4.24

5

May 27, 2007

I think that the failure not only of Children's Literature as a whole, but of our very concept of children and the child's mind is that we think it a crime to challenge and confront that mind. Children are first protected from their culture--kept remote and safe--and then they are thrust incongruously into a world that they have been told is unsafe and unsavory; and we expected them not to blanch.

It has been my policy that the best literature for children is not a trifling thing, not a I think that the failure not only of Children's Literature as a whole, but of our very concept of children and the child's mind is that we think it a crime to challenge and confront that mind. Children are first protected from their culture--kept remote and safe--and then they are thrust incongruously into a world that they have been told is unsafe and unsavory; and we expected them not to blanch.

It has been my policy that the best literature for children is not a trifling thing, not a simplification of the adult or a sillier take on the world. Good Children's literature is some of the most difficult literature to write because one must challenge, engage, please, and awe a mind without resorting to archetypes or life experience.

Once a body grows old enough, we are all saddened by the thought of a breakup. We have a set of knowledge and memories. The pain returns to the surface. Children are not born with these understandings, so to make them understand pain, fear, and loss is no trivial thing. The education of children is the transformation of an erratic and hedonistic little beast into a creature with a rational method by which to judge the world.

A child must be taught not to fear monsters but to fear instead electrical outlets, pink slips, poor people, and lack of social acceptance. The former is frightening in and of itself, the latter for complex, internal reasons. I think the real reason that culture often fears sexuality and violence in children is because they are such natural urges. We fear to trigger them because we cannot control the little beasts. We cannot watch them every minute.

So, to write Children's Literature, an author must create something complex and challenging, something that the child can turn over in their mind without accidentally revealing some terrible aspect of the world that the child is not yet capable of dealing with. Carroll did this by basing his fantasies off of complex, impersonal structures: linguistics and mathematical theory. These things have all the ambiguity, uncertainty, and structure of the grown-up world without the messy, human parts.

This is also why the Alice stories fulfill another requirement I have for Children's Lit: that it be just as intriguing and rewarding for adults. There is no need to limit the depth in books for children, because each reader will come away with whatever they are capable of finding. Fill an attic with treasures and the child who enters it may find any number of things--put a single coin in a room and you ensure that the child will find it, but nothing more.

Of course, we must remember that nothing we can write will ever be more strange or disturbing to a child than the pure, unadulterated world that we will always have failed to prepare them for. However, perhaps we can fail a little less and give them Alice. Not all outlets are to be feared, despite what your parents taught you. In fact, some should be prodded with regularity, and if you dare, not a little joy. ...more

5

Apr 22, 2018

THIS BOOK IS MY DREAM.

It’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, plus Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, plus a ton of critical analysis and fun facts and biographical info and poetry and background and cultural and period information and bonus illustrations and basically all you need or could ever want to know, except if you’re me and your love for and curiosity about Alice and Lewis Carroll and Wonderland will never be satiated.

And also it’s about a square yard and the font is THIS BOOK IS MY DREAM.

It’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, plus Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, plus a ton of critical analysis and fun facts and biographical info and poetry and background and cultural and period information and bonus illustrations and basically all you need or could ever want to know, except if you’re me and your love for and curiosity about Alice and Lewis Carroll and Wonderland will never be satiated.

And also it’s about a square yard and the font is tiny and it weighs about 30 pounds and takes an eternity to read.

I loved this so much that it made my heart hurt to finish it. My version of paradise is probably something like this, where I’m alternating between reading the original text I love more than anything and eloquent, wise, humorous elaboration on things I had never known. The more I learned, the more I wanted to know.

I guess you could say I grew…curiouser and curiouser.

I love myself.

Anyway, my bookmark for this book was a folded-up sheet of lined paper on which I wrote down the titles and works of art and research queries I wanted to know more about as I read. I filled up both sides of that sheet.

Absolutely every aspect of this book is gorgeous and curated and fascinating. I don’t really know how to review this because it basically transcended reading for me.

It was just a perfect experience.

Bottom line: If you love Alice like I do, or really really like it, you need to read this book. It’s a gift. That’s all I can say.

-----------
pre-review

i have never, in my entire life, cried in public over a book.

until today.

THIS BOOK MADE ME CRY IN PUBLIC!

