My mother was a Fairy.
The notion had occurred to her,
The children would be happier,
If they were taught to vary.

The notion soon became a craze;
And, when it once began, she
Brought us all out in different ways -
One was a Pixy, two were Fays,
Another was a Banshee." - Meaning and context.">
QuotesCosmos
Canto 4
“

My father was a Brownie, Sir;
My mother was a Fairy.
The notion had occurred to her,
The children would be happier,
If they were taught to vary.

The notion soon became a craze;
And, when it once began, she
Brought us all out in different ways -
One was a Pixy, two were Fays,
Another was a Banshee.

— Lewis Carroll

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "My father was a Brownie, Sir;
My mother was a Fairy.
The notion had occurred to her,
The children would be happier,
If they were taught to vary.

The notion soon became a craze;
And, when it once began, she
Brought us all out in different ways -
One was a Pixy, two were Fays,
Another was a Banshee." in the context of "Canto 4" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Quote Image
Source: Wikiquote: "Lewis Carroll" (Quotes, Phantasmagoria (1869)) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app

Tags

#Lewis Carroll#notion#different#occurred#children#brownie#happier#brought#another#banshee#father#mother
Lewis Carroll

About Lewis Carroll

Lewis Carroll (born Charles Lutwidge Dodgson 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898) was an English author, mathematician, Anglican clergyman, logician, and amateur photographer. His father was Charles Dodgson (archdeacon), his great-grandfather was Charles Dodgson (bishop) and his nephew was Stuart Dodgson Collingwood.