Would the original readers of Lewis Carroll's books have made connections between the experiences in the books and drug use?
score:12
It seems unlikely that Victorian Era readers of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass would have thought of drugs when reading about the special foods and drinks.
This conclusion is based upon the fact that the First and Second Opium Wars started in 1839 and 1858. So you could argue that recreational drug use was not really on the radar of the average Victorian citizen until that point in time. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass were written in 1865 and 1871, so it is possible that people may have put two and two together.
The most direct reference to recreational drug use did not come about in Victorian England until the Sherlock Holmes stories and The Portrait of Dorian Grey which were both around the 1890s. So it seems that recreational drug use was not really sufficiently popularized until that point which would mean that people wouldn't likely make the connection your question asks.
Upvote:4
First of all, while you specifically pointed out that you were not asking if Lewis Carroll intended the books to be about drugs, it is nonetheless important to note that he truly did not intend that. Lewis Carroll was the pen name of Charles Dodgson, a rector and dean in the Church of England. Dodgson enjoyed making up stories for young children, and it was one of those stories that eventually evolved into the classic tales we all know. Given his occupation, I'd say it is highly unlikely that he had any experience with and perhaps little or no knowledge of the effects of opium or other drugs. Because of this, I would assume that there was nothing associated with drugs that ultimately influenced his story.
Having said all that, I would further suggest that it was highly unlikely that any Victorian era readers would have made any similar connections either. One reason I believe this is that the books from the very beginning were intended as children's stories. As a result, I believe people of that era would have been much more inclined to accept the book as a tale of fancy without attempting to look for any hidden meaning or connections. I am not familiar with anyone having documented any such correlations until the US drug culture of the 1960s, which would further suggest that readers from previous eras did not make these same connections.
For more information on Charles Dodgson, you can read his biography.
More post
- 📝 Is the entire history, we read, accurate?
- 📝 Was there really a whale skeleton in Jaffa?
- 📝 Is Alexander Matrosov's service record publicly available?
- 📝 What are examples of official documents or speeches composed in verse?
- 📝 At the Battle of Waterloo, why did the French army throw so many troops into the fight for Hougoumont?
- 📝 Is it true the British heavily downplayed their defeat in Cartagena?
- 📝 What was Sir John Mandeville's source regarding Beersheba and its chronology?
- 📝 Help needed to identify this badge, probably from World War Two
- 📝 Why did the Zimmerman telegram upset America if it was not asking for aggression against America?
- 📝 When Israel won the Six Day War, did they consider expelling all Arabs from the annexed territories?
- 📝 What was the first scientific article to give a recognisably "modern" citation to another article?
- 📝 Sources on common people history
- 📝 Why didn't Lenin improve life in Russian villiages before his death?
- 📝 Why was it Italy that attack ed Tripoli under Ottoman control in 1911?
- 📝 What is the source of this Ambedkar quote on freedom of thought in Hinduism?
- 📝 Iranian casualties during the first world war (1917-1919)?
- 📝 What were Germany's long-term aims in World War I?
- 📝 Why were there no agricultural, city-state forming civilizations in the Ice Age?
- 📝 When was divorce made illegal again in Ireland?
- 📝 Did emperor Kangxi indirectly contribute to China's massive population and subsequent problem?
- 📝 What did Alexander Hamilton write about Aaron Burr's daughter?
- 📝 Where can I find examples of fiefs that are not land?
- 📝 How were the British and French armies invited into Belgium in 1914?
- 📝 How did cadet branches start?
- 📝 Communication lag during the Age of Sail: what if enemy claimed that peace agreement was signed?
- 📝 Who is this person depicted on the “Ianua Nova” Latin textbooks?
- 📝 Is "Friends, Romans, ..." a historical speech?
- 📝 Sino-Taiwanese air clashes
- 📝 What do I need to know about Syria's history to understand the 2011-2012 uprising?
- 📝 Did ancient Greeks harden steel weapons?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Would the original readers of Lewis Carroll's books have made connections between the experiences in the books and drug use?
- 📝 Where would the first nuke have been dropped in Germany?
- 📝 What would have been the typical drinks for a US farmer in the late 18th/early 19th century?
- 📝 What would have been the price of a loaf of bread in 1645 Amsterdam?
- 📝 What courses would have been required to get a B.A. in America in the 1930s?
- 📝 What would a Norseman in the early 11th century have worn as daily clothing?
- 📝 What reasons did the Confederacy have for believing they would have a quick victory?
- 📝 What would the Arch of Titus have looked like painted?
- 📝 Why did Stephen Ambrose believe that the election of Aaron Burr would have led to the end of the USA?
- 📝 Would a common person in the 18th century have heard Mozart's music during his lifetime?
- 📝 What would have been the carrying capacity for 11th-13th century backpacks?
- 📝 Why would a rifleman have his bayonet fixed to the rifle in a non-combat situation?
- 📝 Would the trial of Jesus of Nazareth have been recorded on an Acta Diurna?
- 📝 How many troops would the White Armies have had at their peak during the Russian Civil War?
- 📝 What would have been on the menu in an Ancient Egyptian tavern?
- 📝 Why would the heads of the Manhattan Project have been imprisoned in the event of its failure?
- 📝 How would Eastern European emigres have traveled across Eastern Europe to Warsaw in the early 20thC?
- 📝 What psychology would have been taught at the 19th century Lyceum?
- 📝 Would the USSR have invaded Poland in WW2 if the Germans had not crossed into previously-agreed Soviet sphere of influence?
- 📝 What would the Royal Sussex Regiment have been doing in South Africa between 1900-1902?
- 📝 Where did Wilson state that the US would have to force access to markets with violence?
- 📝 When would the Japanese have been able to recognize their archipelago?
- 📝 Jerusalem 1187: How would Saladin's army have laid siege to the walls?
- 📝 What materials would have been used in the ancient Mesopotamian crown?
- 📝 Would Lauri Törni have recieved the Waffen-SS blood type tattoo?
- 📝 Would an illegitimate child of a monarch have been recognized at the Russian court?
- 📝 Would Korea have divided, without the influence of external powers?
- 📝 Who is the last known non-natural US citizen who would have been eligible for the Presidency?
- 📝 What would the Wikipedia page for Spain have said in 1490?
- 📝 What would have been the signal that Pontiac would have given to attack in Fort Detroit?