4.04

5

Apr 07, 2016

"But are you really pro-life?" asked Alice. "Because you know, I've heard pro-life people talk before, and they sound quite different."

"When I use a word," Trumpty Drumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less."

"The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things."

"The question is," said Trumpty Drumpty, "which is to be master — that's all."

Alice was too puzzled to reply to this, so she thought she

"But are you really pro-life?" asked Alice. "Because you know, I've heard pro-life people talk before, and they sound quite different."

"When I use a word," Trumpty Drumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less."

"The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things."

"The question is," said Trumpty Drumpty, "which is to be master — that's all."

Alice was too puzzled to reply to this, so she thought she had better change the subject.

"That is a fine wall, Mr. Drumpty," she said after a while. "It must have cost you a great deal to build it."

"It cost me nothing," said Trumpty Drumpty off-handedly. "Every single cent of it came from my friends in Mexico."

"They must be very good friends," said Alice politely.

"Not in the least," said Trumpty Drumpty. "But they had no choice, you see. First, I sent back all the illegal immigrants; and then I said that if the Mexican government didn't pay for my wall, I'd stop those immigrants from wiring any money home."

"But if you had sent them back," said Alice, who was now feeling even more puzzled, "then how—"

"You ask too many questions, young lady," snapped Trumpty Drumpty. "This interview is now over."

"Nothing is going right today!" Alice said to herself. "Oh, how I wish I hadn't taken that job with Fox News!"
...more

5

Feb 19, 2014

*Reread July 2017*
Reread for booktube-a-thon 2017! Do I really have to tell you I loved it? I think you should know that by now!

4

Feb 20, 2018

Alice at the ripe old age of seven and a half is still bored , as she plays with her adorable black and white kittens, yet she needs something better, again ignored by her older sister...wants more stimulation, excitement, yes adventures, so decides to go through a looking -glass and escape the tedium of everyday life of Victorian England...She will not be disappointed, in reality probably much too much for Alice's childish taste . The girl sees a magnificent garden and a twisting road leading Alice at the ripe old age of seven and a half is still bored , as she plays with her adorable black and white kittens, yet she needs something better, again ignored by her older sister...wants more stimulation, excitement, yes adventures, so decides to go through a looking -glass and escape the tedium of everyday life of Victorian England...She will not be disappointed, in reality probably much too much for Alice's childish taste . The girl sees a magnificent garden and a twisting road leading there...Nevertheless she ends back were she started disoriented, perplexed, downright anxious . Welcome to the fantastic world on the other side of the mirror, the fast traveling Red Queen ( not to be confused with the Queen of Hearts) tells the little girl she too can become a queen if...a mighty big one, if she partakes and wins in a giant game of chess , the enormous, beautiful squares have been built on the ground and the player follows the course they being the pawn. Alice must navigate the maze of dark woods, losing her way, asking directions and getting baffling answers, from strange things, animal and human, well maybe some are and the weird characters she encounters, the over confident Humpty Dumpty on a wall, shaped like an egg, forever espousing his belief he can stay there without stumbling, Alice is not too sure, as he asks unanswerable questions. Tweedledee and Tweedledum two fat twin boys constantly reciting poetry, don't bother trying to tell them apart... The White Queen a befuddled old careless woman, dressed inappropriately , sloppily, in other words a mess. The Lion and Unicorn their never ending daily battles for the throne ...which is not vacant, still the local inhabitants like watching this ferocious struggle . Not to forget the White Knight, his day job, the passion, making minor inventions ( a little disguised version of the great writer Lewis Carroll) , he and his horse are seldom attached, the ground is more his home but gets back on the saddle. The Red King sleeps so peacefully never waking and the White King has troubles with an egg. Others like the diverting talking flowers, make this story flow smoothly to the inevitable conclusion. Lewis Carroll was a very inventive author, always giving the reader plenty of material to digest, this is not just for children, these books Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through The Looking- Glass are charming classics for everyone who enjoys reading. ...more

5

Sep 15, 2017

Goodreads having eaten my first review of this book, I need to hastily rewrite another. Basically Alice in Wonderland is the superior book, but not by much. Book 2 is proof that Lewis Carroll can make lightning strike twice.

