Whistler? Yes, and He's Brought His Cat!

[Primula Baggins]

The sting of truth.

[vison]

Remember the Indigo children?

[axordil]

The work should exist aside from the creator. If every work of art was held responsible for the artist, there wouldn't be much left to admire.

I would never judge a work of art by the life of the artist. But sometimes one feels obliged to wonder where such-and-such an element in something comes from, and in the life or times of the artist there is a hint...it's not so much biographical criticism as gaining a broader understanding of context. The Alice books reflect many things about their creator and milieu, which is not the same thing as saying they are explained by either. One certainly does not have to know a great deal about early Victorian England or formal logic to get a great deal of enjoyment out of them, but if you have that knowledge, you come away with more enjoyment.

[kams]

The work should exist aside from the creator. If every work of art was held responsible for the artist, there wouldn't be much left to admire.

I would never judge a work of art by the life of the artist. But sometimes one feels obliged to wonder where such-and-such an element in something comes from, and in the life or times of the artist there is a hint...it's not so much biographical criticism as gaining a broader understanding of context. The Alice books reflect many things about their creator and milieu, which is not the same thing as saying they are explained by either. One certainly does not have to know a great deal about early Victorian England or formal logic to get a great deal of enjoyment out of them, but if you have that knowledge, you come away with more enjoyment.

To piggy-back on your thoughts,ax, I've wondered if the professional person (writer) and private person (man) might be totally different. I'm not conjuring up Jekyll/Hyde or even Clark Kent/Superman. What I mean is that one might go to a completely different part of one's psyche to where the creative mind is free in order to create these greatworks. Outside of the "flow" of one's work, one is perhaps more subject to one's surroundings and, in a way, is another person.

Completely unsubstantiated thoughts.

[Holbytla]

Elton John's music is a reflection of who he is. His music would be different if he were a different person. Yet I can like his music without having to know or like him.

[nerdanel]

Whistler!!!! I haven't had a chance to read through this thread yet, but wanted to say how delightful it is that your year of searching for this URL was finally fruitful.

It is wonderful to see you back, and I hope you stick around. Many new members are missing their welcome potholders. (Will post again after I have read the thread.)

[yovargas]

What she said.

[nerdanel]

Whistler,

I've at long last read through this thread. What a priceless acquisition for you, as someone who prices both true art and Carroll's work so highly. And for us, what an interesting look at how the illustrations were created - and then marred in subsequent publication versions. Thank you so much for sharing this.

I haven't read the Alice books for years, and quite frankly I am ashamed to admit that I don't recall them clearly any longer. Your thread has inspired me to make a bookstore run shortly (undoubtedly to purchase a version with the inadequate illustrations), but we shall see if the time to reread is forthcoming.

By the way: the children who will be receiving the unbirthday presents from you (see, I'd forgotten that term until you used it) are very, very fortunate. What a generous thought on your part.

[narya]

Here's a copy of Alice's Adventures under Ground from the British Library. Time to curl up with a warm laptop.

http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/ttp/ttpbooks.html (a fancy version that doesn't seem to work for me)

or

http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/ttp/accessiblettp.html (a simpler version that does work)

[nerdanel]

Now if only the simpler version was a black and white text page that looked like Serious Business, it would be of use in playing hooky.

[WampusCat]

What a wonderful site! Thanks, narya.

[Whistler]

Do remember that the version of Alice on that site is the original hand-written manuscript, not the book that was eventually printed. This version is missing some of the most popular chapters, including the Mad Tea Party and (horrors!) the Cheshire Cat.

[WampusCat]

Perhaps the Cheshire Cat had faded for a time ...

[narya]

Ah, you got ahead of me! I would have posted this sooner, but I was reading, you see.

The link above is to the original story, written in Carroll's own impeccable handwriting, and illustrated by him as well. The following link is to the published version, which has more to the story (like the Cheshire Cat) and is illustrated by Tenniel.

http://www.questia.com/read/53135855?title=Alice

If you find the dancing ads at the top of the page as annoying as I do, just fold a piece of paper in half and slip it over the top of your monitor.

[BrianIsSmilingAtYou]

This seemed like the best place to put this:

My older brother got me the "Definitive Annotated Alice" for Christmas, and I have only begun to go over it.

It is a handsome volume, which compiles and updates all of Martin Gardner's Annotations from the "Annotated Alice" and "More Annotated Alice", and includes clean copies of the Tenniel illustrations, as well as additional pencil drawings by Tenniel that were not included in the original editions (though these appear largely to be studies for the final illustrations).

BrianIs AtYou

PS

I also saw in the back that it noted that Martin Gardner lives in Hendersonville NC, where a few of us mooted in October 2007.