more of a review to come?? ...more

4

Feb 11, 2018

Dreams , figments of the wondrous mind, what things can it create...A little girl named Alice, 7 with her big sister a few years older, sitting on the banks of the gentle river Thames, on a calm , warm sunny day, in 1862 how delightful , still she is bored watching her sibling read a book, not paying any attention to her, with no pictures, imagine that... getting sleepy...Out of nowhere a nervous White Rabbit dashes by Alice, no big deal even though it has clothes on, not thinking it peculiar Dreams , figments of the wondrous mind, what things can it create...A little girl named Alice, 7 with her big sister a few years older, sitting on the banks of the gentle river Thames, on a calm , warm sunny day, in 1862 how delightful , still she is bored watching her sibling read a book, not paying any attention to her, with no pictures, imagine that... getting sleepy...Out of nowhere a nervous White Rabbit dashes by Alice, no big deal even though it has clothes on, not thinking it peculiar when the animal speaks, looking at a watch, and declares he will be late to an important party. Intrigued the child follows the rapid rabbit down a large hole, a long tunnel , soon finding a precipice, then falling and falling, the never ending drop continues as the frightened girl starts to believe, maybe, quite possible , arrive finally on the other side of the world, welcome Australia. Nevertheless landing safely in a pile of leaves, unhurt Alice in a strange hall sees a bottle that says drink me. She the brave girl does, being much too big, for this land, needing to get out, to the beautiful place outside that Alice views, through the door, too small for her and shrinks... this will not be the last time either, her size will vary in future adventures in this magical tale. Meeting a plethora of mad characters, as one of them matter of fact boasts we're all mad here. The Cheshire Cat with his always grinning smile as he fades away and reappears ...the Queen of Hearts the annoyed ruler frequently shouts and proclaims, "Off with their heads", and her curiouser and curiouser croquet match...with real animals for equipment, the Mad Hatter and his perpetual tea party with the March Hare who enjoys puzzling Alice. The mellow Caterpillar likes sitting on top of a mushroom smoking leisurely and showing scorn for the little girl's silly questions, the Mock Turtle who head looks like a cow and is sad, the ugly Duchess sneezing because her maid's over use of pepper, other weird souls in this enchanting book appear. If you are a type of person who relishes the road less traveled, this will be up your alley. A classic children's fable that will always be a favorite, having sold more than 100 million copies, and adults can be entrapped also, and benefit by the amusing satire of their foibles, which everyone has.That is being human ... ...more

5

Jun 25, 2014

“Once she remembered trying to box her own ears for having cheated herself in a game of croquet she was playing against herself, for this curious child was very fond of pretending to be two people.”

If I ever had to choose to be another literary person than my beloved soulmate Don Quixote, it would have to be Alice in Wonderland. Why would I need to be another character than the one and only Don? Well, it is good to have a backup if you are asked to come to a masquerade as a favourite book “Once she remembered trying to box her own ears for having cheated herself in a game of croquet she was playing against herself, for this curious child was very fond of pretending to be two people.”

If I ever had to choose to be another literary person than my beloved soulmate Don Quixote, it would have to be Alice in Wonderland. Why would I need to be another character than the one and only Don? Well, it is good to have a backup if you are asked to come to a masquerade as a favourite book character (a not completely unlikely risk and side effect of my profession), and you realise that your blonde hair and the emphasis on blue dresses in your wardrobe makes that a much more natural choice than the Medieval male dresscode of La Mancha.

On the other hand, Alice is a perfect complement to the Don in many ways. While he sets out to give the ordinary world some magic, she dives into Wonderland to make it sparkle with her common sense approach to madness. A perfect pair, those two characters.



In times like these, they are needed more than ever, to fight the windmills or Jabberwockys of modern craziness. As coffee is a means of survival to me, and I like the idea of drinking it out of a mug featuring an illustration of a famous tea party - as nonsensical as most, but more fun - I once went to London and bought myself a Mad Hatter mug, the handle nicely formed like one of those keys Alice had such trouble with. The quote on the back of the mug has helped me (along with the caffeine and a sense of humour as dark as my no-milk-and-no-sugar coffee) survive many a lesson with teenagers:

"If you knew Time as well as I do,’ said the Hatter, ‘you wouldn’t talk about wasting it."



I know for a fact that this book can be reread as many times as needed to figure out your own identity and level of madness, without any waste of time whatsoever:

“Who am I then? Tell me that first, and then, if I like being that person, I'll come up; if not, I'll stay down here till I'm someone else.”

I can almost give the same promise that Milo got in The Phantom Tollbooth:

"RESULTS ARE NOT GUARANTEED, BUT IF NOT PERFECTLY SATISFIED, YOUR WASTED TIME WILL BE REFUNDED." ...more

5

Dec 27, 2017

And causing unpleasant dreams for young children for over 150 years now.

5

Dec 10, 2017

Curiouser and curiouser edition!


This is the annotated edition, collecting both novels in the Alice book series: “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice found There”.


WE’RE ALL MAD HERE

Begin at the beginning…

This was technically a re-reading since I’ve already read both novels previously, the key difference here was that this is an “annotated” edition, which includes a comprehensive section, at the end of each chapter, with tons of notes revealing “ Curiouser and curiouser edition!


This is the annotated edition, collecting both novels in the Alice book series: “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice found There”.


WE’RE ALL MAD HERE

Begin at the beginning…

This was technically a re-reading since I’ve already read both novels previously, the key difference here was that this is an “annotated” edition, which includes a comprehensive section, at the end of each chapter, with tons of notes revealing “behind-the-scenes” detailing moments in the life of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll), the “real” meaning of scenes, the “real” inspirations for several of the characters in both novels, historic meaning (in the Victorian England) of casual expressions that got outdated nowadays, studies in the metrics of the poems included in the novels, etc…

I don’t think…

Then you shouldn’t talk…

It was a curiouser and curiouser reading experience since this was my first “annotated edition” of any book, and I believe that if you want to engage into this sort of books, it’s advisable having read the regular version of the novel first, since reading all those annotations after each chapter, it’s a kinda of “braking” effect, since depending the chapter, you’ll invest almost the same time reading the explanations than the chapter itself, so you lose a great deal of the rhythm of your reading, therefore, if you haven’t read the story before, you may not enjoying as much as it was supposed to be.

