Alice in Wonderland interesting facts. Alice in the Wonderland. Interesting facts about the film "Alice in Wonderland". The Mad Hatter might not have existed at all without the persistence of children


Was born Dodgson January 27, 1832 in the English village of Daresbury, in Cheshire. He was the eldest child in the family of the parish priest, who besides Charlie had seven more daughters and three sons. All 11 children received home education, the father himself taught them the law of God, literature and the basics natural sciences, “biography” and “chronology”. Charles, as the eldest, was sent to Richmond Grammar School. After six months of study, Dodgson managed to enter Rugby School, where teachers noticed in the boy a penchant for theology and mathematics.

After 18-year-old Charlie entered Christ Church College, Oxford University, his whole life was connected with Oxford. The young man graduated with honors from the Faculty of Mathematics and the Faculty of Classical Languages, and after graduation he was offered to stay at Oxford and teach. Charles hesitated a little - after all, in those days, to obtain the position of professor, the priesthood was necessary. However, Dodgson quickly resigned himself, and even managed to take the rank of deacon, until university rules changed and taking holy orders became optional.

In Oxford, Dodgson lived in a small house with turrets. His rooms were littered with drawings (he drew well and illustrated his own handwritten journals). A little later, he became acquainted with the art of photography and fell in love with the play of light and shadow for the rest of his life. He bought a camera and equipped a real photo workshop in his house.

Dodgson loved children very much. He had 10 younger brothers and the sisters with whom he had to tinker. As a boy, he began to invent small poems and fairy tales for them. Such affection for young children, especially girls, could not help but lead to accusations of pedophilia. Of Dodgson's childhood friends, the most famous were those with whom he had been friends since his youth - these were the children of the dean of his college, Liddell: Harry, Lorina, Alice (Alice), Rhoda, Edith and Violet. He came up with all sorts of funny stories for them and tried in every possible way to entertain his friends. Charles's favorite, of course, was Alice, who became the main character of these short stories. One day Dodgson arranged a boat ride on the Thames for the Liddell girls. This time he told the most amazing and exciting story, and Alice was so delighted with it that she asked to write down the whole adventure on paper. Dodgson added a few more amazing stories and took the book to the publisher. This is how the well-known "Alice in Wonderland". The book was published in 1965, and Lewis Carroll kept coming up with ideas amazing stories about Alice. Six years later (in 1871), the stories accumulated for another book, which was published just in time for Christmas. New fairy tale It was called "Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Seen There". Amazing, philosophical and complex tales about Alice were enjoyed by both children and adults. They are quoted, referred to by philologists and physicists, and studied by philosophers and linguists, psychologists and mathematicians. Many articles have been written about Carroll's tales, scientific works and books, and illustrations for his books were drawn by hundreds of artists, including. Now Alice's adventures have been translated into more than approximately 100 languages.

On the writer's birthday "Evening Moscow" brings to your attention a selection of interesting facts from his biography.

1. After reading “Alice in Wonderland” and “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” Queen Victoria was delighted and demanded that the rest of the works of this wonderful author be brought to her. The queen's request, of course, was fulfilled, but the rest of Dodgson's works were entirely devoted to... mathematics. The most famous books- this is “Algebraic analysis of the fifth book of Euclid” (1858, 1868), “Notes on algebraic planimetry” (1860), “Elementary guide to the theory of determinants” (1867), “Euclid and his modern rivals” (1879), “Mathematical curiosities " (1888 and 1893) and "Symbolic Logic" (1896).

2. B English speaking countries Carroll's tales rank third among the most cited books. The first place was taken by the Bible, the second by the works of Shakespeare.

3. The first Oxford edition of "Alice in Wonderland" was completely destroyed at the request of the author. Carroll did not like the quality of the publication. At the same time, the writer was not at all interested in the quality of publication in other countries, for example, in America. In this matter, he completely relied on the publishers.

4. In Victorian England, being a photographer was not at all easy. The process of photographing was unusually complex and labor-intensive: photographs had to be taken at extremely high shutter speeds, on glass plates coated with collodion solution. After shooting, the plates had to be developed very quickly. Dodgson's talented photographs remained unknown to the general public for a long time, but in 1950 the book "Lewis Carroll - Photographer" was published.

