Research Guides: Japanese Studies *: Japanese Materials in the Cassady Lewis Carroll Collection

Japanese Materials in the Cassady Lewis Carroll Collection

USC Libraries is home to the Cassady Lewis Carroll Collection which includes a significant number of Japanese translations and adaptations of Carroll’s work, as well as Japanese works inspired by the Carrollian Universe including literature, art, clothing, ephemera, film, and music. It is believed to be the largest collection of Japanese materials related to Alice outside of Japan. With more translations of Alice in Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass than any other language, it is clear that the young girl Lewis Carroll created has captured the Japanese imagination in a way that few literary characters can claim, and the Cassady Lewis Carroll Collection provides scholars with an opportunity to explore this in detail.

Materials in the Cassady Lewis Carroll Collection are available to view in Special Collections, and must be requested in advance of your visit through the Specialized Research Collection Request System (Aeon).

How to search the Cassady Collection & request items

Go to https://aeon.usc.edu/
Log in or set up a new account if you don't have one.
Visit USC Libraries online catalog.
Go to the Cassady Collection page in the USC Libraries Catalog and search within the defined categories.
Select an item by clicking on it.
To request materials, click "request this item" to the right of the call number.
You may be asked to sign into Aeon at this point.
Fill out form, including the date you'd like to visit.
Submit form, and your request is completed.
Log in to see the status of your request. If the status is "Item on hold," the materials are ready and you will receive an email prompting you to schedule an appointment for the Reading Room.

Collection Highlights

Shōnen sekai
Call Number: VAULT PZ49.21 .S56
Publication Date: 1899
Contains the first translation of Carroll's works into Japanese. Kagami Sekai (Through the Looking Glass) translated by Hasegawa Tenkei and serialized in eight issues of this journal.

Alice Story (1927)
Many Japanese translations of Carroll's work are by famous Japanese authors who have found inspiration in the Carrollian Universe and wanted to put their own spin on it. In this example, two renowned Japanese authors, Ryūnosuke Akutagawa and Kan Kikuchi, translated Carroll’s first book as Arisu Monogatari (Alice Story). Kikuchi was a playwright, novelist, and editor who cultivated the careers of many of modern Japan’s best authors. Akutagawa was modern Japan’s foremost short-form author, who published prolifically despite dying at the age of 35.
Alice Book (1991)
Alice Book (Arisu Bukku in Japanese) is an anthology put together by a group of female manga artists who call themselves the “March Hare Tea Party Club.” The contributing artists used the series as a way to try out ideas their male editors would not normally allow. The book thus marks an attempt to push back against gender-based boundaries in artistic production.
Alice in Murderland (2014)
An example of the highly imaginative ways in which Japanese manga illustrators have taken Carroll’s Alice as a starting point for their own storytelling, this ongoing, eleven-volume manga follows the story of Kuonji Stella, a rich young girl whose family has a monthly tea party tradition. One day Stella’s mother announces that all of the Kuonji children must engage in a fight to the death, with the winner inheriting the family fortune.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (2013)
As well as authors, Japanese artists have also been inspired to illustrate Carroll's stories in highly imaginative and distinctive ways. This edition of Alice features illustrations by world-famous artist Yayoi Kusama, who has been inspired by the world of Alice in Wonderland throughout her career. Known chiefly for her abstract polka dot artworks and installations, Kusama has been recognized by many of the world’s major arts organizations, including an honorary membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters, France’s Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and Japan’s Praemium Imperiale.
Gothic Lolita Dress, Hat, & Stockings
It is not just through words and images that we can see the influence of Alice in Japanese popular culture, but through fashion as well. In this example a dress, hat, and stockings form an outfit in the style known as "Gothic Lolita" - a Japanese fashion trend born in the 1990s and popular in areas of Tokyo such as Harajuku and Shibuya. Gothic Lolita incorporates elements of Victorian women's clothing such as frills and ruffles, alongside a gothic aesthetic, and carries connotations of "girlishness" or "hyper-femininity". It is an example of a tangential rather than direct influence of the Carrollian universe on Japanese culture.

Related Guides

Cassady Lewis Carroll Collection
by Derek Christian Quezada Meneses Last Updated Aug 24, 2023 776 views this year

Japanese Studies *: Japanese Materials in the Cassady Lewis Carroll Collection

Japanese Materials in the Cassady Lewis Carroll Collection

How to search the Cassady Collection & request items

Collection Highlights

Further Reading

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