In book 2, Alice finds herself through her mirror, and interacts with the kingly chess pieces. She goes out into the garden, not easily due to navigational problems. No wonder everything she achieves in that place is seen as a victory.

The characters in book 2 are not as Goodreads having eaten my first review of this book, I need to hastily rewrite another. Basically Alice in Wonderland is the superior book, but not by much. Book 2 is proof that Lewis Carroll can make lightning strike twice.

In book 2, Alice finds herself through her mirror, and interacts with the kingly chess pieces. She goes out into the garden, not easily due to navigational problems. No wonder everything she achieves in that place is seen as a victory.

The characters in book 2 are not as memorable as Alice in Wonderland. Yet these two books are nearly part of folklore now. The half baked movie adaptations show how difficult is it to imitate genius. Let every child and adult revel in the untouched and pristine classics that is Alice. ...more

5

Sep 06, 2016

It’s not fair that I have to review this book.

I mean, no one is making me. Technically speaking, I am in no way obligated to review this. But also, in a much more real important way, because I am the one saying it: I absolutely must.

Because I love this book so goddamn much.

BUT HOW AM I POSSIBLY EXPECTED TO PUT THAT LOVE INTO WORDS.

There’s only one way to do it.

By cheating.

Read my review of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland so you understand the immensity of my love for these books (which I kind It’s not fair that I have to review this book.

I mean, no one is making me. Technically speaking, I am in no way obligated to review this. But also, in a much more real important way, because I am the one saying it: I absolutely must.

Because I love this book so goddamn much.

BUT HOW AM I POSSIBLY EXPECTED TO PUT THAT LOVE INTO WORDS.

There’s only one way to do it.

By cheating.

Read my review of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland so you understand the immensity of my love for these books (which I kind of count as one book, spiritually, and only don’t actually count as one book for reading challenge purposes).

But you still won’t really know how much I love these books, so you should probably read me scream more about it in my review of The Annotated Alice. And Alice's Adventures Under Ground, for good measure.

And also, you should read all of Shakespeare’s love sonnets, and the great love letters of history, and the collected works of Jane Austen. You should watch the bird scene from The Notebook, and the sad part from Titanic, and the scene in Say Anything when John Cusack holds the boombox over his head.

All of those viewings are just to have a good laugh, though. And also to jam the f*ck out to In Your Eyes, a musical treasure.

To reallyyyy understand, you should watch Booksmart and Safety Not Guaranteed and Mamma Mia 2: Here We Go Again!

Perhaps through all of these reviews and readings and viewings, you can gain a passing understanding of how much I love Alice.

Probably not, though.

Bottom line: I HAVE TOO MUCH LOVE IN MY HEART.

-------



review i didn't write in 2016 to come ...more

4

Mar 04, 2019

A charming book, full of surprising insights into the true meaning and historical background of various seemingly straightforward passages in the Alice books. So much so, that one wishes that there were more of these annotations.

That I had missed while growing up. It has lots of lessons that are currently applicable to people in their everyday life. For instance, the Cheshire Cat when Alice asked him where she should go. So many people in life don't know where they're going and so they just A charming book, full of surprising insights into the true meaning and historical background of various seemingly straightforward passages in the Alice books. So much so, that one wishes that there were more of these annotations.

That I had missed while growing up. It has lots of lessons that are currently applicable to people in their everyday life. For instance, the Cheshire Cat when Alice asked him where she should go. So many people in life don't know where they're going and so they just settle on one arbitrary direction. Lewis Carroll is a master and his craft. ...more

4

Feb 19, 2016

If you love children's stories, you will love Through the Looking Glass.
If you love magic, you will love Through the Looking Glass.
If you love words, you will love Through the Looking Glass.
I love Through the Looking Glass.

