Lewis Carroll is one of the most famous absurdist writers. Although the use of nonsense in poetry has been dismissed as simply "for entertainment purposes", most nonsense poetry acts as an allegory, has deep symbolism, and leaves the door wide open for various interpretations. Lewis Carroll used this meaning absurdly throughout his poems and prose found in his novels Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Through Carroll's interactions with close friends and family, as well as the innovative and eccentric society and politics of the Victorian era, he created beautiful poetry on many different levels. The Victorian era lasted from 1837 to 1901, the time of Queen Victoria's reign. in England. The term Victorian has “connotations of ‘prudish,’ ‘repressing,’ and ‘old-fashioned’” (Landow 1). This era is now considered a time of “great expansion of wealth, power, and culture” (Landow 1). This shift in ideas and policies led to great changes in democracy and saw the rise of other modern movements. Because this era lasted so long, it includes several different periods, including socialism, Darwinism, and scientific agnosticism. The widespread use of opium during the Victorian period may have influenced or reflected in Carroll's work. “In Carroll's time, five out of six families habitually used opium” (Wohl 34). The Victorian era, ideology and politics had a great impact on Lewis Carroll's poetry. Lewis Carroll, formerly Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, was born in Daresbury, Cheshire, on January 27, 1832. His parents were Charles and Frances Dodgson. He was the eldest of a family of 11 children. Throughout his life he enjoyed writing and taking photographs. During 1854, Carroll continued to write and compiled an album of his best writings, entitled "Mischmasch". "Mischmasch" included a four-line verse, entitled "Stanza of Anglo-Saxon Poetry". This later became the first verse of his nonsense poem "Jabberwocky". In 1855 Henry Liddell arrived as the new dean of Christ Church and Carroll was introduced to his children. He had a son, Harry, and three daughters: Lorina, Alice and Edith. Carroll had begun photographing the family and was particularly charmed by little girl Alice. Alice later b...... middle of paper ......nbsp;Works CitedCarroll, Lewis. Alice in Wonderland. Norton Review Edition. New York: WW Norton and Company, 1992. Connell, Kate. "Opium as a possible influence on Alice Books" March 22, 2000. The Victorian Web. .Graham, Eléonore. Lewis Carroll and the Writing of Through The Looking Glass Great Britain: Puffin Books, 1981. Landow, George P. "Victorian and Victorianism" March 23, 2000. The Victorian Web. Sewell, Elizabeth. The domain of nonsense London: Chatto and Windus LTD., 1952.