Poe, Carroll, and Young Women

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Lewis Carroll and Edgar Allan Poe have both developed strong relationships with children; but Carroll?s focus on children was a healthy one, whereas Poe?s was not. The author points out that Poe can be viewed as a troubled man whose childhood caused him to develop significant problems in his view of women and relationships, which can be seen in his poetry and short stories. The paper stresses that Carroll?s relationships with children are healthy ones where he relates well to children and feels a genuine fatherly care for children as seen in "Alice?s Adventures in Wonderland".

From the Paper:

"The only question that remains to be answered in regards to Carroll is why his interest was mainly in young girls, and did not extend to young boys. This is a point that can be suggestive of Carroll having a perverse interest in young girls. Once again, though, the content of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" provides the logical answer. The interesting thing about "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" is that all of the images presented are more female-focused than male-focused. Obviously, the main character is female. But there is also the white rabbit, the Cheshire cat, and the tea party. Overall, these seem to be images more feminine than masculine. The suggested reason for these images is that masculine images would tend to be more brutal. A tea party is a typical game for girls to play. The equivalent for boys might be playing war games, or more physical sports."

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