Alice

Marble, Alice, 1913-90, American tennis player, b. Plumas co., Calif. She began playing tennis at the age of 15, and after 1931 she rose rapidly in national tennis rankings. She four times took the U.S. singles championship (1936, 1938-40) and, with Sarah Palfrey Cooke, took the U.S. doubles crown (1937-40). She also won the British singles (1939) and doubles (1938-39) championships before entering (1941) the professional tennis ranks.

Walker, Alice, 1944-, African-American novelist and poet, b. Eatonon, Ga. The daughter of sharecroppers, she studied at Spelman College (1961-63) and Sarah Lawrence College (B.A., 1965). She brings her travel experience in Africa and memories of the American civil-rights movement to an examination of the experience of African Americans, mainly in the South, and of Africans. A self-described "womanist," she has maintained a strong focus on feminist issues within African-American culture. Walker won wide recognition with her novel The Color Purple (1982; Pulitzer Prize; film, 1985), a dark but sometimes joyous saga of a poor black Southern woman's painful journey toward self-realization. Among her other novels are Meridian (1976), The Temple of My Familiar (1989), By the Light of My Father's Smile (1994), and Now Is the Time to Open Your Heart (2004). Her short-story collections include You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down (1981) and the partially autobiographical The Way Forward Is with a Broken Heart (2000). She has also written poetry, such as Revolutionary Petunias and Other Poems (1973), Her Blue Body Everything We Know: Earthling Poems 1965-1990 (1991), and Absolute Trust in the Goodness of the Earth (2003). Many of her essays are collected in Living by the Word (1988) and Anything We Love Can Be Saved (1997).

Alice, city (1990 pop. 19,788), seat of Jim Wells co., S Tex.; inc. 1910. Long a cow town at a railroad junction, Alice remains a cattle-shipping center. Oil and natural gas are also important to its economy. Manufactures include office equipment and fishing tools. Nearby are a wildlife refuge, the great King Ranch, and several Gulf Coast resorts.

Adams, Alice, 1926-99, American novelist, b. Fredericksburg, Va. Her deftly wry and witty fiction concerns 20th-century domestic and professional life, and usually concentrates on the lives of women in various stages of transition. Adams wrote a total of 11 novels, including Careless Love (1966), Superior Women (1984), Caroline's Daughters (1991), Almost Perfect (1993) and A Southern Exposure (1995) and its sequel, the posthumously published After the War (2000). Adams is also noted for her short stories, collected in such volumes as To See You Again (1982), The Last Lovely City (1999), and the posthumous anthology The Stories of Alice Adams (2002).

Paul, Alice, 1885-1977, American feminist, b. Moorestown, N.J. She helped found the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage (1913), which became the National Woman's party (1917). After the passage of the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, she worked for passage of an equal rights amendment. See also woman suffrage.

Hamilton, Alice, 1869-1970, American toxicologist, physician, and educator, b. New York City, M.D. Univ. of Michigan, 1893; she continued her studies in Germany. A pioneer in industrial diseases and hygiene, she joined the faculty of Harvard Medical School in 1919 and became emeritus professor of industrial medicine in 1935. Her services as an outstanding authority on industrial conditions, ailments, and poisons were eagerly sought by political and government agencies. She worked with the state of Illinois, the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, and the health committee of the League of Nations. Her publications include Industrial Poisoning in the United States (1925), Industrial Toxicology (1934), and Exploring the Dangerous Trades, an autobiography (1943).

Perrers, Alice, d. 1400, mistress of Edward III of England. She entered the service of Edward's queen, Philippa of Hainaut, and married a courtier, Sir William de Windsor. Becoming the king's mistress possibly as early as 1366, she wielded great influence over him. Her interference in the promotion of lawsuits in the courts led to her banishment from the royal household by the Good Parliament of 1376. She returned in 1377 and later gained, despite another sentence of banishment, some favor and much wealth at the court of Richard II.

Munro, Alice, 1931-, Canadian writer. Much acclaimed as one of the finest contemporary short-story writers, Munro is known for quiet, insightfully realistic, and irony-tinged works dealing with daily life, written in an elegantly unobtrusive prose. These tales are mainly about the lives of girls and women, are often set in rural Ontario, and frequently concern the conflicts between independence and domesticity, creativity and obligation. Other recurring themes in her fiction include the interrelatedness of poverty and shame, the subtleties of class distinctions, the intricacies of women's sexuality, and the complex problems of the female artist. Collections of her many stories include Dance of the Happy Shades (1968), Something I've Been Meaning to Tell You (1974), The Beggar Maid (1979), The Progress of Love (1986), Friend of My Youth (1990), The Love of a Good Woman (1998), Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage (2001), Runaway (2004), Carried Away (2006), and Too Much Happiness (2009). The stories in The View from Castle Rock (2006) mingle fiction, history, and memoir, tracing Munro's family from 17th-century Scotland to modern Canada. She also has written one novel, Lives of Girls and Women (1971). Munro was awarded the 2009 Man Booker International Prize.

