Was Lewis Carroll on drugs when he wrote Alice in Wonderland?

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In the 1960s rumors began to surface that author Lewis Carroll was under the influence of drugs when he wrote Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

The rumors came about because of the strange and confusing imagery that appears in the book. Songs like Jefferson Airplane's White Rabbit added fuel to the fire, with lyrics like 'you've just had some kind of mushroom, and your mind is moving low'.

But is there any truth to the rumors? Well, let's find out.Lewis Carroll, real name Charles Dodgson, was an author and mathematics tutor at Oxford University.One Summer afternoon in 1862, Carroll took a leisurely boat trip with 10-year-old Alice Liddell and her sisters.

To pass the time on the trip, Carroll made up the story of a plucky young girl named Alice who finds herself caught up in the topsy-turvy world of Wonderland.

Several times in the story Alice drinks a potion or eats something which changes her size. This a recurring theme throughout the book.There is nothing unusual about potions in children's stories. We see them in Snow White, The Little Mermaid, Asterix and Obelix and even My Little Pony.

They are used by authors as a plot device to progress the story or to motivate the characters. But why was Alice always changing size? It emerged some years after the book came out that Carroll himself suffered from a disorder that altered his visual perception.

The condition actually became known as Alice in Wonderland Syndrome, because sufferers find it hard to judge the size and distance of objects.In a famous scene in the book Alice meets a caterpillar who is sitting on a mushroom and smoking a hookah pipe.

He tells her that eating the mushroom will change her size. Some have said this is a clear reference to drugs - a pipe can be used to inhale drugs and some mushrooms produce hallucinogenic effects if eaten.However, at this point in the story anything in Wonderland that you eat or drink, changes your size.

So the mushroom itself not particularly unusual.The use of mushrooms as a recreational drug didn't really become common until the 1970s.But, it is possible that Carroll knew that mushrooms could have a mind-altering effect.

However, the reference in the book has nothing to do with recreational drug use - at most it acknowledges the existence of the mushrooms.It's also more likely that the caterpillar's hookah pipe contained tobacco or shisha, rather than a stronger drug like opium or cannabis.

There's no doubt there are several bizarre visual scenes in the book. At one point, a baby Alice is holding turns into a piglet in her hands. Later, her neck grows out of all proportion.

There is also the famous Cheshire cat, who disappears leaving only grin.And there is also time distortion - The March Hare, the Dormouse and the Mad Hatter are trapped in a perpetual tea-time. Time distortion is also experienced by drug users.

However, no matter how absurd and fanciful these ideas are, they are not evidence of a drug-induced author.The book was written in a style called literary nonsense, which relies on confusing images and word-play, rather than a logical plot structure.

The style is fanciful, memorable and delightful, but it is also meant to be absurd.And, while Alice in Wonderland is odd, it does follow a narrative, with returning characters and connected themes that twist and turn and eventually, resolve.

As for Carroll himself, we do know that at one point he took opium for a toothache, however there is no evidence to suggest Lewis Carroll was under the influence of drugs when he wrote Alice in Wonderland.

It is simply well-written nonsense, and that’s exactly why we love it.

See more great vids like this on our channel!

Produced and edited byAl Paton

With thanks to

The British Library

Photos & Illustrations

The British Library

Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland
Haley Lawrence, Unsplash

Werlley Meira, Pexels

Footage

Alice In Wonderland, 1903
Cottonbro from Pexels

Oxford University, Steve B, Pexels

Denys Gromov, Pexels

Atul Saini, Pexels

Molnár Alex, Pexels
Storyblocks

Music

Escaping Forever, Licensed by Storyblocks

© Yestervid 2020
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>*caterpillar clearly smoking drugs*
>'some have said this is clear reference to drugs'

corvusprojects
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They had opium and cannabis, which you got over the counter in every pharmacy back then.

thomasnever
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I've been the Mad hatter at the tea party on LSD, so 100% I have no doubt, I've literally witnessed the truth about this. Also hallucinated Alice from the cartoon on my walls just dancing.

hppin
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Back then wheat, rye and grains were stored in mills, damp, dark places that would’ve facilitated the growth of contaminated mould spores that produced Ergot fungus, contaminating the grains. This apparently produced the swelling of limbs with burning fire which would turn into Gangrene. It also caused miscarriages in women and delusions, “hallucinations” and convulsions in others.
So Lewis Carroll could’ve inadvertently ingested this fungal toxin in which he had an amazing trip and had sense enough to write it down and publish it. It has become one of the Great Classics of all time!!!

MsDestinedtoReign
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Watching this movie as a child made me feel like I was really high. The entire movie's psychedelic man

thereseclaire
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How could anyone be so cruel to suggest an author of such high esteem was using substances that allowed him to brighten his imaginary powers? The human mind makes being on drugs look like a walk in the park; thoughts are pure and powerful, a mind is a gold mine of it and does not need anything but itself to generate stories that defy imagination.

TEKANNON-bzfm
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He was either dreaming or on something when he thought of this book.😅

ethanweeter
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I begrudgingly agree with your video. This was top notch.

revjay
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Alice has a bad case of body dismorphia.

coolnegative
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He must have been on drugs to dream up those weirdos in the story.

Elainerulesutube
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Great video, now I know more about Alice in wonderland backstory 😊👍

senpai
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Hi!

- Wednesday, the second week of December. Time flies. This is the end of the year, so...
I hope you this week will be a healthy/feeling week. ^O^

k-dramagoodmorningseoul
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touches your sole... Lewis wrote Alice on shrooms and Alice is very mutch so supposed to be experienced on shrooms or acid. Its like a key that opens the secret door to real story of Alice.. Its not a Child story in any way.. Well to be fair its both, but Alice the Child is also the perfect disguise for the adult version. I mean even that its is written like. Lewis and Alice really deserves to be known as a true piece of art and viewed as a treasure.. Becuse there isnt anything like Alice. ..
Yes he was on shrooms but
Alice isnt about shrooms it I g a about drugs iits a obout Life and it really has strong message how life should be lived on a deep philosophocal level.. I mean is not like it will change your whole view and change you.. No no, maybe a some people will have a"i never thought about it like that " moments.
Its a story about life and life is for ex simple, warm, playfull honest and emotionall etc etc.

Its just the way he presents it and every scene fits so perfecty, every dialog every words, Lewis tells this story in a way that everyone can respekt... Its like a wall he breaks down and it becomes very personal and beautifull. Its. Like he understands, me and I understand him becuse he express it in the story.
Alice didnt change me, It thouched me. A beautifull experienced that i will have a spot in my heart resyy of my life. Truly a special moment. In a way i was in Wonderland and well.

Torsdagskvallsmys
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Wow. Out of its way to disprove weighty indications, yet concludes without any proof that it wasn't suggestive.

MrJasond
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Watch this on psychadelics and will experienced the real story of Alice

Torsdagskvallsmys
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Psychedelics! I Watched this on acid. Changed my life.. Trust me there is a real master piece hiding.. Trust me. Best story you ever experience ever

Torsdagskvallsmys
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everytime i take Magic Mushrooms i feel Wonderland !

dzonnyblue
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Of course people knew effects of mushrooms back then. You either lived or you died. 😂

mandysyoutubething
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Well it is loosely based on a story by H.P. Lovecraft

pleasekillme
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Short answer, the story was inspired by whimsy.

padraigtomas