5. During one of Carroll's lectures, one of the students had an epileptic attack, and Carroll was able to help. After this incident, Dodgson became seriously interested in medicine, and he acquired and studied dozens of medical reference books and books. To test his endurance, Charles attended an operation where a patient's leg was amputated above the knee. His passion for medicine did not go unnoticed - in 1930, the Lewis Carroll Children's Department was opened at St. Mary's Hospital.

6. In Victorian England, a child under 14 was considered asexual and asexual. But communication between an adult man and a young girl could ruin her reputation. Many researchers believe that because of this, girls underestimated their age when talking about their friendship with Dodgson. The innocence of this friendship can also be judged by Carroll’s correspondence with his older girlfriends. Not a single letter hints at any love feelings from the writer's side. On the contrary, they contain discussions about life and are completely friendly in nature.

7. Researchers cannot say exactly what kind of person Lewis Carroll was in life. On the one hand, he had a hard time making friends, and his students considered him the most boring teacher in the world. But other researchers say that Carroll was not shy at all and consider the writer a famous ladies' man. They believe that relatives simply did not like to mention it.

8. Lewis Carroll loved to write letters. He even shared his thoughts in the article "Eight or Nine words of wisdom about how to write letters." And at the age of 29, the writer started a journal in which he recorded all incoming and outgoing correspondence. Over 37 years, 98,921 letters were registered in the journal.

9. In addition to being accused of pedophilia, Lewis Carroll was a suspect in the case of Jack the Ripper, a serial killer who was never caught.

10. Unknown exact date that memorable boat ride on the Thames during which Carroll told his story about Alice. It is generally accepted that “Golden July Noon” is July 4, 1862. However, the Journal of the English Royal Meteorological Society reports that on July 4, 1862, 3 cm of rain fell per day from 10:00 am, with the main amount falling from 2:00 pm late at night.

11. To the real Alice Liddell had to sell the first handwritten version of Alice's Adventures Underground for £15,400 in 1928. She had to do this because she had nothing to pay for the house.

12. There is Alice in Wonderland syndrome. During an acute attack certain type migraines, people feel themselves or surrounding objects disproportionately small or large and cannot determine the distance to them. These sensations can be accompanied by a headache or occur independently, and the attack can last for months. In addition to migraines, Alice in Wonderland syndrome can be caused by a brain tumor or taking psychotropic drugs.

13. Charles Dodgson suffered from insomnia. Trying to escape from sad thoughts and fall asleep, he invented mathematical puzzles and solved them himself. Carroll published his “midnight tasks” as a separate book.

14. Lewis Carroll spent a whole month in Russia. He was, after all, a deacon, and at that time the Orthodox and Anglican churches were trying to establish strong contacts. Together with his theologian friend Lyddon, he met with Metropolitan Philaret in Sergiev Posad. In Russia, Dodgson visited St. Petersburg, Sergiev Posad, Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod, and found the journey exciting and educational.

15. Carroll had two passions - photography and theater. He, being famous writer, personally attended the rehearsals of his fairy tales, showing a deep understanding of the laws of the stage.

