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Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Lewis Carroll. Keep in Mind…. Alice is a very young English girl from the mid-1800s Sheltered from most realities of the world Including industrialization, poverty, or anything considered odd, awkward, improper, or silly
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Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Lewis Carroll
Keep in Mind… • Alice is a very young English girl from the mid-1800s • Sheltered from most realities of the world • Including industrialization, poverty, or anything considered odd, awkward, improper, or silly • Formally dressed in complicated, uncomfortable clothes • Learned lessons from tutor and school…
Continued • ….But they would’ve been almost entirely rote learning • This includes memorizing poems to improve her morals, memorizing songs to entertain adults, and memorizing enough math to make her a useful housekeeper for when she grew up and married • All of this boredom is dissolved in Alice’s fantasy world that she creates. • **Goes along with travel motif
Things to Consider • Boredom until the White Rabbit appears • As she’s falling, Alice starts applying the knowledge she’s learned to the situation. • Uses fancy long words • Tries to practice curtseying • Alice is constantly thinking and talking to herself; she even critiques and corrects herself
Continued • How does she react when she finds the bottle labeled “Drink Me?” • She remembers a story about what? • Cries when things go wrong or out of frustration • Growing up and growing down
Things to Consider • Improper language/talking nonsense • Scolding herself, like an adult would • Questions who she really is • Is she Mabel? How does she attempt to prove that she’s not • Alice the imperialist • Insults the mouse by mentioning Dinah the cat and the terrier that catches rats
Things to Consider • Caucus Race • Parody of the electoral process and politics since they lack clarity and decisiveness • Dodo suggests it because it’s the “driest” thing he knows a.k.a. the dullest • Play on words • Argument with Lory • Insults the creatures • More crying
Things to Consider • Issues with growing/changing sizes • Alice realizes she can’t grow up because she’s stuck in a room and can’t get any larger • Good because she’ll never grow old, but bad because she’d remain a child • Puppy • Despite it being much larger than Alice, the puppy is one of the only comforts in Wonderland because it is familiar to her.
Things to Consider • “Who are you?” • What changes have you noticed in Alice up until this point? • She cannot answer the Caterpillar, due to all the different experiences she has had. • She compares her changes to the metamorphosis of a caterpillar. • Caterpillar critiques Alice
Things to Consider • Behavior of the footmen • The Duchess • How is she portrayed? • How does she uphold or challenge Victorian ideals? • The Cook • Cheshire Cat • “We’re all mad here.” (Including Alice)
IF you haven’t already, make sure that you’ve finished reading the book in preparation for your test on Friday.
Things to Consider • Satires the Victorian tradition of afternoon tea • Highly formalized occasion where everything was ordered by social custom • Ex. Who pours the tea, who has the first plate of cake… • The Hatter, Hare, the Dormouse, and even Alice, completely overthrow the custom • Eating and drinking from dirty plates, spilling things, making rude remarks…
Things to Consider • The Queen’s portrayal • It is said that she resembles Queen Victoria; so, if that’s the case, then it’s safe to say that the author didn’t particularly like her • Anger issues; obsession with beheading people • Why is the Duchess in prison? • Croquet game is chaos because everything is alive and squirming around, plus nobody takes turns
Continued • The Cheshire Cat reappears to cause trouble. • Flattery saves Alice from losing her head. • Ridiculous argument with the executioner over beheading the Cat. • Executioner: no can do, he doesn’t have a body • King: It can be beheaded because it has a head • Queen: do it or else!
Things to Consider • Duchess is much calmer this time • She insists that everything has a moral, even the remark of mustard being a vegetable • What kind of comment does this make? • King pardons all the condemned while the Queen takes Alice to the Mock Turtle • Nobody is every really executed
Continued • The Gryphon introduces Alice to the very sad Mock Turtle • He doesn’t feel sorrow; he just imagines it • Lots of examples of plays on words and parodies • All of subjects listed by the Mock Turtle are an effort to prove that his education is just as good as Alice’s, if not better.
Things to Consider • This is an example of a Quadrille: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsWxRZfTquQ • She’s fascinated by the dance, but more glad it’s over than anything else. • Alice learns from her prior mistakes • She avoids offending the Mock Turtle and Gryphon when describing seafood • More plays on words • They tell her she’s talking nonsense
Things to Consider • The King is the judge • 12 little animals she has encountered are the jury members • Alice is irritated by Bill • Knave of Hearts is on trial • King is ready for a verdict before they’ve even begun to question the witnesses
Continued • All of the witnesses are horrible • Nothing makes sense • This trial mocks the corrupt British legal system • The Queen represents the authority and its willingness to jump to conclusions. • “Sentence first – verdict afterwards.” • Alice continues to grow
Things to Consider • Everything that’s considered important by the king is absolute nonsense in Alice’s eyes. • The poem’s meaning • The flawed reasoning and laws • Even though Alice attempts to defend herself, the Queen still presumes her to be guilty. • Calls for Alice’s execution • Critique of how the lower classes are treated • Alice doesn’t care at this point.
Continued • Doug, what’s up with that ending? • It’s all a dream; nothing has changed • Final scene with Alice’s sister by herself • She reflects on Alice and all she had told her • Appreciate the imagination even if it is fantasy