It’s a poor sort of memory that only works backwards.

Of course, almost all the information was made by scholars in the Lewis Carroll’s works, doing assumptions and best guesses, since the author was already gone when this annotated edition began to be conceived. Therefore, it’s a priceless access to get a better understanding of the novels at the era when they were published, BUT…

…sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.

…you can’t fully take without a doubt the exposed explanations, since you can’t ask the author anymore to validate if their interpretations are truly accurate. So, as many things in life, it’s up to you if you wish to believe them.

I can’t go back to yesterday because I was a different person then.

And as those scholars mentioned at some momento of the annotations, that sometimes we are so obssessed to find a secret meaning behind any single quote, any single character, any single scene, etc… and while it’s evident that some quotes, characters and scenes have indeed a double significance, some of them are merely things needed to keep flowing the narrative, as simply as that, without any conspiration or secret plot,…

I’m not strange, weird, off, nor crazy, my reality is just different from yours.

…so don’t get too deep into the annotations section and simply enjoy this wonderfully mad tale about a little girl who fell down into a rabbit’s hole and she kept finding curiouser and curiouser things, even through the looking-glass.

…and go on till you come to the end: then stop. ...more

5

Apr 11, 2010

868. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland #1-2), Lewis Carroll
Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (1871) is a novel by Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson), the sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865). Set some six months later than the earlier book, Alice again enters a fantastical world, this time by climbing through a mirror into the world that she can see beyond it. Through the Looking-Glass 868. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland #1-2), Lewis Carroll
Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (1871) is a novel by Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson), the sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865). Set some six months later than the earlier book, Alice again enters a fantastical world, this time by climbing through a mirror into the world that she can see beyond it. Through the Looking-Glass includes such celebrated verses as "Jabberwocky" and "The Walrus and the Carpenter", and the episode involving Tweedledum and Tweedledee. The mirror which inspired Carroll remains displayed in Charlton Kings.

تاریخ نخستین خوانش: ماه مارس سال 2001 میلادی
عنوان: آلیس آنسوی آینه؛ نویسنده: لوئیس کارول؛ مترجم: محمدتقی بهرامی حران؛ تهران، جامی، 1374؛ در 138 ص؛ شابک: 9786001760235؛ چاپ دوم 1389؛ موضوع: داستانهانی نوجوانان از نویسندگان انگلیسی - سده 19 م
عنوان: ماجراهای آلیس در سرزمین عجایب و سفر به درون آینه و آنچه آلیس آنجا یافت؛ نویسنده: لوئیس کارول؛ مترجم: جواد دانش آرا؛ تهران، فرهنگ نشر نو، 1395؛ در 462 ص؛ مصور؛ شابک: 9786008547044؛

آن‌ سوی آینه؛ ادامه‌ ای است بر کتاب «آلیس در سرزمین عجایب»، مرحله‌ ای که سرانجام آلیس که هویت خود را در سرزمین عجایب یافته، سعی در شکل‌ دادن آن و پیدا کردن جایگاهش در اجتماع دارد. «لوئیس کارول»، آن‌ سوی آینه را هفت سال پس از سرزمین عجایب، هنگامی که آلیس لیدل چهارده‌ ساله بود نوشت. در آنسوی آینه، آلیس با اختیار کامل قدم به «شهر آینه» می‌گذارد، تا بازهم با موجودات بیشتری آشنا شود، و تجربه بیندوزد. در این داستان، شهر آینه را قانونِ شطرنج اداره می‌کند، و آلیس که با ورود به این سرزمین، تنها یک مهره ی سرباز پیاده محسوب می‌شود، بر طبق قانون می‌تواند تا خانه ی هشتم پیش برود، و با رسیدن به آنجا، تا مقام مهره ی وزیر ارتقا پیدا کند. در بخش‌های نخستینِ داستان، وزیرِ مهره‌ های سرخ شطرنج، همچون یک معلم، راه پیروزی را برای آلیس شرح می‌دهد. ا. شربیانی ...more

5

May 15, 2009

Read both as a child, and again as an adult. Loved and appreciated it then; love and appreciate it now.

A book everyone should read at least once, and one that I hope children are still reading today.

5

Sep 25, 2007

Then Alice saw a large wall in the middle distance. Someone was sitting on the top of it. When Alice had come within a few yards of it, she saw that the thing sitting on the wall had eyes and a nose and mouth and a large pile of golden hair; and when she had come very close, she saw clearly that it was TRUMPTY DUMPTY himself. "It must be him because that’s what is written on his baseball cap," she said to herself. He was already speaking to her.

“They said I wouldn’t build the wall and I built Then Alice saw a large wall in the middle distance. Someone was sitting on the top of it. When Alice had come within a few yards of it, she saw that the thing sitting on the wall had eyes and a nose and mouth and a large pile of golden hair; and when she had come very close, she saw clearly that it was TRUMPTY DUMPTY himself. "It must be him because that’s what is written on his baseball cap," she said to herself. He was already speaking to her.

