Lewis Carroll’s Curious Creatures: Examining Carroll’s Use of Animal Characters Within the Context of His Life and Victorian Era England

Authors

• Nima M. Faunce, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

First Advisor

Dr. Peter Capuano, Department of English

Second Advisor

Dr. Gabrielle Owen, Department of English

Date of this Version

Spring 5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Citation

Faunce, Nima. Lewis Carroll’s Curious Creatures: Examining Carroll’s Use of Animal Characters Within the Context of His Life and Victorian Era England. Undergraduate Honors Thesis, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2026.

Comments

Copyright Nima Faunce, 2026.

Abstract

Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) has maintained a wide readership since its publication, but many aspects of Carroll’s original intentions and inspirations are lost on modern readers. By examining his animal characters through the lens of his personal life and Victorian England, a deeper understanding of his novel is uncovered. Some of his characters directly reflect individuals from his real life, such as the Liddell family, while other characters provide a window into Victorian beliefs and practices. This paper investigates each of Carroll’s animal characters in order of appearance and determines possible points of inspiration from his personal life and the wider cultural influence of Victorian England.