For seven years Charles Dodgson, a painfully shy Oxford don, and Alice Liddell, the fascinating little girl who was the daughter of the dean of Christ Church, had a strange, intense relationship. Then suddenly, when she was eleven, Alice's family shut Dodgson out. The pages from Dodgson's diary that may have explained the rift have disappeared. What remains are the stories he told her, transformed into the brilliant, revolutionary classics, Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, and the pioneering photographs in ...
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For seven years Charles Dodgson, a painfully shy Oxford don, and Alice Liddell, the fascinating little girl who was the daughter of the dean of Christ Church, had a strange, intense relationship. Then suddenly, when she was eleven, Alice's family shut Dodgson out. The pages from Dodgson's diary that may have explained the rift have disappeared. What remains are the stories he told her, transformed into the brilliant, revolutionary classics, Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, and the pioneering photographs in which he captured her fleeting childhood. In a triumphant work of imagination, Katie Roiphe Illuminates a luxuriously textured corner of Victorian society, with its affluence, social power-plays and politics, and the mysterious, difficult relationship Dodgson had with Alice, her family - and with himself. STILL SHE HAUNTS ME is an unforgettable novel about a singular, troubled man, from one of this century's most provocative young writers.
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Seller's Description:
Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover. Ex-library book with stamps on the first page, it is also likely to have a small shelf number sticker on the spine.
Katie Roiphe?s novel, Still She Haunts Me, is about Lewis Carroll?s relationship with Alice Pleasance Liddell, the young girl who was Carroll?s inspiration for Alice in Wonderland and its sequel, Through the Looking Glass. This novel is both well-researched and well-written. Using excerpts from Carroll?s own diaries, letters and poetry, Ms. Roiphe creates a fictional tapestry of infatuation, guilt-ridden obsession and latent pedophilia. The novel?s title is from Carroll?s acrostic poem spelling out Alice?s full name.
Ms. Roiphe?s fictional Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Carroll?s real name) is a masterwork of character development. He is a man of the Victorian Era ? moralistic, somewhat intolerant of others? perceived moral failings, and tortured by his own fantasies and weaknesses. His character is sympathetically-drawn throughout much of the book, necessarily becoming pathetic and ultimately something beyond pathos toward the book?s end. To Ms. Roiphe?s credit, the book is tasteful and is beautifully-written. The prologue?s analogy of Dodgson?s yearning, horror and regret to that of Titania from A Midsummer Night?s Dream as she comes out of her enchantment is nothing short of exquisite.
It is hard to swallow that a parent would allow a young adult male almost unrestricted daily access to a small child for any length of time, let alone seven years depicted in this book. The parental response, or lack thereof, to this unusual and disturbing relationship is the one flaw that I noted in this otherwise fine first novel.