  1. On July 4, 1862, a professor of mathematics at one of Oxford colleges, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (real name of Lewis Carroll), his colleague Duckworth and the three young daughters of the rector Liddell went on a boat trip along the Thames. Throughout the day, while the walk lasted, Dodgson, at the request of the girls, told them a story he made up as he walked. Its characters were the participants of the walk, including the professor’s favorite, 10-year-old Alice Liddell. She liked the story so much that she begged Dodgson to write it down, which he did the very next day.
  2. However, it took the busy professor two and a half years to fully record the story. He gave the green leather book with neat handwritten text to Alice as a Christmas present in 1864. The story was called "Alice's Adventures Underground" and contained only four chapters. Today it is kept in the British Library in London.
  3. A chance meeting at a party with the publisher Alexander Macmillan made it possible to realize Dodgson's dream of publishing Alice. However, first of all he needed to find good illustrator. He managed to get the famous John Tenniel. It is his black and white illustrations for “Alice” that are considered classic today, and the image of Alice with long blond hair is canonical.
  4. When choosing the color for the cover of Alice, Dodgson chose a clean, bright red. He found it most attractive to children. This color became the standard color for editions of Alice and other books by Carroll in England.
  5. Macmillan's publisher, The Claredon Press of Oxford, printed two thousand copies of the book - what we would now call the first printing - but it never went on sale. Illustrator Tenniel was extremely dissatisfied with the quality of the print, and Dodgson made a concession to him. He even recalled with apologies the 50 copies that he managed to send to friends. A new edition was printed in another printing house, and this time Tenniel was satisfied. The reprint, however, cost Dojoson a pretty penny - according to his agreement with MacMillan, the author covered all expenses. For a 33-year-old Oxford professor with a modest income, the decision was no easy task.
  6. Today any copy of that first edition costs thousands of pounds. The fate of these books, however, is quite vague. Currently, only 23 surviving copies are known, which have ended up in the collections of libraries, archives and private individuals.
  7. First Russian edition"Alice in Wonderland" was called "Sonya in the Kingdom of the Diva." It was printed in 1879 in the printing house of A.I. Mamontov in Moscow, without indicating the author or translator. Russian reviewers found the book strange and pointless.
  8. There are about 40 film adaptations of the book "Alice in Wonderland". The first film adaptation was staged in 1903. Dumb black and white film lasted approximately 10-12 minutes and included special effects, quite high level for that time - for example, Alice shrank and grew while in a dollhouse.
  9. One of the first cartoons based on the book is “Alice in Wonderland,” drawn by the Disney studio in 1951. The project was in development for about 10 years, and its production took another five. And for good reason – this colorful and lively cartoon is still popular today. The Russian cartoon about Alice, which is in no way inferior in its artistic qualities to the American one, was created at the Kyiv Film Studio of Popular Science Films in 1981 (directed by Efrem Pruzhansky).
  10. Last film today, based on "Alice in Wonderland" - a 2010 film directed by Tim Burton and starring Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. Is not classical production, but rather an interpretation of the book. Modern computer graphics made it possible to create a colorful and frightening Wonderland, almost as absurd as Carroll's.

On July 4, 1865, the first edition of Lewis Carroll's book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was published.

"Alice in Wonderland" is probably one of the most famous works in the world. Meanwhile, main character the story was quite real prototype, Alice Liddell. While telling her fairy tales, Lewis Carroll wrote his famous work.

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The Real Alice from Wonderland, photograph by Lewis Carroll, England, 1862.

Alice Liddell lived a long and happy life. At the age of 28, she married Reginald Hargreaves, a professional cricketer for Hampshire, and had three sons. Unfortunately, both of the elders, Alan Niveton Hargreaves and Leopold Reginald "Rex" Hargreaves, died in the First World War. Alice died at her home in Westerham in 1934, aged 82.

The tale was originally called Alice's Adventures Underground, and a handwritten copy of it, given to Alice by Lewis Carroll, was sold for £15,400 to Eldridge R. Johnson, one of the founders of the Victor Talking Machine Company, in 1926.

Adult Alice from Through the Looking Glass.

After Johnson's death, the book was purchased by a consortium of American bibliophiles. Today the manuscript is kept in the British Library.

Alice Liddell, photograph by unknown photographer.

Alice was 80 years old when, while on a visit to the United States, she met Peter Llewelyn Davies, the one who inspired J. M. Barrie's famous work Peter Pan.

Alice Liddell Hargreaves Pleasence in old age, 1932

The minor planet 17670 Liddell is named in honor of Alice Liddell.

The last page of L. Carroll's original manuscript of Alice's Adventures Underground.

Some more rare original photographs real Alice from Wonderland.

Alice Liddell (right) with her sisters, photograph by Lewis Carroll, 1859

Greg Hildenbrandt © kinopoisk.ru

Today, July 4th , Book lovers around the world are celebrating the birthday of the legendary adventure story "Alice in Wonderland." On this day, more than 150 years ago, the first edition was printed and presented at the British publishing house Macmillan. legendary book Lewis Carroll. This fairy tale story has become a real legend, a favorite book of millions of readers. We invite you to learn interesting facts about your favorite book, as well as remember catchphrases.

Lewis Carroll © vk.com

The tale of the travels of the girl Alice in an amazing Wonderland was written by the English mathematician Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. In 1862, during a picnic, Charles began to tell a fictitious fairy tale to Alice Liddell, the daughter of the dean of Christ Church College in Oxford, where Carroll taught mathematics. The ten-year-old girl was so carried away by the fairy tale that she began to persuade the narrator to write down the story. Dodgson followed the advice and, under the name of Lewis Carroll, wrote the book “Alice in Wonderland,” which was published exactly three years after the fateful picnic. It was destined to become one of the most popular books of all time, captivated by both adults and children for many years.

