Alice’s adventures in Wonderland : an analysis of the cultural construction of girlhood in Victorian England

Abstract

This dissertation questions Lewis Carroll’s portrayal of girlhood in his literary fairy tale Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, analysing the ways in which Carroll moves away from the culturally and socially accepted idea of a submissive girl when creating the tale. The first chapter establishes why the Victorian era is a particularly intriguing period to look at in terms of girlhood, and why Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a relevant and worthy case study. It then moves on to investigate the depiction of girls in Victorian children’s literature and other publications and how these girls were expected to behave. This establishes why this dissertation posits that Carroll veers away from the typical depiction of girlhood. The second chapter goes on to question the submissiveness and docility of the Victorian girl as it focuses on other cultural artefacts such as photographs of girls and girls’ periodicals. Such cultural artefacts reveal a more nuanced view of girlhood, and the dominance of the ‘Angel in the House’ image is thrown into question. The third chapter focuses on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland as the subversive behaviour of Alice and the other female characters is questioned. This chapter examines whether Alice can truly be considered an unconventional character, especially when taking into consideration the alternative forms of girlhood presented in the second chapter. It also seeks to question the potential reasons behind the unconventionality of Alice and other female characters in the tale. This is achieved by drawing on critics commenting on the author’s own anxieties projected in these female characters. Ultimately, this dissertation suggests that the mid-Victorian girl does not necessarily adhere to the image of the submissive, docile girl, while also proposing that Alice’s extent of subversiveness is questionable.