Karoline Leach
Encyclopedia
Karoline Leach is a British
playwright
and author
, best known for her book In the Shadow of the Dreamchild
(ISBN 0-7206-1044-3), which re-examines the life of Lewis Carroll
(pseudonym of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson), the author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
. This book and her subsequent work on what she terms the "Carroll Myth" have been major sources of upheaval and controversy in recent years and she has produced very polarized responses from Carroll scholars and lay enthusiasts.
Leach was born in Liverpool
. She studied acting and worked as both actor and director in British theatre before becoming a writer.
's The Snow Queen
, commissioned by Orchard Theatre Company in 1989. "The Mysterious Mr Love" was produced in London's West End in 1997. Her most recent play Tryst
opened off-Broadway
at the Promenade Theatre, on April 6, 2006, and has subsequently been produced in many cities around the world, including Athens
, Warsaw
, Houston, Los Angeles
and Montreal
.
, Donald Rackin and Martin Gardner
continue to downplay or dismiss her importance. Cohen, who is also a Dodgson biographer, repudiates Leach's position as being simply a plea for the defence, and, in a recent article in the Times Literary Supplement labeled Leach and her supporters as 'revisionists' attempting to rewrite history.
In 2004 Leach founded the Association for New Lewis Carroll Studies, that aims to promote reassessment of Carroll's life in light of the alleged 'Myth'. Its membership, as of 2010, includes scholars such as Hugues Lebailly
, Carolyn Sigler, Sherry L. Ackerman, John Tufail and Cristopher Hollingsworth.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, best known for her book In the Shadow of the Dreamchild
In the Shadow of the Dreamchild
In the Shadow of the Dreamchild: A New Understanding of Lewis Carroll is a 1999 book by British author Karoline Leach that posited the concept of the "Carroll Myth": the idea that many of the most famous aspects of Lewis Carroll's biography, including his supposed adoration of Alice Liddell, are...
(ISBN 0-7206-1044-3), which re-examines the life of Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
(pseudonym of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson), the author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is an 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. It tells of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures...
. This book and her subsequent work on what she terms the "Carroll Myth" have been major sources of upheaval and controversy in recent years and she has produced very polarized responses from Carroll scholars and lay enthusiasts.
Leach was born in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. She studied acting and worked as both actor and director in British theatre before becoming a writer.
Theatre work
Her first professional produced work as a writer was an adaptation of Hans Christian AndersenHans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...
's The Snow Queen
The Snow Queen
The Snow Queen is a fairy tale by author Hans Christian Andersen . The tale was first published in 1845, and centers on the struggle between good and evil as experienced by a little boy and girl, Kai and Gerda....
, commissioned by Orchard Theatre Company in 1989. "The Mysterious Mr Love" was produced in London's West End in 1997. Her most recent play Tryst
Tryst (drama)
Tryst had its debut on April 6, 2006 at the Promenade Theatre in New York.The play, by British playwright Karoline Leach, has been described as a "subversion of Edwardian melodrama", in which the stereotypical actions and responses of the characters are used to ask usually unasked questions about...
opened off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
at the Promenade Theatre, on April 6, 2006, and has subsequently been produced in many cities around the world, including Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Houston, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
.
The Carroll controversy
Leach's theory of a 'Carroll Myth' created a furore when first suggested, and continues to divide scholars, although in recent years the idea has been gaining ground, with authors such as Carolyn Siger offering it support. However, authors like Morton N. CohenMorton N. Cohen
Morton Norton Cohen is an American author and scholar, and Professor Emeritus of the City University of New York, best known for his extensive studies of children's author Lewis Carroll, including his 1995 biography Lewis Carroll: A Biography.Cohen was born in Calgary, Canada, and grew on the...
, Donald Rackin and Martin Gardner
Martin Gardner
Martin Gardner was an American mathematics and science writer specializing in recreational mathematics, but with interests encompassing micromagic, stage magic, literature , philosophy, scientific skepticism, and religion...
continue to downplay or dismiss her importance. Cohen, who is also a Dodgson biographer, repudiates Leach's position as being simply a plea for the defence, and, in a recent article in the Times Literary Supplement labeled Leach and her supporters as 'revisionists' attempting to rewrite history.
In 2004 Leach founded the Association for New Lewis Carroll Studies, that aims to promote reassessment of Carroll's life in light of the alleged 'Myth'. Its membership, as of 2010, includes scholars such as Hugues Lebailly
Hugues Lebailly
Hugues Lebailly is a French academic and Senior Lecturer in English Cultural Studies at the Sorbonne. He is known for his work on nineteenth-century English literature, particularly his studies of Lewis Carroll which, in combination with the work of Karoline Leach and others, have begun a...
, Carolyn Sigler, Sherry L. Ackerman, John Tufail and Cristopher Hollingsworth.
External links
- "The Carroll Myth"
- In the Shadow of the Dreamchild
- Contrariwise, the Association for New Lewis Carroll Studies