(In)appropriate Alice: the neo-Victorian sexualization of Carroll’s Wonderland

This chapter examines a range of transmedia adaptations of Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, through the lens of Neo-Victorian theories of haunting and “sexploitation”. It is argued that modern reworkings of the Alice books are frequently haunted by the allegations of pedophilia surrounding Charles Dodgson’s relationship with Alice Liddell, leading to an “(in)appropriation” of Carroll’s protagonist. Irrespective of the “truth” behind such claims, in contemporary popular culture Carroll’s novels have given rise to a wide variety of sexualised reimaginings, including novels, short stories, pornographic films, graphic novels, artworks, cosplay websites, and videogames.