have since becomelandmarks in childrens' literature. What makes thesenonsense tales so durable? Aside from the immediate appealof the characters, their colourful language, and thesometimes hilarious verse ("Twas brillig, and the slithytoves/did gyre and gimble in the wabe:") the narrative workson many levels. There is logical structure, in the relationship...
