The Secret History of Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland fever is everywhere at the moment. The much-loved story turns 150 this year, and unless you've been living under a rock you might have noticed a few white rabbits, mad hatters and March hares cropping up around the UK. I've always felt a connection to these stories, and now that I'm living in Oxford, I'm not too far from where Lewis Carroll first met Alice Liddell, and where it all began.

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to win a couple of tickets to the Charleston Festival, and of course I chose the talk on Alice. 'The Secret History of Wonderland' took the form of a conversation between two writers. The first, Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, recently published a book entitled 'The Story of Alice' which chronicles the life of Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) and his relationship with Alice Liddell. The second author was Vanessa Tait, who is the great-granddaughter of Alice herself, and whose novel 'The Looking Glass House' retells the story of the Liddell family through the perspective of their governess.

It was fascinating to hear from Vanessa Tait about the experience of having such a famous relative, and one who was a literary heroine. Vanessa spoke about growing up in a house filled with Alice's memorabilia, from gloves and jewellery to treasured first editions of the Alice books. There is a real sense of mythology surrounding the story of Alice, from the photographs of her as a street urchin staring unflinchingly at the camera, to the nature of her relationship with Charles Dodgson, so much is unknown and unexplained, and both authors spoke of this uncertainty openly. Whilst we'll never know many of these unanswered questions, there must be something special about Alice in Wonderland. The book has become such a widely used cultural reference, from Japanese Harajuku costumes to Beatles lyrics. I can't wait to go back and reread the stories and be inspired once again.

These photos are of the house and gardens of Charleston, which is just so beautiful in the summer months. See last year's review of the festival here.

Have a great weekend! Xx