Miscellaneous Alice > Was Carroll left- handed?

[Lewis Carrie]

I have read something about him being left- handed, but I am not sure if it is true. Can anyone help me?

[Guest]

There's no reason to believe that he was left-handed. While is mentioned as fact from about 1930's onward, there's no solid or first hand evidence to support it. In most photographs of him holding an object is in his right hand though.

Apparently the left handed "rumors" were invented by Freudian head-shrinkers.

[We'reAllMadHere]

Being a leftie myself it'd be nice to think he is. But I also suspect that it may be false, because if it is a made-up theory then it nicely explains the origin of his stammer (that he was forced to write right-handed and it messed up the orientation of his brain). Plus there seems to be a definite link between creativity and left-handedness: Leonardo da Vinci, Munch, Raphael, Escher, Rembrandt were all sinister. (Leonardo's a definite, though I don't know how they know about Rembrandt and Raphael!) I think that, if Carroll was left-handed, it'd be an intriguing way to explain his fascination with mirrors and opposites (I'm left-handed and I share these interests, and I can mirror-write).

[Guest]

Being a leftie myself it'd be nice to think he is. But I also suspect that it may be false, because if it is a made-up theory then it nicely explains the origin of his stammer (that he was forced to write right-handed and it messed up the orientation of his brain.

Whatda?!...

Been leftie doesn't have anything to do with stammering. If by forcing someone to write with his weak hand messes up the brain then I would be in an asylum...

[3rdpoliceman]

Being a leftie myself it'd be nice to think he is. But I also suspect that it may be false, because if it is a made-up theory then it nicely explains the origin of his stammer (that he was forced to write right-handed and it messed up the orientation of his brain). Plus there seems to be a definite link between creativity and left-handedness: Leonardo da Vinci, Munch, Raphael, Escher, Rembrandt were all sinister. (Leonardo's a definite, though I don't know how they know about Rembrandt and Raphael!) I think that, if Carroll was left-handed, it'd be an intriguing way to explain his fascination with mirrors and opposites (I'm left-handed and I share these interests, and I can mirror-write).

Fellow lefties unite! We may die sooner, but are otherwise superior, especially it seems in imagination. I really hope Carroll was left-handed, because that would be so cool.
Maybe we could just say he was handbidexterous?

[Beautiful Soup]

Hey! Guess who else is left handed...



Yup

[Jess]

*is also left-handed*

[Lenny]

Stay on topic, please.

[Alyss]

Being a leftie myself it'd be nice to think he is. But I also suspect that it may be false, because if it is a made-up theory then it nicely explains the origin of his stammer (that he was forced to write right-handed and it messed up the orientation of his brain). Plus there seems to be a definite link between creativity and left-handedness: Leonardo da Vinci, Munch, Raphael, Escher, Rembrandt were all sinister. (Leonardo's a definite, though I don't know how they know about Rembrandt and Raphael!) I think that, if Carroll was left-handed, it'd be an intriguing way to explain his fascination with mirrors and opposites (I'm left-handed and I share these interests, and I can mirror-write).

Another leftie, here. My grandma once told me that she was left-handed, but teachers made her learn to use her right hand. Being left-handed was "not right" she was told. Could be have been left-handed and was made to start using his right hand, as well? Who knows, but I don't think it's true he was.

[SakuraInWonderland]

Did you know that I'm a natural-born lefty myself?

[SakuraInWonderland]

Sorry about the attempted 2nd post because I accidentally posted it twice.

[QueenJabberwocky]

There's no reason to believe that he was left-handed. While is mentioned as fact from about 1930's onward, there's no solid or first hand evidence to support it. In most photographs of him holding an object is in his right hand though.

Apparently the left handed "rumors" were invented by Freudian head-shrinkers.

This is so true!
I can tell everyone I also came across theories of Dodgson being left-handed. It has no real proofs. To me it looks like all the people who support that theory tend to associate it activity of left brain hemisphere (said to be connected with scientific thinking, logic, etc... you might call it his qualities as a mathematician). Others seem to write about it as if discussing the social stigma around left-handed people that was still present in Carroll's time and even in the 20th century. I felt as if people want him to be left-handed so he can be more 'quirky', 'mysterious', 'original', etc.

Recently I've read Carroll's biography by Florence Becker Lennon. It's and old one, precisely from 1947; that author chose Freudian psychoanalysis as her outlook to some Alice symbols and themes in Dodgson's life.

The book is not very brilliant. But there's something connected with our topic, because she gave quite a lot of space to fragments about supposed left-handedness of Carroll. Her only evidence why this could be true is just analyzing how he could use mirror writing and write about puns or nonsense things associated with mirroring, left side, etc. For example, she discusses the line
Or madly squeeze a right-hand foot Into a left-hand shoe
as if it was anything about the compulsive training people into the norms of right-handedness. Her other 'gems' are the Sylvie and Bruno scene where Bruno says to Sylvie he can read LIVE as EVIL (backwards). To Lennon, all the 'backwards' things are associated with that characteristic.

Carroll's dominant hand was the right one, we have no real evidence of him being left-handed.
And the mirror writing thing... I'm a right-handed person too and I quite mastered mirror writing, so... Anyone can learn this (do it, it's so fun!).

[DouglasOne]

yes, he was left-handed

[Cheshire Dodo]

During this time, people would have to be right-handed. At least for writing.

The ink used took time to dry. It would be so wet, so that it would be impossible to write left-handed. Unless you could massively twist and contort your wrist around it, in order to avoid touching your writing and completely ruining it.

Also, photographic plates could easily be accidently reversed when being developed, giving the impression that someone is left-handed.