“They said I wouldn’t build the wall and I built the wall. They were wrong because they weren’t right. Really really really great wall.”
“I’m sure it is,” said Alice. “What is it for?”
“Believe me, this is the greatest wall there ever was,”
“I’m sure it is,” said Alice, “but please, what is it for?”
“The people, there were people, who said the wall would never be built, they were not smart people, as you see, the wall is right here, it is extremely extremely here, believe me.”
“Yes, I do see that it is, but please,” said Alice, getting rather impatient, “what is it for?”
“Those people, there were so many many of them, they said the wall was never ever ever going to be built, that’s what they said, you can check that, it’s there in the record. They were really really not smart those people. Everyone here can see that this is a great great day. That is what people are telling me. ”
“But –" started Alice.
“We are making Wonderland great again. Really really great. Dozens, hundreds of people, have said that there would be no wall. No wall at all. They said it would never never never happen. You can’t find those people any more because they are on the other side of the wall. Oh yes, there is another side of the wall. Really really other side. Can you hear them?”
Trumpty put his hand to his ear, exaggeratedly listening. Alice listened hard too for a moment but could not hear a sound, except for Trumpty talking continually. She had by now given up trying to ask Trumpty Dumpty anything at all. It was as if he did not know what a conversation was.
“It’s going to be amazing, really amazing. You will see Wonderland great again. So great.”

*


Sorry about that..... I really just wanted to flag up that this Definitive 150th Anniversary edition by Martin Gardner is exquisite and replaces all previous editions. So if you have a birthday coming up, you could ask for this! And if you get it you'll have a smile that will take a really really great long time to fade away. Believe me. ...more

2

Feb 28, 2009

This is a weird one. The more I read the more I'm okay with the weirdness. Does that say something about me? I thought at first I wouldn't read it to my kids because it's too strange, but I'm thinking now I might. They just might like it. We'll see how it ends. Am I lame that I've never read this before?

Okay, done with them both. Alice in Wonderland was okay. Still weird. Weird and I didn't understand it. Through the Looking Glass took weird to a whole new level. A bad level. The whole time I This is a weird one. The more I read the more I'm okay with the weirdness. Does that say something about me? I thought at first I wouldn't read it to my kids because it's too strange, but I'm thinking now I might. They just might like it. We'll see how it ends. Am I lame that I've never read this before?

Okay, done with them both. Alice in Wonderland was okay. Still weird. Weird and I didn't understand it. Through the Looking Glass took weird to a whole new level. A bad level. The whole time I was reading it I was thinking, "Is Carroll on crack? This makes no sense." And then I thought maybe I needed to be on crack to understand it. I've had crazy dreams sort of like this, all disjointed and random and all, but that doesn't mean I want to read a book about psycho dreams. And what's up with shaking the poor kitten all the time?

I might read Wonderland to the kids. I won't read Through the Looking Glass.

And does anyone really know what this all means? Because if it's "just for fun", it wasn't. ...more

4

Jul 23, 2014

“But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here.”

150 years ago, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson welcomed a new Dean to Christ Church College, Oxford, along with his family, including the three daughters, Lorina, Edith and Alice. Charles had been writing prose and poetry since a very young age, but it was young “But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here.”

150 years ago, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson welcomed a new Dean to Christ Church College, Oxford, along with his family, including the three daughters, Lorina, Edith and Alice. Charles had been writing prose and poetry since a very young age, but it was young Alice Liddell who encouraged him to write down the stories he had made up for her and her sisters, thus Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was published and has since been a stalwart in children's reading treasuries.

Charles, or more famously known by his alias Lewis Carroll, was an extraordinary man, graduating from Oxford with a first in Mathematics and going on to study and teach at Oxford, where he remained until his death in 1898. Not only did he write, but he was an early pioneer of photography and also painted. He predominantly wrote short stories and poems, but Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was a longer version of his unique writing style, and was published in 1865 to great acclaim. He became famous almost over night and wrote the sequel Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, though this particular story seemed much darker than the much-loved Wonderland, most probably caused by the depression he felt after the death of his father in 1871. Sylvie and Bruno, a tale of fairy siblings is a lesser known story from Carroll in 1895 and did not fair as well as Alice ever did though it remains in print as a testimony to the wonderful writer Lewis Carroll was.

Lewis Carroll's writing is often described as surreal and nonsensical, a lot of his words are made up, but are used in today's language-think specifically of the poem Jabberwocky-and he has had almost as much impact on the way we use language as Shakespeare ever did. The word 'chortle' is used today as commonly as if it truly were a real word for laughing:


`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.


"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"

[...]

"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.

In my most recent re-read of Alice, I decided I would read aloud the poetry within the book. There is a lot more poetry in it than I originally remembered, all of which is told to Alice by the various characters she meets. The made-up Carrollian words sound both strange and familiar on the tongue and one can find a genuine lilting rhythm to the entire book when experienced out loud with sound.

Beneath the surface, the story can be seen as quite dark, particularly the latter story Through the Looking-Glass. Whilst both retain the whimsical, surreal nature of another world, Looking-Glass has more of a sinister overtone, with more things going wrong for Alice and many more characters being unkind to one another. It also showed another side to Alice herself, as she had grown out of the rabbit hole and crying her way out of situations and instead wished more than anything to be a Queen. Her previous adventure with the Queen must have sparked this desire, though Alice had shown nothing but disdain for the Queen of Wonderland who wanted to chop everyone's head off at any given moment.

