The Naturalist Tradition and the Pigeon Scene in Alice in Wonderland
Lewis Carroll (née Charles Dodgson) follows in similar tradition to naturalists of his time. The whimsical pigeon scene is not only entertaining, but, much like the works of Edward Lear, Charles Darwin, and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, educational. The two major elements of the pigeon scene are Alice's long neck and the pigeon itself.
Charles Dodgson may have first become acquainted with pigeons because the pigeon clubs popular in his lifetime (1). At least one club was in the vicinity of his alma mater, Oxford University (2). The scene demonstrates a common problem for keepers: snakes eating eggs (3). Carroll entertained with this while teaching something of bird behaviour.
Although Dodgson showed no particular interest in natural history, he wrote on and illustrated the pigeon, as did Darwin (4). Some critics find Darwin's research absurd and his illustrations anthropomorphic. Carroll's nonsensical animal illustrations and portrayals are anthropomorphic. Dodgson entered into a correspondence with Darwin, sharing a photograph “of an emotional expression” to him for the purposes of research and illustrations (5).
Dodgson had commonalities with naturalist Edward Lear. Until Lewis Carroll came along, Lear was considered the king of nonsense verse. Dodgson was familiar with and respected his work, for he gave his nieces copies of Lear's Book of Nonsense (6). Lear, too, made illustrations of pigeons (7).
Alice's serpentine neck has a counterpart in the work of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in regards to his speculations on giraffes. Lamarck believed that as they reach up to the treetops, a “nervous fluid” is released into their necks, making them lengthen (8). Although in the pigeon scene, Alice eats a morsel of mushroom, the “nervous fluid” is reminiscent of the earlier “drink me” fluid.
In these ways, Lewis Carroll follows in the same tradition as 19th-century naturalists.
1) http://darwinspigeons.com/#/victorian-pigeon-clubs/4532943138 and http://www.academia.edu/197992/Pigeon_Racing_and_Working-Class_Culture_in_Britain_c.1870-1950
2) Page 57, The Oxford Magazine, Volume 4: http://books.google.ca/books?id=9FLnAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA57&dq=%22pigeon+club%22+oxford&hl=en&sa=X&ei=tVUVUbS5GYeMyAGvnICwBw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=%22pigeon%20club%22%20oxford&f=false
3) A Google search for snakes eating pigeon eggs reveals pages and pages of people asking for advice on how to safeguard their coops from snakes
4) http://darwinspigeons.com/
5) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Expression_of_the_Emotions_in_Man_and_Animals#Cultural_Relations_of_the_Book
6) http://www.nonsenselit.org/wordpress/archives/2007/06/18/lewis-carroll-on-edward-lear/
7) http://www.lewiscarroll.org/tag/charles-darwin/
8) http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/history_09
Charles Dodgson may have first become acquainted with pigeons because the pigeon clubs popular in his lifetime (1). At least one club was in the vicinity of his alma mater, Oxford University (2). The scene demonstrates a common problem for keepers: snakes eating eggs (3). Carroll entertained with this while teaching something of bird behaviour.
Although Dodgson showed no particular interest in natural history, he wrote on and illustrated the pigeon, as did Darwin (4). Some critics find Darwin's research absurd and his illustrations anthropomorphic. Carroll's nonsensical animal illustrations and portrayals are anthropomorphic. Dodgson entered into a correspondence with Darwin, sharing a photograph “of an emotional expression” to him for the purposes of research and illustrations (5).
Dodgson had commonalities with naturalist Edward Lear. Until Lewis Carroll came along, Lear was considered the king of nonsense verse. Dodgson was familiar with and respected his work, for he gave his nieces copies of Lear's Book of Nonsense (6). Lear, too, made illustrations of pigeons (7).
Alice's serpentine neck has a counterpart in the work of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in regards to his speculations on giraffes. Lamarck believed that as they reach up to the treetops, a “nervous fluid” is released into their necks, making them lengthen (8). Although in the pigeon scene, Alice eats a morsel of mushroom, the “nervous fluid” is reminiscent of the earlier “drink me” fluid.
In these ways, Lewis Carroll follows in the same tradition as 19th-century naturalists.
1) http://darwinspigeons.com/#/victorian-pigeon-clubs/4532943138 and http://www.academia.edu/197992/Pigeon_Racing_and_Working-Class_Culture_in_Britain_c.1870-1950
2) Page 57, The Oxford Magazine, Volume 4: http://books.google.ca/books?id=9FLnAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA57&dq=%22pigeon+club%22+oxford&hl=en&sa=X&ei=tVUVUbS5GYeMyAGvnICwBw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=%22pigeon%20club%22%20oxford&f=false
3) A Google search for snakes eating pigeon eggs reveals pages and pages of people asking for advice on how to safeguard their coops from snakes
4) http://darwinspigeons.com/
5) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Expression_of_the_Emotions_in_Man_and_Animals#Cultural_Relations_of_the_Book
6) http://www.nonsenselit.org/wordpress/archives/2007/06/18/lewis-carroll-on-edward-lear/
7) http://www.lewiscarroll.org/tag/charles-darwin/
8) http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/history_09