5

Aug 01, 2010

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

4

May 18, 2018

Finished Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and plunged Through the Looking Glass. At first, while it was enjoyable, not much seemed new about Alice’s continued adventures. However, Carroll’s inventive, evocative and fun use of language takes over and turns this into a different kind of adventure. Even if you haven’t read this one before (I count myself in this number), you should find that you’re familiar with the basic elements of the story (Alice’s adventures through a landscape drawn up as Finished Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and plunged Through the Looking Glass. At first, while it was enjoyable, not much seemed new about Alice’s continued adventures. However, Carroll’s inventive, evocative and fun use of language takes over and turns this into a different kind of adventure. Even if you haven’t read this one before (I count myself in this number), you should find that you’re familiar with the basic elements of the story (Alice’s adventures through a landscape drawn up as a chessboard) and characters (including the Red Queen, White Queen, Humpty Dumpty, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and the Jabberwock). I don’t think this quite matches the first adventure, but reading it is time well spent, 3.5 stars rounded up.

“Sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast…” ...more

3

Jan 30, 2017

Life, what is it but a dream?
I had guessed that this story would also take place in dream. And surprisingly I was right..yay!


Just like Alice In The Wonderland, I couldn't connect with this book also. Writing was dull. Just like the last book.
But this book did make an improvement in adventures. Those were faaar better than Alice in the Wonderland.
I liked the concept of Chess game. I liked the World of Looking-Glass. But I think Wonderland was little better. This was also great. Don't Life, what is it but a dream?
I had guessed that this story would also take place in dream. And surprisingly I was right..yay!


Just like Alice In The Wonderland, I couldn't connect with this book also. Writing was dull. Just like the last book.
But this book did make an improvement in adventures. Those were faaar better than Alice in the Wonderland.
I liked the concept of Chess game. I liked the World of Looking-Glass. But I think Wonderland was little better. This was also great. Don't know but I liked Wonderland more.

Or for my problems regarding this book have only one answer: Classic. This book is written in 1800s. So this fact should be kept in mind while reading. That's why no matter how much I would say that would be useless.

Regardless, if you are looking forward to read this series, so do it. Don't be discouraged by my reviews of this series. Maybe you would like this series more than I did.

January 30, 2017 ...more

4

Aug 28, 2013

“In a wonderland they lie,
dreaming as the days go by”



Six Impossible Things:
1. I finish college this year
2. I find a guy who is both strong and loyal as Dimitri (VA) and handsome as Reyes (Charley Davidson), delicious as Barrons (Fever) and swoon worthy as Jamie (Outlander)
3. I eat all the ice cream I want and it all goes to my boobs
4. I read for a living.
5. I go to the gym
6. I don't fall sleep in the most unusual places (e.g. waiting in the line for the bathroom)

5

Sep 29, 2011

For the Celebrity Death Match Review Tournament, The Annotated Alice (6) versus 1984 (22)

- Good morning, Mr... Dumpty, I believe it was?

- Correct. Humpty Dumpty at your service.

- Well, we hope you soon will be. I must admit, we don't normally like to employ egghead intellectuals... no offence intended...

- None taken.

- ... but you are so extremely well qualified to take over as editor of the Newspeak Dictionary that, ah, we thought we'd make an exception.

The rest of this review is available For the Celebrity Death Match Review Tournament, The Annotated Alice (6) versus 1984 (22)

- Good morning, Mr... Dumpty, I believe it was?

- Correct. Humpty Dumpty at your service.

- Well, we hope you soon will be. I must admit, we don't normally like to employ egghead intellectuals... no offence intended...

- None taken.

- ... but you are so extremely well qualified to take over as editor of the Newspeak Dictionary that, ah, we thought we'd make an exception.

The rest of this review is available elsewhere (the location cannot be given for Goodreads policy reasons) ...more

5

Apr 27, 2016

I had the strangest dream.
I dreamed I found myself in Wonderland, went there trough the looking glass, but while I was there, I couldn't remember what Wonderland looked like.

After I woke up, I decided it was the best time for me to finally read this book and find my answers.

