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The Queen of Hearts
Lewis Carroll
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freelancer
Bleating sheep
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Melanie Benjamin
Disappearing Cheshire Cat
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 Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 4:31 pm Post subject: Alice I Have Been |
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Hi! I'm Melanie Benjamin, the author of the book ALICE I HAVE BEEN, a novel about the life of Alice Liddell. I wanted to pop in and introduce myself and say I'd love to hang around and answer any questions. I can't do this with every forum that discusses Alice, of course, but I happen to love this site. I spent a lot of time online researching the book, naturally, as I when I wrote it, I didn't have a book contract. I couldn't afford to go to Oxford on my own, so - thank goodness for the wonders of the Internet!
Anyway, I'm very appreciative of any mention or interest in ALICE; what makes my book different from others - always remembering that it's fiction, however - is that I was very interested in what happened to Alice Liddell after Wonderland, after she grew up. I personally believe I approach the Dodgson/Alice relationship more fairly than others have. Never did I think of Dodgson as simply a predator and Alice a victim. She was no victim! The astonishing little girl in the beggar girl photograph - which inspired me to write this book - was no victim. I think their relationship - like most relationships - was more complex than that. I also need to emphasize this is not Dodgson's story; we only see him through her eyes. But I firmly believe that what happened between them - and of course I have my own version of what led to their mysterious break, which I reveal at the end of the book - was both good and bad, resulting in beauty and heartbreak, both. My Alice struggles with the legacies of both aspects of their relationship, as well as the Alice books, for her entire life. That was what interested me as an author; not putting either Alice or Dodgson neatly into a stereotypical box.
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White Night
Queen Alice
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| Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 3:57 am Post subject: |
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Melanine,
Thank you for stopping by and introducing yourself. Your words about your approach to this relationship are very intriguing. I wish you great sucsess with your book.
_________________
"It's my own invention"
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The Queen of Hearts
Lewis Carroll
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Melanie Benjamin
Disappearing Cheshire Cat
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| Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 3:57 pm Post subject: Alice I Have Been |
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For details of Alice's life, I read the biography "The Real Alice" by Anne Clark; an illustrated children's book called "The Other Alice," and also Francine Prose's "Lives of the Muses," which contains a section about Dodgson and Alice Liddell. I also read most of the articles, written by Caryl in her name, that came out when she went to Columbia near the end of her life. And also the part in John Ruskin's autobiography that spoke of her. Also of course, I acquainted myself with many of the theories and speculations of the true nature of Dodgson's relationship with her, but only to understand how little anyone really knows of it - and how, still, after all these years, it continues to fascinate people.
But this is fiction, of course; the voice of the Alice in my book is not taken from any of her own writing - I explicitly did not want to see any of that, because usually I find reading actual diaries or letters to be a disappointment, not truly a reflection of that person's personality or more important - a reflection of the way others saw that person. So my Alice's voice is a combination of the person I saw looking out from the beggar girl photograph, and the Alice in the books; my task was to mature that voice as Alice aged.
Obviously Alice Liddell in person was captivating to almost everyone who met her - John Ruskin, of course, wrote of her (and he appears in my book). In Clark's biography, she writes that in her own writing, however, Alice Liddell was not given to be very inspiring. So, again - I wanted to avoid having this color my novel which, of course, must have a captivating heroine or else nobody would want to read it!
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NeVaR aSk
Lewis Carroll
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| Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 1:14 pm Post subject: |
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^ Much respects for your work…is not easy been a writer.
It seems interesting your personal approach of Alice Liddell’s life in a fictional book. Sometimes I can be skeptic about this when fiction and facts are merged. In most cases, this is how myth/misconceptions arise creating new ideas wich deviates from the real events. You point out this to be fiction and I’m glad you did…otherwise it can be filed with the many attempts trying to give the “holly truth” to the world.
I think the problem rely on the subjective view and how it is manipulated to create one’s ideas of the events wich,in most cases, leans towards connotations/innuendos… specially when talking about the unravel lifes of Alice and ultimately Dodgson’s. Also biographer’s tendency to neglect anything that go against their ideas… is understandable since they need a basis to start from and why not their own… but still we need to be aware of the circumstances.
As you point out, diaries/letters don’t give sometimes the best reflection on the person… even more with the enigmatic life of both protagonists. But that is the only way to be the close as possible to the truth… wether they express their true feelings or not is something we can not ever know unless,as sometimes happens, contradictions in letters/diary entries can be found. This is sometimes the case with Dodgson (surely Alice also but I haven’t follow her that much)… there are some entries wich compare to others are quite contradictory but who are we to judge his/hers personal feelings of the moment. That’s why even with solid evidence we can not take it as utmost truth but at least close to it.
There are some new books and upcoming as well that emphasize this subject. Some are fiction and others with more solid arguments… this last one has as one of its main points the short mysterious departure of Dodgson and the Liddell’s wich has nothing to do with Alice. The other, a rather blend of fiction/facts (still in debate), talks about the real Hatter been John Oliver a.k.a. Coffe Johnny and his relation with Alice Liddell. But again… everyone has their view and is up to us to take the best part and analized the arguments closer to the facts (that is if one wants to know the truth…)
_________________
~It is not now as it hath been of yore-
Turn whereso'er I may,
By night or day,
The things which I have seen
I now can see no more.~
W. Wordsworth
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Ron Whyte
Guest
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NeVaR aSk
Lewis Carroll
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| Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 1:49 pm Post subject: |
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^ As you most probbably know, many things have been said about connections of the characters and real people/events... I do believed Dodgson, subconsciously or not, use real people as basis for his charcters but this can not be confirmed as true. As for now its only speculation/subjective even though some make sense.
Also there is "Alice on the stage" wich he gave characterization by means of thought/imagination. This was written well after Alice in 1887 therefore it may not help much.
I read some time ago about John Oliver's apparent connection with the Hatter... Do you think your Great-Grandfather could have been the inspiration?... please give some light.
_________________
~It is not now as it hath been of yore-
Turn whereso'er I may,
By night or day,
The things which I have seen
I now can see no more.~
W. Wordsworth
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The Queen of Hearts
Lewis Carroll
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| Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 9:22 pm Post subject: |
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Okay, so I read the advanced reading copy last month and I'm sorry to say this, but I really didn't enjoy the book as, in my opinion, it put Dodgson in a very unflattering and disturbing light (as well as Alice).  Normally I don't mind when writers take small liberties with historical fiction books, but despite how well written this was I really felt that it could have focused less on certain areas.
Overall, this book, unfortunately, left me feeling really depressed. 
_________________
"Life, what is it but a dream?"
100% Wonderlandian Girl
I live in Wonderland 541,862 days of the year!
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AngelAlice
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Lenny
Webmaster
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Justin
Guest
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I'm actually really excited for this as all the reviews from pre-publication reading people who've read it are glowing!
