ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND (1865)
PLOT
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VICTORIAN WORLD UPSIDE DOWN
NONSENSE
CONTRAST BETWEEN FANTASY AND THE REAL WORLD
Alice falls into a rabbit hole
discovers an underground world "Wonderland"
meets strange characters (White Rabbit, Mad Hatter etc)
talking animals
mad
wakes up (dream)
no logic
doesn't follow scientific and natural laws
time and space = relative
political (Queen of Hearts = opposite of Queen Victoria)
nonsense literature
disrupt meaning
inversion of logic and language
unexpected contrasts
experiments of size and scale
animals talk and behave like human beings
land of absurdity
logic, identity, sanity, space, time = ridiculed
puns (play with meanings and words)
play with mathematical and logical problems
powerful dichotomies
reality:dreams
reason:imagination
respect for social conventions:individual freedom
appearance:reality
level of reality
unpleasant aspects
strict rules
rigid social hierarchies
respect for social conventions
clearly defined roles
level of imagination
everything
fascinating
confusing
distorted
frightening
exploration of Wonderland
opportunity for Alice to ask about where she comes from
absurdity of political power
relativism of knowledge
irrational political leaders
nonsense
frightening and self-righteous adults
animals talking
CHARACTERS
WHITE RABBIT
ALICE
7-year-old girl (Alice Liddell)
corageous
anxious and homesick when lost
growing up
first creature Alice meets
always in a hurry
fears the Queen
CATERPILLAR
CHESIRE CAT
magic mushroom
smokes a hookah
Who are you?
smiling
disappears and appears
guides Alice
clever
QUEEN OF HEARTS
terrorises everyone
OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!!
flat and thin (playing card)
MAD HATTER
eccentric
riddles and wordplay
time = frozen to 6 o'clock
always tea time
THEMES
CHILDHOOD AND ADULTHOOD
metaphor for growing up
growing and shrinking
Alice's anxiety of growing up
unknown adult world
adults
order Alice around
act as if wise
orders often ridiculous and cruel
less trustworthy and good
DREAMS AND REALITY
a dream world
talking animals
confusion
real world
more cruel
less nonsense
misunderstandings
language
WORDS MEANING AND MEANINGLESSNESS
rhymes
nonsense
no moral
NATURE OF BEING AND NOT BEING
philosophical puzzle
questioning self-identity
Caterpillar
Who are YOU?
growing up
SYMBOLS
EATING AND DRINKING
GROWING AND SHRINKING
unpredictable life
mysterious potions and cakes
growing and shrinking
never right size
flood of tears
white rabbit's house