When I was growing up, I liked watching Trough the Looking Glass animated movie better then Alice in Wonderland, even if it wasn't Disney's.

Now when I was reading it, some pictures from that movie came to my mind, I was I had the strangest dream.
I dreamed I found myself in Wonderland, went there trough the looking glass, but while I was there, I couldn't remember what Wonderland looked like.

After I woke up, I decided it was the best time for me to finally read this book and find my answers.

When I was growing up, I liked watching Trough the Looking Glass animated movie better then Alice in Wonderland, even if it wasn't Disney's.

Now when I was reading it, some pictures from that movie came to my mind, I was reminiscing about some scenes I complitely forgot about.

What took me by surprise was how I knew some quotes even though I couldn't have know them from that very movie.

Also, I noticed how some characters that weren't in the first book, but were in Disney's movie for the first time showed up here, in Trough the Looking Glass.

When I look at them only as books, I can't say I'm sure which story I like better.
I think this one made me smile more often, even if I think that Alice in Wonderland has better quotes in it. ...more

5

Sep 21, 2011

Alice in Wonderland was almost an institution at our house - but nobody knew about this book. I was tantalised for years by references to it in various other books, and finally succeeded in locating it in a local bookstore.

The looking-glass world is, IMO, weirder than the one underground and decidedly creepier (the Jabberwock and those two blackguards, the Walrus and the Carpenter). Also, it contains two of my favourite poems. In fact, Jabberwocky might be the finest nonsense poem ever written Alice in Wonderland was almost an institution at our house - but nobody knew about this book. I was tantalised for years by references to it in various other books, and finally succeeded in locating it in a local bookstore.

The looking-glass world is, IMO, weirder than the one underground and decidedly creepier (the Jabberwock and those two blackguards, the Walrus and the Carpenter). Also, it contains two of my favourite poems. In fact, Jabberwocky might be the finest nonsense poem ever written in English.



Beware the Jabberwock!



The Walrus and the Carpenter (they remind me of certain Indian politicians!).



Tweedledum and Tweedledee



The Red Queen ...more

3

Jun 02, 2013

Playing Chess
4 June 2013

Hot on the tails of the rabid success of Alice in Wonderland comes the similar, but somewhat different, sequel. The absurdity of this volume is of the same scope as the original, but in many cases, being a sequel, it seems to lack some of the uniqueness of the original. One thing I noticed with regards to the original is that there simply did not seem to be any plot. Thus, the absurdity of the entire volume was complete. There was no reason for Alice to be there, and no Playing Chess
4 June 2013

Hot on the tails of the rabid success of Alice in Wonderland comes the similar, but somewhat different, sequel. The absurdity of this volume is of the same scope as the original, but in many cases, being a sequel, it seems to lack some of the uniqueness of the original. One thing I noticed with regards to the original is that there simply did not seem to be any plot. Thus, the absurdity of the entire volume was complete. There was no reason for Alice to be there, and no goal that she had to reach, and the end simply comes all of a sudden.

However, come the sequel, we have a plot and a quest. Initially Alice simply wants to see what is on the other side of the looking glass, and sure enough, she enters a world that is similar, but different, to our own. In a way it is a world of opposites, so when she is thirsty she is given a biscuit (when what she really should have asked for is a biscuit, because more likely than not, she would have been given a drink).

The story is based around a game of chess, and there are numerous metaphors in relation to the chess board. For instance the journey across the third square (Alice is a pawn so she starts on the second square) is by train which represents the pawns ability to jump the third square. The queen moves at a rapid pace, which is representative of the queens ability to move as far as she likes, and the knight stumbles, representative if the rather odd way that the knight moves.

As for the quest, well, as soon as Alice meets the queen she decides that she wants to be a queen, so the queen tells Alice that she must move to the other side of the chess board, and in doing so, she will become a queen (which is a rule in the game of chess). Some have said that the story itself was written by Carol when he was teaching Alice Liddle how to play chess, though I must say that I did not learn all that much about the game of chess in this book.