I found myself enjoying the latter book to the former: I cannot place my finger on the reason why, however. If nothing else, it is probably the more grown-up version of Alice I prefer, though in reality she is still just a child. Her experiences in her first Wonderland adventure seemed to have impacted her fervently, as she navigated the Looking-Glass Wonderland exceedingly well, often outsmarting those who were native to it.

The two books-often just collated in to one large one known as Alice in Wonderland-are actually all I've ever read of Lewis Carroll's works, though I am intrigued by his other works, particularly his poetry. The surreal, nonsense nature of the poetry in Alice is unique to Carroll and I'd be curious to see if it carries over in to his other works. Have you ever read his other works?

There is some controversy surrounded Lewis Carroll, mostly brought up in biographies of him, particularly regarding his friendliness with young girls such as the Liddell children, but I shan't be commenting on that here. Instead we shall concentrate on the great piece of literature he left behind, which he wrote whilst he was both disappointed and unhappy with his job of teaching at Oxford (despite remaining there until his death) and saddened by the loss of his mother early on in his life and by his father after Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was published. It is too much to wonder whether the reputation of such an absorbing, wonderful book would be tarnished if his biographers ever learnt the exact truth of his nature and the absurdities of accusations are most likely driven by the era they find themselves in.

There are many events taking place in 2015 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of this wonderful, wondrous, wandering book all over the globe. Royal Mail are producing celebratory collection stamps in honour of the landmark and who can forget the wonderful (if rather libertarian) Disney film? The best thing you can do is to read and re-read this book an enjoy it for what it is: a beautifully written, surreal and nonsense book that has captivated the imaginations of children and adults alike.

[On the night I re-read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the moon decided to show me his best Cheshire Cat smile in celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the book.]


Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest | Shop | Etsy ...more

3

May 18, 2018

What a bunch of codswallop! Trying to find something rational in these bizarre characters and perplexing adventures will result in one's disappointment, and indeed, you will find none of it. For if you were to put logical reasoning into the picture, you'll need heaps of Ibuprofen to pacify that throbbing headache of yours, which I did on my first day of reading Alice's adventures. By the second day, I've decided to throw out the logical and embrace lunacy for Pete's sake. It was better and made What a bunch of codswallop! Trying to find something rational in these bizarre characters and perplexing adventures will result in one's disappointment, and indeed, you will find none of it. For if you were to put logical reasoning into the picture, you'll need heaps of Ibuprofen to pacify that throbbing headache of yours, which I did on my first day of reading Alice's adventures. By the second day, I've decided to throw out the logical and embrace lunacy for Pete's sake. It was better and made me "curiouser and curiouser" as I trot along after Alice.

Lewis Carroll was a genius. Whoever knew that such an intelligent man would be able to weave both the creative and logical parts of the brain and come up with a classical, nonsensical tale that is beloved (or disliked) by both children and adults alike? The tales are imaginative and dreamy (or nightmare-ish depending on one's view, as it was a nightmare for me) and the word play is ingenious.

Utter madness, these stories are! But it doesn't deter me from loving the Cheshire Cat and dreadfully missing the Mad Tea Party.

Meself thinks these creatures should also exist: Jub Jub Bird, Bandersnatch, and Jabberwocky. I'd fancy having one as a pet if and only if my desire for "off with their heads!" edict isn't entirely quenched.

"We're all mad here." ...more

3

Sep 01, 2009

Randomness GALORE...! ...& yet, ISN'T THAT the reason the Disney tale is such a part of my early formative years?

Obviously, the Disney film is a combination of both books. As Alice wakes in the first book from her wacky adventures that all but defies psychoanalysis, her sister dreams about her sister dreaming. The second volume, as Alice is brought back to "waking life" from the Looking-glass House, she realizes that one of her feline pals has dreamt HER adventure. This last revelation, of Randomness GALORE...! ...& yet, ISN'T THAT the reason the Disney tale is such a part of my early formative years?

Obviously, the Disney film is a combination of both books. As Alice wakes in the first book from her wacky adventures that all but defies psychoanalysis, her sister dreams about her sister dreaming. The second volume, as Alice is brought back to "waking life" from the Looking-glass House, she realizes that one of her feline pals has dreamt HER adventure. This last revelation, of being protagonist in someone's (something's) dream, is the point at which pretzel logicality is masterfully displayed.

David Lynch was undoubtedly inspired by the pseudo-symbolic and semi-metaphoric tales spun by the mad Carroll. There is insanity, & yet is not the rat worse-off than the pied piper?

...Are WE ALL just MAD ?!?!?!?! ...more

0

Jun 24, 2011

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."

Once upon a time I had a very handsome edition of this in two volumes in a red slipcase, I gave it away, I have vague memories of having had a very cheap paperback edition too but rereading I found an old copy of my mother's which comes with explanatory notes drawn from The Annotated Alice. These explanations are "The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."

