Lewis Carroll Society

Lewis Carroll Society. The Lewis Carroll Society is a learned society and charitable organization dedicated to the study and appreciation of the life and works of the author and mathematician Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll. Founded in 1969, it serves as a central hub for scholars, collectors, and enthusiasts, promoting research through regular meetings, a journal, and other publications. The society also fosters a wider public understanding of Carroll's contributions to Victorian literature, children's literature, photography, and mathematics.

History

The society was established in London in 1969 by a group of prominent Carroll enthusiasts, including broadcaster and author John Fisher, bibliographer Stanley Godman, collector Geoffrey Heald, and biographer Derek Hudson. Its formation coincided with a resurgence of academic and popular interest in Carroll's work beyond the perennial fame of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. Early meetings were often held at the Arts Council headquarters or the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. A significant early achievement was organizing a major exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in 1970. The society was registered as a charity in 1973, solidifying its educational mission, and has since collaborated with institutions like the British Library and the Harry Ransom Center.

Activities and publications

The society holds regular meetings in London featuring lectures from experts on diverse aspects of Carroll's world, including his relationships with the Liddell family, his work at Christ Church, Oxford, and his influence on figures like James Joyce and Salvador Dalí. Its primary publication is the biannual scholarly journal The Carrollian, which publishes peer-reviewed articles, along with the newsletter Bandersnatch for members. The society also publishes a series of occasional papers and monographs, such as editions of Carroll's correspondence and studies of illustrators like John Tenniel and Arthur Rackham. It frequently participates in and promotes events at literary festivals, including the Cheltenham Literature Festival, and commemorates key dates like the anniversaries of the publication of The Hunting of the Snark.

Affiliated groups

Several independent groups operate under the society's umbrella or with its recognition, primarily in English-speaking countries. The longest-running is the Lewis Carroll Society of North America, founded in 1974, which publishes its own journal, Knight Letter, and holds an annual meeting, often in conjunction with the Modern Language Association convention. Other affiliated bodies have included the Lewis Carroll Society of Australia, the Lewis Carroll Society of Canada, and the Japan Lewis Carroll Society. These groups organize local events, maintain collections, and contribute to the international network of Carroll studies, sometimes holding joint symposia or contributing to major exhibitions at museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Notable members and contributors

The society's membership has included many distinguished academics, writers, and public figures. Notable early members and officers included Roger Lancelyn Green, a renowned children's literature historian and biographer, and Alexander L. Taylor, author of a seminal critical study. Later prominent members have included mathematician and author Martin Gardner, who wrote the Annotated Alice, and Carroll's direct descendant, Philip Dodgson Jaques. Scholars such as Morton N. Cohen, editor of Carroll's letters, and Edward Wakeling, a leading authority on Dodgson's diaries and photography, have been central to its academic work. The society has also attracted notable figures from the arts, including actor and director Dennis Potter and illustrator Ralph Steadman.

Collections and archives

While the society itself does not maintain a single physical museum, it acts as a key facilitator and record-keeper for significant collections related to Carroll held in public and private hands. Its archives, housed with the Charles Dickens Museum in London, contain unique correspondence, photographs, and ephemera. The society has been instrumental in helping to place major collections, such as the Morris L. Parrish Collection of Victorian fiction at Princeton University Library, which includes important Carrolliana. It also maintains close ties with institutions holding primary materials, including the British Library, the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford, and the Rosenbach Museum & Library in Philadelphia. The society's publications and records serve as an essential guide to these dispersed archival resources for researchers worldwide. Category:Literary societies Category:Organizations based in London Category:Charities based in the United Kingdom