Where and What is your Wonderland?

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is an amazing journey of a little girl who uses her imagination to create a world of absolute nonsense. The little girl, Alice, is first seen sitting on the bank, while her sister is reading her a story on a hot summer's day. Shortly after our introduction to Alice, it is presumed that Alice falls asleep, as the White Rabbit appears with his coat and stopwatch. Alice, never seeing this before follows and she journeys into another world, where nothing seems out of the ordinary.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, seems to attract many different readers as the children can read for the fantastical journey and adults can read to understand Lewis Caroll’s satirical humor. For instance, while the Caucus race may seem like a fun game to be played by children where everyone wins, adults understand this to be poking fun at the American government’s use of a democracy, with the North and South battling for control of the country. Likewise, the Queen of Hearts becomes a light hearted representation of Queen Victoria in England. This use of humor found within what is thought to be a child’s book at plain view, becomes much more as Victorian England mentality is throughout. Like a “good Victorian English school girl”, Alice attempts to recite her lessons while in Wonderland, trying to add reason and logic into the world of nonsense; while she does not understand what is fully going on, the reader sees Alice “grow” throughout her adventure. Each time she overcomes an obstacle within Wonderland, Alice grows physically at times (by eating mushrooms or even cake), and mentally as she ventures deeper into the world by herself, fearlessly.
In the end, Alice’s ability to fully immerse herself into her Wonderland, becomes a gate way to the older reader to embrace their own inner child or wonderland and attempt to let loose. Alice’s sister attempts to fully embrace herself within the tale, but “half-believed herself in Wonderland, though she knew she had but to open them again, and all would change to dull reality-” (Caroll 117). Here Wonderland becomes a memory of childhood to be passed on to generations and generations of children, in hopes that they too embrace their wildest dreams.

Alice In Wonderland Reviewed

What can be said about the fantastical and imaginative world of Mr. Lewis Carroll? In his recently published “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” the reader is treated to an impossible world of fantastic and unusual characters and situations. From a White Rabbit in a waistcoat to a dormouse in a teapot there is an endless parade of eccentric creatures to meet. Doubtless, any child reading or being read the stories of Alice will fail to be engrossed by her adventures, however, the shrewd adult reader will find in the characters and situations a wry reflection of Victorian England. There is an Irish Lizard employed as a chimney sweep and comedic stooge, and a cockney gryphon who gives lessons on etiquette and dancing to middle class Alice. Regardless of the latent social commentary the tales will engross any one who reads the Alice stories. It is impossible, in this highly industrialized world we are beginning to be surround by, to not immerse oneself in stories of mad tea parties, flamingo and hedgehog croquet, hilarious satires of popular didactic children’s poems, and a queen with absolute dominion over her kingdom if she only remembered to follow through on her edicts. It is a singular work of genius and it will be a sad child that does not receive this fabulous book from a loving relation.
This reviewer would be remiss if he were to omit praise for the fabulous illustrations by Mr. Tenniel. Not only has Mr. Tenniel co-opted the magnificent world of Carroll’s Wonderland but also his own marvelous contribution is vital to its flawless execution.

Review of Alice in Wonderland

Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a whimsical novel that can be enjoyed by people of all ages for decades to come. Carroll's novel is sure to be a best-seller because of it's widespread appeal and ability to allow readers to escape reality.

Carroll's novel takes readers on a disorienting journey down the rabbit hole and brings them into a land where real-world (the world that we live in, outside of the rabbit hole) logic is turned on its head and asked to recite nursery rhymes. Adults can appreciate the capricious and fantastical world that Carroll constructs where word play and logic puzzles are commonly in use. For example, there is confusion between the King of Hearts and the Hatter when the Hatter states, "It began with a tea," only to have the confused King reply, "Of course twinkling begins with a T!" (94). Children will love Alice's adventures because of all of the eccentric characters she meets in Wonderland, many of which are talking animals like the March Hare and the Cheshire Cat or even objects like the cards in the Queen of Hearts' Kingdom. Even illiterate chimney sweeps and hooligans will be able to enjoy the book, should they be blessed enough to get their hands on it, because of its wonderful illustrations. The illustrations fit nicely throughout the text to provide a sort of visual description of Alice's adventures as she goes along through Wonderland. There are just enough illustrations to keep children entertained without distracting them too much from the reading.

If a chimney sweep or impoverished street urchin were fortunate enough to ever hear Alice's adventures, he/she would be so delighted with the fantasy world of Wonderland and all of its oddities that he/she would forget all about his/her grueling place in the real world. The same is true for a proper Victorian child who encountered the text. A proper Victorian child would fall into Carroll's story the same way that Alice falls down the rabbit hole. He/she would find Wonderland to be an entertaining getaway from the real world where he/she is expected to partake in his/her daily French and music lessons. Any adult who came upon Alice's Adventures in Wonderland would also be able to appreciate the magical world that Carroll creates because it is so much different than the world that we live in. Any adult that comes home from a long day of work and picks up this novel will instantly be taken to a place that is much more magical, a place where anything is possible, even never working again and instead drinking tea for the rest of eternity. Readers never know what could happen next in Wonderland, which is appealing, when you're trying to escape a boring Victorian routine.