Once upon a time I had a very handsome edition of this in two volumes in a red slipcase, I gave it away, I have vague memories of having had a very cheap paperback edition too but rereading I found an old copy of my mother's which comes with explanatory notes drawn from The Annotated Alice. These explanations are just about the weirdest parts of the whole book. For example the explanation for Cheshire Cat: there was a correspondence in Notes and Queries on the origin of the phrase 'to grin like a Cheshire Cat'...(1) because Cheshire was a County Palatine (2) because Cheshire cheese was made in the shape of a cat (3)because the sign-painters tried to paint snarling leopards (as on the Royal arms) and only succeeded in producing grinning cats all of which seem crazier to me than disappearing cats that leave their grins behind.

I remember once that in a translation class out teacher discussed the beginning of Jabberwocky
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
with us, or perhaps tried to prod our unwilling voices into speech. I'm sure there was some clever reason for doing so, but in hindsight it seems simply in keeping with the spirit of both books. ...more

3

Jun 08, 2011

People love this. Not me. Does that mean I'm not people?

Usually I like scatterbrained, nonsensical stuff and that's probably my problem: I don't get the references. At least some of the wild and crazy antics seem to happen to prove a point about the ridiculousness of some or other quirky British convention. So maybe all the wacky shit that goes down in Alice in Wonderland has a deeply satirical basis? I must give Carroll his due, the satire that I did get I enjoyed. However, for me much of this People love this. Not me. Does that mean I'm not people?

Usually I like scatterbrained, nonsensical stuff and that's probably my problem: I don't get the references. At least some of the wild and crazy antics seem to happen to prove a point about the ridiculousness of some or other quirky British convention. So maybe all the wacky shit that goes down in Alice in Wonderland has a deeply satirical basis? I must give Carroll his due, the satire that I did get I enjoyed. However, for me much of this fell flat and even occasionally annoyed me. Just the same, I will take this issue upon myself and promise to eradicate my lack of knowledge in the realm of archaic 19th century British mannerisms. Haha! Like hell I will!

Still and all, three stars is not hating a book and I don't hate Alice in Wonderland. There are many delightful characters and scenes. I'm glad I finally read it and am now able to separate the original from Disney's bastardized version. ...more

2

Jan 26, 2018

I was noticing a new friend’s book shelf and how he likes children’s books just as I do. He had read Alice in Wonderland. I had read it as a child. I ask myself: Did I really like that book back then? Was it just given to me and that was all I had to read? Did my mother pick my books? And why were they always a certain kind of book, like Cinderella and The Wizard of Oz? Why were they not Robinson and Crusoe and Treasure Island?

I can’t imagine liking these books now. I don’t like fantasy except I was noticing a new friend’s book shelf and how he likes children’s books just as I do. He had read Alice in Wonderland. I had read it as a child. I ask myself: Did I really like that book back then? Was it just given to me and that was all I had to read? Did my mother pick my books? And why were they always a certain kind of book, like Cinderella and The Wizard of Oz? Why were they not Robinson and Crusoe and Treasure Island?

I can’t imagine liking these books now. I don’t like fantasy except say for Tolkien, but that may be unfair since I have not really tried any outside of Mockingjay, which I hated, but I read it because I was in a book group, not that I read everything they threw at me, which means I hated most.

As to Alice, who cares about a girl who takes pills, and how one pill made her larger and one pill made her small? The song was good, White Rabbit. Love Minus Zero was a far better song. Maybe this book would have been better if written by a hippie.

Speaking of which, I was never in to taking drugs in the 60s or 70s. So. as for Alice in Wonderland, I never wanted to read it again or even analyze it to even know why the hippies loved the book, or even if they did. Still, I liked the hippies, those back to the landers, that is, those who didn't sit around stoned all day.

And back to my youth: I read everything. I read labels, cereal boxes, bill boards, and I loved those Burma Shave signs along the highways, where one sign said: Shave the modern way, and one sign said: No brush. The next sign said, No lather / No rub-in / Big tube 35 cents - Drug stores / Burma-Shave. I say, Who can beat that?

When I grew older I always tried to see what a stranger was reading, the book in their hands. Sometimes I would ask. When I was in college I began collecting children’s books because I hadn’t read them as a child. Wind in the Willow was one I bought, but I never read it. I wondered why my mother didn’t take me to the library earlier in my life and stock me up on children’s books. I grew up with deprivation of environment, I thought. Maybe it was because she had just gone through a divorce when I was 8 years old and had to work, get her life back together. I only remember that as a teenager, we went together to the library sometmes. We read Bridey Murphy and Lost Books of the Bible and wondered if reincarnation was real, and why wasn’t Jesus’ childhood in the Bible and where did Cain get his wife.

And then in my early teens, I found the section of books about mountain people. I have no idea what attracted me to this genre. I do know that there was a wonderful librarian, a woman, who, when I came up to the desk and asked for more books on the mountain people would lead me to them. And now I know, a lightbulb just went off in my head. It was her that introduced me to my first book about mountain people. It was The Shepherd of the Hills, and then she took me to The Trail of the Lonesome Pine, or it was the other way around. Then came Gene Stratton-Porter, and next it was the Bald Knobbers, and all by myself I found Tobacco Road, which my mother took away, telling me that it was a dirty book. Next, I was reading one about the area where I lived, The Salinas: Upside Down River, and years later a friend gave it to me without realizing that I had read it. I got into the Nancy Drew and the Dana Sisters next, liking the latter series better. I loved westerns and read most on their shelves. I read about the outlaws and how Jesse James came to Paso Robles where I lived. I read one that I could never find again: The main character was a sheriff or a marshal, and his name was Jack Slader. I still wish that I could find it. Next, I was into the non-fiction books, veterinarian medicine, how to increase your memory and who knows what all. I wanted to know everything. I just didn't want to know about Alice or Cinderella or even Peter Pan anymore.