It is interesting how some of the characters from this story make their way into the other story in the more main stream productions (though I am not talking about the Tim Burton movie here). For instance Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum seem to appear in the Alice in Wonderland story in the films when in fact they appear in this book. It is also noticeable (and something that I did not realise until I read this) was that the poem Jabberwock appears in this book. I always believed that Jabberwock was a poem that Carol had written separately from this book. By the way, this is what a Jabberwocky looks like:



I quite like the pictures that Carol put in the book, and some of them seem to be quite absurd in themselves. For instance there is a scene on the train when the ticket inspector comes along and asks Alice for her ticket (and I have found myself on the wrong side of a ticket inspector, as we probably all have, though I will also have an aversion towards the ones on the trains in Italy). However, it was quite bizarre how he seemed to always look at her through a pair binoculars, like this:



The ending was pretty cool as well, because the story ends with her shaking the red queen and suddenly waking up from her dream world and realising that she was doing this:



Oh, and look at who also makes an appearance in the story:



Not that Humpty actually first appears here. He was no an invention by Carol, but actually had been around in his own nursery rhyme a long time before hand (though according to Wikipedia the first appearance was in a book of nursery rhymes published in 1870, two years before Through the Looking Glass). ...more

2

Jan 01, 2019

The second installment of Alice's nonsensical adventures is not quite as fun as the first, although we do meet Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Jabberwock and Bandersnatch get a mention, and Humpty Dumpty makes a cameo along with the King's horses and men. Chess is the overriding theme instead of croquet. Feel free to explore the themes to your heart's content, or just read it for entertainment.

4

Jul 07, 2016

---4.5 stars--- Amazing classics :) Alice is one of the greatest characters ever invented!

3

Sep 21, 2015

3.5 Stars

I read this with the high expectations I developed reading the first book. As a standalone read, the book shows high quality. However (only my opinion here of course) when I compare this with the first I feel some disappointment. The book is funny, with an overwhelming amount of wordplay and word riddles/ puzzles. Also, the ideas captivate the imagination: a melting looking glass, going to the other side, a land set as a chessboard, everything going backwards so you think of memories 3.5 Stars

I read this with the high expectations I developed reading the first book. As a standalone read, the book shows high quality. However (only my opinion here of course) when I compare this with the first I feel some disappointment. The book is funny, with an overwhelming amount of wordplay and word riddles/ puzzles. Also, the ideas captivate the imagination: a melting looking glass, going to the other side, a land set as a chessboard, everything going backwards so you think of memories ahead instead of backward. I guess I’m driven by great characters, and I so loved the characters in the first book, I didn’t find the same quality in the characters of this one. The ideas resonate intelligence and style and humor, but the characters lacked in comparison with the first (for me). I loved the Mad Hatter, the Rabbit, the Hatter’s friends, the crazy Queen and King, and the Cheshire Cat. The characters in the second book lead in from other sources, such as nursery rhymes. The authors own characters appear as a Red and White Queen, and a few others, but I didn’t find the same amazement in these characters.

The negative aspects in no way take away the greatness of this second book. I wonder how much better it would have been if Carroll had created more of his own characters, because he obviously has talent with this. As a child I remember seeing a movie with real people. I remember the awe and fear of it. I also remember this terrifying dragon, or dinosaur, called the Jabberwocky, and it scared the boogies out of my nose. I kept watching for this monster to appear in this book but it never came (I need to read the poem I guess), and that may be part of the disappointment. Again, the “disappointment” only comes down from the highly extraordinary. This book still made me laugh, and kept a smile on my face and a delight in my heart.
...more

4

Aug 20, 2015

Rating #1 from August 2015: 3 stars
Rating #2 from March 2018: 4 stars

It's kind of funny how I didn't enjoy Alice's Adventures in Wonderland as much the second time around but my opinion of Through the Looking Glass improved. What a mad world. ;)