© Disney, kinopoisk.ru

The book "Alice in Wonderland" has been translated into 125 languages. But the translators had to work hard on the text. The fact is that if you translate the fairy tale literally, then all the humor and all the charm created by the author disappears. The original version has a lot of puns and witticisms based on the features in English.

© kinopoisk.ru

"Alice in Wonderland" has been filmed 40 times including animated versions. The first film adaptation was filmed in 1903. Just a few years after Carroll's death, directors Cecil Hepworth and Percy Stove made a 12-minute film based on the story. At that time - the beginning of the century - it was the longest film shot in Great Britain.

© kinopoisk.ru

It is interesting that in the first version of the tale there were no such bright characters, like the Hatter and the Cheshire Cat.

In one of the most popular translations The Hatter was called the Hatter. All this is because in English “hatter” meant not only “hatter”. This word was used to describe people who do everything wrong. The British even have a saying: “Mad as a hatter.”

© Salvador Dalli, instagram

There are more than a million paintings created by artists from all over the world, depicting episodes from the legendary fairy tale. Salvador Dali painted 13 watercolors for different situations from book.

The poem "Jabberwocky", which is included in the fairy tale "Alice in Wonderland", consists almost entirely of non-existent words. However, these words obey the laws of English - and are very similar to real ones.

© kinopoisk.ru

Top 10 best quotes from the book "Alice in Wonderland":

  1. You know, one of the biggest losses in battle is losing your head.
  2. Tomorrow never happens today! Is it possible to wake up in the morning and say: “Well, it’s finally tomorrow”?
  3. The best way to explain is to do it yourself.
  4. If every person minded his own business, the Earth would spin faster.
  5. Mustard makes you sad, onions make you cunning, wine makes you feel guilty, and baking makes you feel better. What a pity that no one knows about this... Everything would be so simple. If only you could eat the baked goods, you’ll be fine!
  6. The more you learn right away, the less you suffer afterwards.
  7. You are beautiful. All that's missing is a smile.
  8. Don't be sad. Sooner or later everything will become clear, everything will fall into place and line up as one beautiful diagram like lace. It will become clear why everything was needed, because everything will be right.
  9. I've seen cats without smiles, but a smile without a cat...
  10. Alice was surprised that she was not surprised, but the amazing day had just begun and there was nothing surprising in the fact that she had not yet begun to be surprised.

© instagram

Exactly 155 years ago - July 4, 1862 - during a picnic, Charles Dodgson took a walk with three Liddell girls. Then an unknown mathematics teacher told them a story about the adventures of a little girl who ran after a rabbit to Wonderland. One of Dean Liddell's daughters, 10-year-old Alice, began to insist that he write down the whole story. Dodgson followed the advice and wrote the book Alice in Wonderland under the name of Lewis Carroll. Thus was born a wonderful fairy tale, on which not a single generation of children grew up.

Here are some interesting facts about the famous book.


Its first edition was completely destroyed, because... the author was not very pleased with her. By the way, many well-loved characters were not originally in “Alice”. One of these is the Cheshire Cat. The working title of the work was “Alice's Adventures Underground.”

The story of Alice's adventures brought him incredible popularity during Lewis Carroll's lifetime. The book has been filmed more than 40 times. In addition, several computer games have been created based on the fairy tale.

The book has been translated into 125 languages ​​of the world. And it wasn't that easy. The thing is that if you translate the fairy tale literally, then all the humor and all its charm are lost - there are too many puns and witticisms based on the peculiarities of the English language. Therefore, the greatest success was not the translation of the book, but the retelling of Boris Zakhoder. In total, there are about 13 options for translating the fairy tale into Russian. Moreover, in the first version, created by an anonymous translator, the book was called “Sonya in the Kingdom of the Diva.” The next translation appeared almost 30 years later, and the cover read “Anya’s Adventures in the World of Wonders.” And Boris Zakhoder admitted that he considered the name “Aliska in Wonderland” to be more appropriate, but decided that the public would not appreciate such a title.



The prototype of the book Alice was Alice Liddell, with whose family Carroll communicated. This fact is indicated on her memorial plaque. She lived a long and happy life. At the age of 28, she married a professional cricketer for Hampshire and had three sons. Unfortunately, both eldest sons died in the First World War. Alice died at the age of 82.

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