Lewis Carroll's novel, The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland, is a success and will continue to be a success for years to come. One of the most popular reasons that people read is, has always been, and probably always will be to get their minds off of the trials and tribulations of ordinary life. Carroll's novel offers up a world far from what most would consider "ordinary," and therefore makes for a timeless piece of literature capable of transporting its readers to a place much more interesting than reality.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words...

...probably not the words Lewis Carroll would want to hear!

Hear, hear!

HERE are some of the pictures Carroll took of Alice, her sisters, and other (little) girls:
[Note: Some of these are in the Broadview copies of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]













(This one's the most disturbing, in my opinion)


(And this one is obviously NOT one of Carroll's. I just thought was really good photography and also very cool!)

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: complexity beneath a cheerful surface

Nonsense at its best, speaking animals, and curious adventures: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll is definetively an enjoyment. Children will love the episodes about the little girl's wonderful adventures, her encounters with weird creatures. Additionally, the stories are written in a light-hearted, easy-to-read way.
But adults can also take delight in this novel - and even more. One of the novel's major strength is its pun. There is the literal level of language, where metaphors simply do not work, such as

"one of the guinea-pigs (...) was suppressed(...). (As that is rather a hard word, I will just explain to you how it was done. They had a large canvas bag, which tied up at the mouth with strings: into this they slipped the guinea-pig, head first, and then sat upon it.) "I'm glad I've seen that done" thought Alice. "I've so often read in the newspaper, at the end of trials, 'There was some attempt at applause, which was immediately suppressed by the officers of the court,' and I never understood what it meant till now.""

Or the confusion caused by the misunderstanding of (almost) similiar pronounced words:

"'Mine is a long and sad tale!' said the Mouse.(...) 'It is a long tail, certainly,' said Alice, looking down with wonder at the Mouse's tail; ' but why do you call it sad?'"

These are just two examples to get a first impression, there is much more in the text, and some passages really make you smile.
But beneath this funny surface - though it might lead to question the meaning and importance of language - are more serious topics, such as the lost of childish innocence and Alice's struggle to define and form her identity as she constantly changes her size. "Who in the world I am?" is one of the central questions in this novel. I do not want to give away too much of the stories, just be prepared that there is a lot going on. Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland is not only a happy fairy-tale.
So, is this novel a good novel to educate your children? That is a question depending on your understanding of education. Alice sometimes seems to be a well-schooled girl, but she is also noisy, saucy, impertinent and precocious. If you want a well-behaved child who simply memorizes his/her lessons, than I recommend not to use this novel as a mean of education. Carroll rather emphasizes a very modern understanding of learning and education, comparable to Kingsley's understanding presented in his novel Water Babies, published a couple of years ago: learning through experience. If you want a self-cofident child that will be able to deal with unexpected, extraordinary situations (after a while), to progress by learning/experiencing, that is able to speak for itself, to make own decisions (to certain degrees), than you can use this novel as an educational one, but be aware that Alice does not always serve as a role model.
No matter how you approach this novel, the reading will be enriching. Even if you do not like (to think of) the existential questions, you will have some cheerful hours at least.

Lewis Carroll bio

Lewis Carroll biography 27 January 1832- 14 January 1898

(This information found on http://library.thinkquest.org/10977/carroll/)

Background- Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. (Lewis Carroll is the Latinized version of his first two names.) Aside from being an author, he was also a mathematician, Anglican deacon, and amateur photographer. He also invented a nyctograph, a device used for writing down thoughts in bed without getting up and turning out the light, and various word games including an early version of scrabble. He was brought up in a conservative, English family; and most of his family members were either in the army or held offices in the Church of England. He was the third of eleven children and found ways to entertain his family by doing marionette shows, writing poems, and doing magic tricks. Carroll excelled in math and theology during school, and soon developed an interest in pursuing both fields as professions. Despite his playful childhood, Carroll became very serious about his mathematician’s work. Logic appealed to him more as a game, which brings out his humorist’s qualities. He suffered from a stutter that made public speaking and preaching hard. He attended Christ Church Oxford and won the Christ Church Mathematical Lectureship which enabled him to stay on and teach. The pay was good but he found the work boring. It was at Oxford where he met the children of Dean Liddell, the inspiration of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Liddell Sisters and the Beginnings of Alice- Carroll always seemed to have an affinity with children, but the Liddell sisters clearly had a special place in his heart. Alice, Lorina, and Edith Liddell used to go on picnics with Carroll, who would tell the girls stories. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was being formed from his stories told to the girls. One rainy day, he told the girls such a great story that Alice begged him to write it down. Novelist Henry Kingsley managed to read the story and confronted Carroll about publishing the story. Surprised by this request, Carroll agreed. He gained fame as a writer, and sometimes unwanted attention— according to one popular story which Dodgeson roundly denied, Queen Victoria loved Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland so much that she suggested the Dodgeson dedicate his next work to her, and was presented with his next work, An Elementary Treatise on Determinants.

Controversies- Carroll was accused of being on drugs, which fueled his imaginative worlds. Also, his photographs of the Liddell sisters (particularly Alice) were deemed inappropriate and reflected Carroll’s evident obsession with young girls. Carroll was also the only Senior Student at Christ Church who was allowed to stay on at the college despite being a priest— Dodgeson had to appeal to Dean Liddell for permission to not proceed with his ordination . At around the time Carroll insisted on not becoming a priest he was troubled by an unexplained sense of guilt, and in his diaries from this period he refers to himself as a “vile and worthless” sinner.