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Francene--Blog. Year 2014

Even historical figures complained about notoriety.

3/20/2014

12 Comments

 
Picturemoviecitynews.com
A letter from the author Charles Dodgson, in which he complains about the downside of fame, has sold for £11,825 at auction. The famous author of Alice in Wonderland used the writer name Louis Carroll.

He states a dislike of being pointed out to, and stared at, by strangers. "I hate all that so intensely that sometimes I almost wish I had never written any books at all," the handwritten letter he sent to his friend Anne Symonds in 1891 reads. This, thirty years after his original idea.

Most of us have no experience of notoriety although we read about how celebrities are hounded and stalked. I have a feeling of being watched every day—no, I'm not famous. On my afternoon walk up and down the hill outside my house, cars, busses and trucks are constant presences, sometimes idling, or more likely roaring by. No longer beautiful, I struggle along with a crooked leg, supported by the handgrips on my rollator. I hate the fact that hundreds of pairs of eyes watch my every move and probably make derogatory comments. Just imagine what it must be like for famous people. Cameras would be snapping and their picture would be spread all over the newspapers.


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Back to the story of the author. He came up with the story of Alice and her trip to a fantasy world while on a boat trip in the city of London. Charles Dodgson, a mathematician at Christ Church, Oxford, first told his surreal story to the daughters of dean Henry Liddell in 1862 as they rowed down the Thames. The family loved it so much, the real Alice begged him to write it down.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is, on the surface, the story of a girl who disappears down a rabbit hole to a fantastic place where she has of bizarre adventures. The heroine follows a talking white rabbit, meets the Queen of Hearts and plays croquet using flamingos as mallets.

However, many people interpret adult themes in the story. Since the 1960s there has been a trend for readers to identify an underlying drug theme in the book. But the experts are usually skeptical about this theory. The author wasn't thought to have been a recreational user of opium or laudanum.

The issue of Charles Dodgson's sexuality casts a shadow over the simple story. A successful photographer, many of his surviving shots are of children, often semi-dressed or naked. To many modern minds, a man who regularly formed friendships with young girls is suspicious.

If we consider the way the story evolved, an attempt to amuse children in a rowboat, perhaps people are guilty of reading too much into the bizarre adventure.

I think I'll write a letter to my friend Alana Mautone in the USA, complaining about the way people stare at me because I'm old and struggling. Alana won the prize of being a character in my current novel, so it would be perfectly feasible for me to do so. After the fantasy book is famous, she, or her family, can sell the letter at auction, thereby increasing my public notoriety.


12 Comments
lisa prince link
3/20/2014 01:49:07 am

aw i love alice in wonderland its always been the perfect magical story i njoy reading still to my little ones now x

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Francene link
3/20/2014 04:27:42 am

It's a great story, and one that has inspired many people.

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Joan Harrington link
3/20/2014 01:53:31 am

Interesting post!!! Thanks for sharing :)

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Francene link
3/20/2014 04:28:11 am

Glad you enjoyed it.

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Erin Hatton link
3/20/2014 03:24:01 am

Too funny. :) I agree, we should read too much into innocent things like Alice in Wonderland.

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Francene link
3/20/2014 04:28:51 am

Yes. We take everything too seriously.

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Suerae Stein link
3/20/2014 03:59:26 am

I am embarrassed to admit that I have never read Alice in Wonderland. Of course I've heard all about Alice's adventures, but your post makes me want to read the book. I will never be one who will have to worry about notoriety, which is probably a good thing.

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Francene link
3/20/2014 04:29:43 am

Wow! I'm glad you're thinking of reading the book. There's nothing like a classic.

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Sivakarthik Dasari link
3/20/2014 04:09:01 am

Very nice post! And very cute origin of the book! I never knew :)

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Francene link
3/20/2014 04:31:08 am

Who'd have thought the story started orally? I used to tell my sisters stories. I guess I'm the same as the famous author.

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Alana link
3/20/2014 10:35:24 am

If you wrote a letter to me, Francene, do you think I would ever sell it for money? Well, that might depend on just how famous you become. And you are so clever. Now I have a stake in making sure you do become famous. Oh, the pressure! (I shared this post with my husband. We visited my mother in law today. I wonder if she shares some of your thoughts about when she walks, as she must use a cane and sometimes a walker.)

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Francene link
3/20/2014 09:07:19 pm

Haha. You discovered my cunning ploy. Now I'm considering sending you a hand-written letter. Might as well make the thought a reality. Could you send me your address in an email, please?
Bear in mind that everyone is the same person they were when they were young. Therefore, the loss of dignity is hard to accept.

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    Francene Stanley:
    Author
    I use news items in my fantasy novels.

    Born in Australia, I moved to Britain half way through my long life. If you like my writing, why not consider purchasing one of my books on the sidebar below?
    I blogged 260 days last year. Link.

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