Personally, I clicked with Looking Glass more because it's more logical and not as nonsensical as the first installment. Set some six months later than the earlier book, Alice again enters a fantastical world, this time by climbing through a mirror into Rating #1 from August 2015: 3 stars
Rating #2 from March 2018: 4 stars

It's kind of funny how I didn't enjoy Alice's Adventures in Wonderland as much the second time around but my opinion of Through the Looking Glass improved. What a mad world. ;)

Personally, I clicked with Looking Glass more because it's more logical and not as nonsensical as the first installment. 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. The themes and settings make it a kind of mirror image of Wonderland: the first book begins outdoors, in the warm month of May, uses frequent changes in size as a plot device, and draws on the imagery of playing cards; the second opens indoors on a snowy, wintry night exactly six months later, on 4 November, uses frequent changes in time and spatial directions as a plot device, and draws on the imagery of chess.

I loved the fact that this book is based on a game of chess, played on a giant chessboard with fields for squares. Most main characters in the story are represented by a chess piece or animals, with Alice herself being a white pawn. It gave the whole narrative a structure and purpose. The looking-glass world is divided into sections by brooks or streams, with the crossing of each brook usually signifying a notable change in the scene, and Alice's crossing of them signifies the advancing of her piece.

I found it very neat and impressive how Carroll managed to maintain this chess allegory throughout the entirety of the book:

In chapter one, Alice meets the Red Queen, who impresses Alice with her ability to run at breathtaking speeds. This is a reference to the chess rule that queens are able to move any number of vacant squares at once, in any direction, which makes them the most "agile" of pieces.

In chapter three, the Red Queen reveals to Alice that the entire countryside is laid out in squares, like a gigantic chessboard, she also explains the rules of chess concerning promotion — specifically that Alice is able to become a queen by starting out as a pawn and reaching the eighth square at the opposite end of the board.

In chapter eight, Alice reaches the seventh rank by crossing another brook into the forested territory of the Red Knight, who is intent on capturing the "white pawn" (Alice) until the White Knight comes to her rescue. His clumsiness is a reference to the "eccentric" L-shaped movements of chess knights, and may also be interpreted as a self-deprecating joke about Lewis Carroll's own physical awkwardness and stammering in real life.

In chapter nine, bidding farewell to the White Knight, Alice steps across the last brook, and is automatically crowned a queen, with the crown materialising abruptly on her head.

In chapter ten, Alice finally grabs the Red Queen, believing her to be responsible for all the day's nonsense, and begins shaking her violently with all her might. By thus "capturing" the Red Queen, Alice unknowingly puts the Red King (who has remained stationary throughout the book) into checkmate, and thus is allowed to wake up.

So despite all of this nonsense and chaos, the plot in itself is stringent and lineal—and I think that's so so cool. :D What does it matter where my body happens to be? My mind goes on working all the same. Furthermore, I liked the allegory of mirrors and everything being in reverse: The writings in the books can only be read by holding them up to a mirror. Walking in the opposite direction will lead you to your desired destination. It takes all the running you can do, to stay in the same place. One's memory doesn't work backwards but forwards, meaning that the Red Queen can "remember" what will happen in the future, as opposed to what happened in the past. When people are "whispering", they're actually shouting from the top of their lungs. You manage Looking-Glass cakes by handing them round first, and cutting them afterwards.

I found it very impressive that Carroll managed to squeeze all of those little tidbits in his story. They may not make sense individually (and thus uphold the madness and curiosity of each individual scene) but combined they show the clear rules of the looking-glass world, and so create their own sort of logic and sense. Everything felt very thought-through, nothing happened haphazardly.

Additionally, just like in Wonderland, I appreciated the linguistic effort that was put into these books. Carroll really knew his craft and how to play with language: Alice says that she doesn't want any jam today, and the Queen tells her: "You couldn't have it if you did want it. The rule is, jam tomorrow and jam yesterday—but never jam to-day." This is a reference to the rule in Latin that the word iam or jam meaning now in the sense of already or at that time cannot be used to describe now in the present, which is nunc in Latin. Jam is therefore never available today.

