Logic, Language, and Imagination: A Pedagogical Study of Lewis Carroll’s Mathematical Mind

BHAWANA KUMARI; BIHAR GAURAV; RAJESH KUMAR MISHRA

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i06.62428

Logic, Language, and Imagination: A Pedagogical Study of Lewis Carroll’s Mathematical Mind

Author(s)	Ms. BHAWANA KUMARI, Mr. BIHAR GAURAV, Dr. RAJESH KUMAR MISHRA
Country	India
Abstract	This study investigates the profound intersection of logic, language, and imagination within the pedagogical framework of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll). While widely celebrated for his literary works, particularly Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Dodgson was a dedicated mathematician and logician whose professional life was devoted to teaching at Christ Church, Oxford. His mathematical mind, characterized by a rigorous adherence to Euclidean geometry and a pioneering approach to symbolic logic, informed a unique pedagogical philosophy that sought to make complex subjects accessible and engaging. This paper argues that Dodgson’s use of literary nonsense and imaginative scenarios was a deliberate, sophisticated pedagogical tool to illustrate and explore the boundaries of formal logic and mathematical reasoning. Specifically, the study examines his formal works, such as Symbolic Logic and The Game of Logic, alongside his literary output, to uncover the underlying unity in his intellectual pursuits. The research methodology involves a qualitative content analysis of Dodgson’s mathematical texts, logical puzzles, and selected literary passages, focusing on the transference of logical principles into linguistic play. The findings suggest that Carroll’s pedagogical approach, which seamlessly blended the abstract world of mathematics with the concrete world of imagination, offers valuable insights for contemporary mathematics and logic education, particularly in fostering critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills. His work demonstrates that the imaginative capacity is not a distraction from, but an essential component of rigorous intellectual inquiry.
Keywords	Lewis Carroll, Charles Dodgson, Symbolic Logic, Mathematical Pedagogy, Logic Education, Imagination, Language, Victorian Mathematics, Nonsense Literature.
Field	Sociology > Linguistic / Literature
Published In	Volume 7, Issue 6, November-December 2025
Published On	2025-12-02
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i06.62428
Short DOI	https://doi.org/hbdsgp

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Logic, Language, and Imagination: A Pedagogical Study of Lewis Carroll’s Mathematical Mind

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