Lewis Carroll is one of the best-known writers of nonsense. Although the use of nonsense in poetry has been dismissed simply as "for entertainment purposes", most nonsense poetry acts as an allegory, has deep symbolism, and leaves the door open to different interpretations. Lewis Carroll used this sense with nonsense throughout his poems and prose found in his novels Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Through Carroll's interactions with his close friends and family, and with the innovative and eccentric society and politics of the Victorian era, he created beautiful poems with many different layers. The Victorian era lasted from 1837 to 1901, which was the period during the reign of Queen Victoria in England. The term Victorian has "conveyed connotations of 'prudist,' 'repress,' and 'old-fashioned'" (Landow 1). This era is now seen as a time of “great expansion of wealth, power, and culture” (Landow 1). This change in ideas and politics led to a major change in democracy and saw the rise of other modern movements. Because the era lasted so long, it encompasses several periods including socialism, Darwinism, and scientific agnosticism. The widespread use of opium during the Victorian period may have influenced or been reflected in Carroll's work. “In Carroll's day 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, formally Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, was born in Daresbury, Cheshire, on 27 January 1832. His parents were Charles and Frances Dodgson. He was the eldest of 11 children. All his life he loved writing and taking photographs. During 1854 Carroll continued to write and compiled an album of his best writings, called "Mischmasch". “Mischmasch” included a four-line verse, titled “Stanza of Anglo-Saxon Poetry.” Later this became the first line of his nonsense poem "Jabberwocky". In 1855, Henry Liddell arrived as the new dean of Christ Church and Carroll was introduced to his sons. He had a son, Harry, and three daughters: Lorina, Alice and Edith. Carroll had begun photographing the family and was particularly fascinated by the little girl Alice. Alice later b...... middle of paper ......nbsp;Works CitedCarroll, Lewis. Alice in Wonderland. Norton critical edition. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 1992. Connell, Kate. “Opium as a Possible Influence on Alice Books” March 22, 2000. The Victorian Web. .Graham, Eleonora. Lewis Carroll and the Writing of Through the Looking-Glass Britain: Puffin Books, 1981. Landow, George P. "Victorian and Victorianism" March 23, 2000. The Victorian Web. Sewell, Elizabeth. The Field of Nonsense London: Chatto and Windus LTD., 1952.