Lewis Carroll in Oxford

Seminars meet each weekday morning, with afternoons free for course-related field trips, individual study, or exploring the many places of interest in and around the city.

Please note that OUDCE reserves the right to alter course content and/or cancel field trips in accordance with government guidance.

Monday
We will look at the lives of Lewis Carroll and Alice Liddell, at their childhoods and their lives at Christ Church. We will also take a walking tour around college to see places associated with Alice and her family, as well as possible inspirations for ‘Alice in Wonderland’: the secret door, the Cheshire Cat, and the Jabberwocky Tree.

Tuesday
The origins and secrets of ‘Alice in Wonderland’. In the afternoon we will follow the famous boating trip to Binsey, Godstow Nunnery, and the Trout Inn, visiting the Treacle Well and reading passages from Alice in Wonderland.

Wednesday
‘Through the Looking Glass’ – we will look at Carroll’s inspiration for his second Alice book, and follow the path of what is both a story and a chess game.

Thursday
‘Through the Looking Glass’ – an examination and discussion of some of Carroll’s most memorable characters: Tweedledum and Tweedledee, the Walrus and the Carpenter, the White Knight, and the Jabberwock.

Friday
Realising Alice: how illustrators, playwrights, and film makers have been inspired by the Alice books. We will look at John Tenniel’s illustrations and the process of their production, at Saville Clarke’s original stage play, and at the many screen adaptations and illustrators whose work ranges from the faithful, to the irreverent, to the grotesque.

Field trip

Destination:              Binsey, Godstow and the Trout Inn

Excursion rating:      Moderate  - up to two hours’ walk on even ground or up to an hour’s walk on uneven /unpaved surface and/or steep/hilly ground including lots of stairs and steps in houses and gardens.

Carroll, Lewis, Alice in Wonderland (any edition acceptable, including e-book, to be brought to class)

Carroll, Lewis, Through the Looking Glass (any edition acceptable, including e-book, to be brought to class)

Douglas-Fairhurst, Robert, The Story of Alice: Lewis Carroll and the Secret History of Wonderland, Vintage, 2016.

All fees are charged on a per week, per person basis.

Please be aware that all payments (and refunds) are subject to exchange rates at the time of processing.

Payment terms

• If enrolling online: full payment by credit/debit card at the time of booking
• If submitting an application form: full payment online by credit/debit card or via bank transfer within 30 days of invoice date

Cancellations and refunds

Participants who wish to cancel must inform the Programme Administrator in writing: by email to oxfordexperience@conted.ox.ac.uk or by post to The Oxford Experience, OUDCE, 1 Wellington Square, OXFORD, OX1 2JA, UK.

The following cancellation and refund policy applies in all cases:

• Cancellation within 14 days of online enrolment / payment of fees – full refund of all fees paid

• Cancellations received up to and including 30 April 2021 – OUDCE will retain an administration fee of £100 per week booked; all other fees paid will be refunded.
• Cancellations received between 1-31 May 2021 – OUDCE will retain 60% of the fees paid; the remaining 40% of fees paid will be refunded.
• Cancellations received on and after 1 June 2021 - no refunds will be made.

Important note: You need to take out travel insurance to cover the programme fee and travel costs.

Participants will be taught in seminar groups of up to 12 people. Elements of this teaching will normally include mini lectures and presentations by tutors and tutor-led class discussions.

There are no assessments for this course.