Alice soon finds herself struggling to handle the oars of a small rowboat, where the Sheep annoys her with (seemingly) nonsensical shouting about "crabs" and "feathers". Unknown to Alice, these are standard terms in the jargon of rowing. Thus (for a change) the Queen/Sheep was speaking in a perfectly logical and meaningful way.

Personally, I also enjoyed all of the philosophical questions that were asked throughout the novel. The Tweedles draw Alice's attention to the Red King—loudly snoring away under a nearby tree—and maliciously provoke her with idle philosophical banter that she exists only as an imaginary figure in the Red King's dreams (thereby implying that she will cease to exist the instant he wakes up).

The story ends with Alice recalling the speculation of the Tweedle brothers, that everything may have, in fact, been a dream of the Red King, and that Alice might herself be no more than a figment of his imagination. One final poem is inserted by the author as a sort of epilogue which suggests that life itself is but a dream.

Furthermore, we could also muse about the possibility if Carroll intended to portray the red side of the chess-game as being representative of the negative sides of human nature, warring against one another. The Gnat: What’s the use of their having names if they won’t answer to them?

Alice: No use to them but it’s useful to the people that name them, I suppose. If not, why do things have names at all? Carroll concerns himself with a lot of fundamental questions that provide great food for thought. I especially enjoyed this passage about the nature of names and naming people and objects. I found it very interesting that Alice and Fawn got along splendidly as long as they didn't remember their names (=who they are). As soon as they started to remember, their fears and prejudices came back and the fawn fled.

In conclusion, Through the Looking Glass is much more ambitious than its predecessor and managed to live up to its claim—a tale seemingly full of nonsense that, if you dig deep enough, actually makes a whole lot of sense! ...more

1

Oct 20, 2013

Nope, nope, nope, don't like it, can't like it, don't want to like it.

Well, actually, probably if I had a really good annotated edition and an in-depth class on it, I could learn to appreciate it. But Lewis Carroll's nonsense just drives me bonkers, and how I'm going to write my essay on this, I don't know. The books are very well done, considering the idea is that they're Alice's dreams (spoiler!) and they definitely manage dream logic very well, but that's not something I'm interested in Nope, nope, nope, don't like it, can't like it, don't want to like it.

Well, actually, probably if I had a really good annotated edition and an in-depth class on it, I could learn to appreciate it. But Lewis Carroll's nonsense just drives me bonkers, and how I'm going to write my essay on this, I don't know. The books are very well done, considering the idea is that they're Alice's dreams (spoiler!) and they definitely manage dream logic very well, but that's not something I'm interested in reading.

I mean, my own dreams are annoying enough. I woke up from light sleep last night with these words in my head: 'Are you going to take this seriously, or are you a doughnut?' WHAT. Brain, you make no sense. ...more

5

Jul 13, 2009

It colorfully details the sham that is organized religion. The Walrus - with his girth and good-nature - obviously refers to either the Buddha, or - with his tusks - the lovable Hindu elephant god, Lord Ganesha. This takes care of the Eastern religions. The Carpenter is an obvious reference to Jesus Christ, who was purportedly raised the son of a carpenter. He represents the Western religions. And in the poem. what do they do? They dupe all the oysters into followmg them. Then. when the oysters It colorfully details the sham that is organized religion. The Walrus - with his girth and good-nature - obviously refers to either the Buddha, or - with his tusks - the lovable Hindu elephant god, Lord Ganesha. This takes care of the Eastern religions. The Carpenter is an obvious reference to Jesus Christ, who was purportedly raised the son of a carpenter. He represents the Western religions. And in the poem. what do they do? They dupe all the oysters into followmg them. Then. when the oysters collective guard is down. the Walrus and the Carpenter shuck and devour the helpless creatures, en masse. I don't know what that says to you, but to me it says that following faiths based on these mythological figures insures the destruction of one's inner-being.
Organized religion destroys who we are or who we can be by inhibiting our actions and decisions out of fear of an intangible parent-figure who shakes a finger at us from thousands of years ago and says "No, no!" (Dogma)
...more

4

Jul 27, 2016

Crazy things take place in wonderland, where Alice takes a second visit through the looking glass. Imagination on the other side stands still, things happen with no reason (or they are reasonable in their own way!!). I think Wonderland has inspired many other works of art and it is lovely to take another visit. This edition is also illustrated (in grayscale).

