Lewis Carroll's Private Journal No. 10

2 April 1868 to 31 December 1876.

Published in 2001 by the Lewis Carroll Society as Volume 6
551 pages.
ISBN-10: 0 904117 15 4
ISBN-13: 978 0 904117 15 8
Retail Price: £39
LCS Members' Price: £28

Synopsis

There is a nine week gap between the end of the ninth journal, ending in January 1868, and the beginning of this the tenth. Dodgson did not record what happened in February and March 1868. Presumably he was busy with lecturing matters and nothing of significance occurred to him that he felt necessary to record. However, one publication appeared during this time, The Offer of the Clarendon Trustees, which was dated 6 February 1868. This parodied a published letter written by Professor Robert B. Clifton (1836-1921) seeking the building of a new science laboratory at Oxford. Dodgson suggested that a new university building could similarly be built for the study of mathematics but the tone of his letter was humorous and satirical (see Oxford Pamphlets, pp. 54-56). Eventually, Clifton designed and organised the Clarendon Laboratory at Oxford.

The tenth journal records Dodgson’s meeting with a number of celebrities of his day. He meets for the first time Thomas Hughes (March 1876), Charles Kingsley (January 1869), Sir Noël Paton (September 1871), Lord and Lady Salisbury (December 1869), the daughters of William Makepeace Thackeray, Anne (October 1869) and Harriet (January 1872), and Anthony Trollope (December 1869). One significant event in Dodgson’s life described in this journal was the death of his father in June 1868. A number of other relatives including Uncle William Wilcox and many of his Wilcox cousins (Kate, Bessie, Charlie, Leonard, William and George), Aunt Henrietta Lutwidge, his favourite Uncle Skeffington Lutwidge, and Uncle Hassard’s wife, Aunt Caroline Dodgson, all died during the period covered by the tenth journal. Two of Dodgson’s siblings married; Mary (April 1869) and Wilfred (August 1871). A number of births were also recorded including various nephews and nieces.

After the death of Archdeacon Dodgson the family moved south and took up residence in “The Chestnuts”, Guildford, Surrey. Dodgson became “head of the family” and began to exercise this role with a strong sense of responsibility towards his brothers and sisters. He made frequent visits to the family home, supporting Aunt Lucy Lutwidge and his sister Fanny, both of whom took charge in running the household. Dodgson’s literary career continued with the publication of Phantasmagoria (1869), the German and French editions of Alice (1869), Through the Looking-Glass (1871) and The Hunting of the Snark (1876). The difficulties in getting John Tenniel to do the illustrations for Looking-Glass were fully documented. Dodgson also began the process of getting the Alice books dramatised for stage performances, initially by registering the texts to protect them from being used by other writers for dramatic purposes. Other important events included a number of visits to Hatfield House for New Year celebrations. He recorded the death of Edith Liddell and the marriage of Lorina Liddell.  

Corrections to the LCS Edition of this Journal