This reminds me of a older man who used to come into the library who talked with me. It probably wasn’t often, but I knew him just because he was around. He told me that he wanted to learn every word in the dictionary and then go on The Millionaire and get rich. I thought how good it would be to increase my own vocabulary, but it was always so boring, so I never got past Aardvark and used to call my brother one. If only the other words were just as interesting.

Then I met the man who cleaned up the park where the library was located. He showed me the pond with the mosquito fish that was hidden in the trees and gave me some for my aquarium. He showed me pine nuts and said that they were good to eat. He even showed me how I could find them in pine cones, that is, if the squirrels hadn’t gathered them first. And last of all he showed me how all the trees in the park had name tags in English and in Latin.

So, yes, my mother had to work to support us kids, and I heard a lot of “Go out and play,” by my older sister who quit high school to take care of us, and that I did. That part was wonderful because I could go anywhere in town, to the library, down to the river with my dog or into the hills where I would sometimes come home with poison oak. I remember how I explored every shop in town, every corner, every street, even the alleys where people had wonderful gardens. One day my friend Mary and I went into the Mercantile to try on men’s hats. We told the clerk that we wanted to buy our dads a hat, and the clerk didn’t even care, although we knew that he didn’t believe us. Exploring was fun.

But as for this book, I would never think to read it again even though I have long missed watching Disney World on our TV on Sundays nights. What do I watch instead, The Walking Dead. My how times have changed. ...more

5

Mar 30, 2013

What kind of drug-addled haze was he on? I mean, sure, the author was a respected mathematician and all... OH, WAIT! Nevermind.

The only thing that I can't quite wrap my head around is the fact he focused mostly on geometry. And he didn't live during the times of quantum theory.

Of course, if he had been dealing with the quantum nightmare, Dodgson's Alice would read more like a cat that was both alive and dead at the same time rather than that grinning ghostly monstrosity. And mercury in hats What kind of drug-addled haze was he on? I mean, sure, the author was a respected mathematician and all... OH, WAIT! Nevermind.

The only thing that I can't quite wrap my head around is the fact he focused mostly on geometry. And he didn't live during the times of quantum theory.

Of course, if he had been dealing with the quantum nightmare, Dodgson's Alice would read more like a cat that was both alive and dead at the same time rather than that grinning ghostly monstrosity. And mercury in hats would really be the observational spin that makes up consensual reality.

This is a re-read and I love it for its imagination first and foremost. The wordplay is also awesome.

Who doesn't love this book?

Of course, we all know it, right? From being late to slaying the Jabberwocky to losing one's head to falling off a horse to tea parties to the drinking up of special potions. It's all great. :) ...more

5

Aug 05, 2018

One of my favourite books and still loved by my Grandchildren today. Pure nostalgia.

4

Feb 07, 2015

“We're all mad here.”

In a journey through these two magical little stories, you will find:
a Charming World,
a Curious little girl,
whimsical characters
and a lot of
Nonsense.



And that's its appeal.

Story 1- Alice's Adventures In Wonderland : 5 Stars

In short: Alice falls through a rabbit hole and lands in Wonderland. Strange shit happens.

I was suprised at how much I adored this book. I just started reading it and I couldn't stop. Even though you could say I'm way too old for it, you are never “We're all mad here.”

In a journey through these two magical little stories, you will find:
a Charming World,
a Curious little girl,
whimsical characters
and a lot of
Nonsense.



And that's its appeal.

Story 1- Alice's Adventures In Wonderland : 5 Stars

In short: Alice falls through a rabbit hole and lands in Wonderland. Strange shit happens.

I was suprised at how much I adored this book. I just started reading it and I couldn't stop. Even though you could say I'm way too old for it, you are never really too old for the great fairy tales. Those fairy-tales capture your inner child and feed it cookies. They make you happy and excited. This is definitely one of them. Its messy plot is one of its charms.

“Take some more tea," the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.
"I've had nothing yet," Alice replied in an offended tone, "so I can't take more."
"You mean you can't take less," said the Hatter: "it's very easy to take more than nothing."

I loved the humor. I loved the creatures from the Cheshire Cat to the Mad Hatter. I loved it all.


Story 2- Through the Looking Glass: 3 Stars

In short: Alice steps through a mirror into another world. Confusing shit happens (involving chess figures).



Puzzled. That's what I was. While I loved the confusion of the first story I was lost in this one. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. I admire Carrol's writing style and his playful wit. But I couldn't shake the feeling of not understanding a thing.

“Well, now that we have seen each other," said the unicorn, "if you'll believe in me, I'll believe in you.”

Gotta love that line though.

All in All: MADNESS. The good kind.



I'm extremely glad I decided to read this. I have a suspicion that I will return to it again, once or twice.