5

May 13, 2018

Although I don’t remember reading Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, I must have as so much of it was familiar. At first, it seemed a poor imitation of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, a typical sequel—trying to recapture the spirit of the original without success. Gradually I realized Carroll was after something else.

This isn’t Wonderland. This is ‘Looking-Glass’; Alice already achieved competence in ‘getting through’ or ‘getting on’ in effective decision-making last book. Although I don’t remember reading Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, I must have as so much of it was familiar. At first, it seemed a poor imitation of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, a typical sequel—trying to recapture the spirit of the original without success. Gradually I realized Carroll was after something else.

This isn’t Wonderland. This is ‘Looking-Glass’; Alice already achieved competence in ‘getting through’ or ‘getting on’ in effective decision-making last book. Here she faces a more subtle adult challenge: dealing with one’s own loneliness, especially with respect to the lack of compassion of others. It is most appropriate that Carroll has taken Alice through ‘the looking-glass’ – a place worth visiting – turning her around, to look at situations from the perspective of others. Alice, at least, makes the effort, to understand what the ‘other’ means; she looks beyond mere words.

This time, the theme of the book is based on the game of Chess and Alice begins as a Pawn with the goal of becoming a Queen. She proceeds to meet various characters who often morph into others. They run the whole gamut of human behavior from imperious (Red Queen) befuddled (White Queen) rude (Tweedledum and Tweedledee) proud (Humpty Dumpty) scrappy (Lion and Unicorn) kindly but ineffectual (the White Knight) to list but a few. In each Alice finds something lacking—often quite a bit—and yet at the same time by listening carefully to the seeming nonsense they spew, she picks up an important clue (or two) necessary for her next step.

She hardly seems like the ordinary child of seven and three-quarters. That seemed more fanciful to me than anything else in the entire book. She was Wisdom and Kindness beyond the ages in how she deftly handled these oddballs, quirky quacks, and (mostly) lovable lunatics. Miss Manners must be a descendant. If not, then a most ardent fan. By the book’s end Alice certainly earns the title of Queen, Queen of Diplomacy.

This book is worth extremely careful reading. I will be coming back to it again!


May 12, 2018: This isn't the edition I am listening to, but I can't find it on here and there are already so many and it is so old, that I'm not going to add another. This will do.

I might change my mind later... ...more

2

May 21, 2017

Oh dear, I disliked this one even more than the first one. It was just as nonsensical, but even more so if that was possible. Unlike the first book this one was harder for me to follow, and because of that I got bored in some places and it was pretty hard for me to work my way through this book as short as it is.

I loved the poetry though. I have to say, even if I am not one for Lewis Carroll’s stories, I definitely love his poetry. There were poems scattered throughout this story all the way and Oh dear, I disliked this one even more than the first one. It was just as nonsensical, but even more so if that was possible. Unlike the first book this one was harder for me to follow, and because of that I got bored in some places and it was pretty hard for me to work my way through this book as short as it is.

I loved the poetry though. I have to say, even if I am not one for Lewis Carroll’s stories, I definitely love his poetry. There were poems scattered throughout this story all the way and in those I could deem a meaning and possibility things he was referring to. But in the story itself? I couldn’t find any meaning at all…

I don’t really have much to say. But it was a good to experience the originals of this story. I will be trying some more Lewis Carroll in the future hopefully.


This review and others can be found on Olivia's Catastrophe: http://olivia-savannah.blogspot.nl/20... ...more

3

Jan 08, 2016

'And when I found the door was shut,
I tried to turn the handle, but-'
There was a long pause.
'Is that all?' Alice timidly asked.
'That's all', said Humpty Dumpty. 'Goodbye.'