Waters, Alice, 1944-, American chef and author whose advocacy of organically grown, locally produced seasonal food and of sustainable agriculture has influenced America's approach to food, b. Chatham, N.J., grad. Univ. of California, Berkeley (B.A., 1967). Her interest in cooking was piqued during a trip to France when she was 19. In 1971 she opened the restaurant Chez Panisse in Berkeley, originating what came to be called California cuisine, and Waters' principles gradually became integral parts of modern American cuisine. She has written several cookbooks, e. g., Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook (1982) and The Art of Simple Food (2007), and has been active in promoting education about food, farmers' markets, and community gardens.

(born Feb. 9, 1944, Eatonton, Ga., U.S.) U.S. writer. After attending Spelman College and Sarah Lawrence College, Walker moved to Mississippi and became involved with the civil rights movement. She also began teaching and publishing short stories and essays. Her works are noted for their insightful treatment of African American culture. Her third and most popular novel, The Color Purple (1982, Pulitzer Prize; film, 1985), depicts a black woman's struggle for racial and sexual equality. Her later novels include The Temple of My Familiar (1989) and Possessing the Secret of Joy (1992). She also wrote essays, some collected in In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens (1983); several books of poetry; short stories; and children's books.

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orig. Alice Anne Laidlaw

(born July 10, 1931, Wingham, Ont., Can.) Canadian writer. She is known for exquisitely drawn short stories, usually set in rural Ontario and peopled by characters of Scotch-Irish stock. Her collections Dance of the Happy Shades (1968), Who Do You Think You Are? (1978), and The Progress of Love (1986) won the Governor General's Award for Fiction. Her other collections include Something I've Been Meaning to Tell You (1974), The Moons of Jupiter (1982), Friend of My Youth (1986), Open Secrets (1994), The Love of a Good Woman (1998), and Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage (2001).

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Town (pop., 2006: 23,893), Northern Territory, Australia. It lies between Darwin and Adelaide, virtually in the centre of the continent. It originated in the 1870s as a station on the Overland Telegraph Line. Because of its location, it has become a major shipping point. Its mild winter climate makes it a popular tourist destination.

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orig. Alice Anne Laidlaw

(born July 10, 1931, Wingham, Ont., Can.) Canadian writer. She is known for exquisitely drawn short stories, usually set in rural Ontario and peopled by characters of Scotch-Irish stock. Her collections Dance of the Happy Shades (1968), Who Do You Think You Are? (1978), and The Progress of Love (1986) won the Governor General's Award for Fiction. Her other collections include Something I've Been Meaning to Tell You (1974), The Moons of Jupiter (1982), Friend of My Youth (1986), Open Secrets (1994), The Love of a Good Woman (1998), and Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage (2001).

Learn more about Munro, Alice with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Feb. 9, 1944, Eatonton, Ga., U.S.) U.S. writer. After attending Spelman College and Sarah Lawrence College, Walker moved to Mississippi and became involved with the civil rights movement. She also began teaching and publishing short stories and essays. Her works are noted for their insightful treatment of African American culture. Her third and most popular novel, The Color Purple (1982, Pulitzer Prize; film, 1985), depicts a black woman's struggle for racial and sexual equality. Her later novels include The Temple of My Familiar (1989) and Possessing the Secret of Joy (1992). She also wrote essays, some collected in In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens (1983); several books of poetry; short stories; and children's books.

Learn more about Walker, Alice (Malsenior) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

The Dodo is a fictional character appearing in Chapters 2 and 3 of the book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson). The Dodo is a caricature of the author. A popular belief is that Dodgson chose the particular animal to represent himself because of his stammer; in that when saying his last name, it would frequently come out as "Do-do-dodgson." There however exists no evidence to support the claim and it is doubtful given what is known of the nature of his hesitation.

In this passage Lewis Carroll incorporated references to everyone present on the original boating expedition of July 4, 1862 during which Alice's Adventures were first told, with Alice as herself, and the others represented by birds: the Lory was Lorina Liddell, the Eaglet was Edith Liddell, the Dodo was Dodgson, and the Duck was Rev. Robinson Duckworth. In order to get dry after a swim, the Dodo proposes that everyone run a Caucus race — where the participants run in patterns of any shape, starting and leaving off whenever they like, so that everyone wins. At the end of the race, Alice distributes comfits from her pocket to all as prizes. However this leaves no prize for herself. The Dodo inquires what else she has in her pocket. As she has only a thimble, the Dodo requests it from her and then awards it to Alice as her prize. The Caucus Race as depicted by Carroll is a satire on the political caucus system, mocking its lack of clarity and decisiveness.