“In a Wonderland they lie,
Dreaming as the days go by,
Dreaming as the summers die:
Ever drifting down the stream-
Lingering in the golden gleam-
Life, what is it but a dream?” ...more

0

Nov 14, 2015

The IT Engineer's Lad

What is it inside this internet, I asked the young lad,
The computer expert replied,
Why Ma'am, it's web servers and routers,
And connections between computers,
That cannot ever be fried.

What lies on those servers then, I asked the young lad,
The boy gazing up now replied,
Oh Ma'am, blogs and e-mail, at night porn and streams,
Zombies and splatter and car chasing dreams,
What wonders out there can be spied?

Is your work very unbearable, I asked the young lad,
Most times, Ma'am, it is, The IT Engineer's Lad

What is it inside this internet, I asked the young lad,
The computer expert replied,
Why Ma'am, it's web servers and routers,
And connections between computers,
That cannot ever be fried.

What lies on those servers then, I asked the young lad,
The boy gazing up now replied,
Oh Ma'am, blogs and e-mail, at night porn and streams,
Zombies and splatter and car chasing dreams,
What wonders out there can be spied?

Is your work very unbearable, I asked the young lad,
Most times, Ma'am, it is, he replied
From dawn to dusk, I'm recovering files,
Re-booting software and driving for miles,
My Master cannot be defied.

Do you like the internet, I asked the young lad,
When I'm on match.com I do, he replied
It's my friend when it's dark and the pubs are too full,
It's brilliant, look good and you can't help but pull,
There's many a time I have lied.

What then do you wish for, I asked the young lad,
With yearning, he slowly replied,
I would love to be free to fly to Korea,
And make playing StarCraft my professional career,
And never have to go outside.


I am indebted to The Little Chimney Sweep by Ernestine Northover.
...more

5

Oct 18, 2008

For decades I’d figured that since I can sing along to Jefferson Airplane’s song “White Rabbit” that I didn’t have to read the book. But I decided to do so and am glad I did, although I could not ever find where the dormouse said “Feed your head.” Mostly, the dormouse just slept. This book is really, really weird, even after 145 years, bowdlerization by Disney, appropriation by the hippies, and general over-familiarization. Good book, and it contains one of my favorite poems:

Twinkle, twinkle For decades I’d figured that since I can sing along to Jefferson Airplane’s song “White Rabbit” that I didn’t have to read the book. But I decided to do so and am glad I did, although I could not ever find where the dormouse said “Feed your head.” Mostly, the dormouse just slept. This book is really, really weird, even after 145 years, bowdlerization by Disney, appropriation by the hippies, and general over-familiarization. Good book, and it contains one of my favorite poems:

Twinkle, twinkle little bat!
How I wonder what you’re at!
Up above the world you fly,
Like a teatray in the sky.

My seven year old nephew Sherman cracks up when I recite it, a high compliment indeed. I’m saving the second half, Through the Looking-Glass, for the next time I need a dose of daft.
...more

5

Sep 14, 2013

one of my all time favorite books, so the re-read was a pleasure as always.
but this barnes and noble edit made it even better with the beautiful colour pics and the book looks really pretty on my shelf.

5

Sep 09, 2018

We're all a little mad here.
This is one of THE children's classics that almost everyone on this planet knows or has at least heard of. There are numerous adaptations for the screen (small and large) but, as usual, the book is best.

The story is that of young Alice, following White Rabbit into a rabbit hole and thus landing in Wonderland. There, she encounters the Caterpillar, Cheshire Cat, the Red Queen, Mad Hatter and a host of other characters - all full of silliness - before returning to her We're all a little mad here.
This is one of THE children's classics that almost everyone on this planet knows or has at least heard of. There are numerous adaptations for the screen (small and large) but, as usual, the book is best.

The story is that of young Alice, following White Rabbit into a rabbit hole and thus landing in Wonderland. There, she encounters the Caterpillar, Cheshire Cat, the Red Queen, Mad Hatter and a host of other characters - all full of silliness - before returning to her world (apparently having only dreamt it all).
In the second story, Alice enters Wonderland through a looking-glass (mirror) to watch a match between the Red King and Queen and the White King and Queen. Her progress through Wonderland resembles a chess game and leads her to encounter all the other famous characters such as the Jabberwocky, Tweedledee and Tweedledum and Humpty-Dumpty.

It is noteworthy that the author was suspected of doing drugs because of his great imagination. I guess people can't just appreciate a fantastic story but have to justify someone else's brilliance in such a way to make themselves feel better *rolls eyes*. Granted, I would have never thought Carroll to have been a mathematician but that, too, isn't fair because it's a prejudice.
Anyway, it is a wonderful story, full of great though often nonsensical poetry, quirky characters - some animals, some not - and poignant conversations that teach readers young and old about punctuality as much as about the importance of being at least a little mad. Not to mention the beautiful wordplays!

This Word Cloud Classic edition also features the original illustrations:






...more

4

Jun 09, 2008

Tenniel is usually held up as the perfect illustrator for Alice, but, fond as I am of his drawings, I do love these rather quirkier Peake illustrations.

Some day I'll have to get around to reviewing the actual words. ;)

5

Jan 10, 2018

One of my favourite books from my childhood and I still adore it now, fantastic!