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Rating: 
Summary: Spoofing Victorian Institutions
Review: (This review is based on the paperback edition llustrated by Tenniel.) Lewis Carroll's immortal children's classic continues to delight the young at heart, even 150 years after publication. Greatly enhanced by the clever black and white illustrations of Sir. John Tenniel, this story introduces to readers (or those lucky enough to be read to) a young lady named Alice, who has long hair and a pocket in her dress or apron. Having fallen
asleep with her head on her sister's lap, Alice dreams the most bizarre and ridiculous adventures, until she is awakened by leaves fluttering onto her face. In Wonderland she has a
variety of absurd encounters: chasing a White Rabbit with a pocket watch, starving at a crazy tea party, strugglilng through
a ridiculous game of croquet, and testifying in a kangaroo court. For Wonderland is inhabited by a veritable rogues' gallery of odd characters: a grinning Cheshire cat, a Mad Hatter, a hookah-smoking caterpillar, a sad mock turtle and a pack of feaful playing cards. Undergoing many almost
psychedelic size changes, Alice struggles to retain her true identity--often lamenting that she is not the girl she was yesterday. Desperate to find herself again, she eats and drinks a succession of strange items with curious labels--or none at all. But it's not just her size which is dubious; even her mind shifts into Wonderland gears--causing her trouble and embarrassment with her usual recitations. Carroll's style relies heavily on the importance of school rituals: poor Alice is so confused that she garbles the poems so often memorized by Victorian pupils. The author presents truly horrid puns and ludicrous situations--which must have been uproarious for mid-19th century children. With a barely visible storyline, this classic is a challenge for contemporary kids to read with understanding, since there is little plot advancement and no character development. Carroll spoofs royalty, courtrooms, tea parties, complex dances and drug use. One wonders what Alice might have learned and retained in her subconscious, as a result of an unexpected day in Wonderland.
Rating:
Summary: Spoofing Victorian Institutions
Review: (This review is based on the paperback edition llustrated by Tenniel.) Lewis Carroll's immortal children's classic continues to delight the young at heart, even 150 years after publication. Greatly enhanced by the clever black and white illustrations of Sir. John Tenniel, this story introduces to readers (or those lucky enough to be read to) a young lady named Alice, who has long hair and a pocket in her dress or apron. Having fallen
asleep with her head on her sister's lap, Alice dreams the most bizarre and ridiculous adventures, until she is awakened by leaves fluttering onto her face. In Wonderland she has a
variety of absurd encounters: chasing a White Rabbit with a pocket watch, starving at a crazy tea party, strugglilng through
a ridiculous game of croquet, and testifying in a kangaroo court. For Wonderland is inhabited by a veritable rogues' gallery of odd characters: a grinning Cheshire cat, a Mad Hatter, a hookah-smoking caterpillar, a sad mock turtle and a pack of feaful playing cards. Undergoing many almost
psychedelic size changes, Alice struggles to retain her true identity--often lamenting that she is not the girl she was yesterday. Desperate to find herself again, she eats and drinks a succession of strange items with curious labels--or none at all. But it's not just her size which is dubious; even her mind shifts into Wonderland gears--causing her trouble and embarrassment with her usual recitations. Carroll's style relies heavily on the importance of school rituals: poor Alice is so confused that she garbles the poems so often memorized by Victorian pupils. The author presents truly horrid puns and ludicrous situations--which must have been uproarious for mid-19th century children. With a barely visible storyline, this classic is a challenge for contemporary kids to read with understanding, since there is little plot advancement and no character development. Carroll spoofs royalty, courtrooms, tea parties, complex dances and drug use. One wonders what Alice might have learned and retained in her subconscious, as a result of an unexpected day in Wonderland.
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