[EN] Through the Looking Glass (and What Alice Found There) - Lewis Carroll

Title: Through the Looking Glass (And What Alice Found There)
Author: Lewis Carroll
Publisher: Macmillan
Release date: 2015 (first published 1871)
Pages: 245

 

*Well then, the books are something like our books, only the words go the wrong way; I know that because I've held up one of our books to the glass, and then they hold up one in the other room.*
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Alice's second adventure takes her through the looking-glass to place even curiouser than Wonderland. She finds herself caught up in the great looking-glass chess game and sets off to become a queen. It isn't as easy as she expects: at every step she is hindered by nonsense characters who crop up and insist on reciting poems. Some of these poems, such as "The Walrus and the Carpenter" and "Jabberwocky", are as famous as the Alice stories themselves.
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 *'To answer the door?' he said. 'What's it been asking of?'*
 

After rather enjoying Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, I decided to try reading Through the looking glass (and what Alice found there). I was delighted to discover a book containing all the aspects I had liked in the first one, and fewer parts I found less interesting.

Although the basic idea and the style are the same, I found that fewer similarities than I had expected between the two books. Alice is still the main character and I thought she had not changed at all in the first few pages. However, as soon as she is on the other side of the looking glass, she behaves in a less childish way. Instead of sometimes being annoying or self-important, as well as very argumentative, she is merely curious… which is what most children are. She has obviously grown up – literally or not – since her adventures in the rabbit hole.

Looking glass world is also very different from Wonderland. Although some traits of absurd remain, it is easier to have a general idea of what is going on, which I personally enjoyed. The animals and creatures, although present, are less important; conversely, the author pays much more attention to the landscape and the different places Alice visits. I was enchanted by all the details and the musicality of the writing style, which is once again a great strength of the novel.

Some readers might be disappointed not to find the Cheshire cat or the Mad hatter, who have become symbols of Alice’s adventures, but Looking Glass world is definitely worth discovering too. This book is maybe less typical of Lewis Carroll than the first one, but it still contains all the ingredients of the absurd genre, as well as characters and landscape that will make the reader travel far away. The style is easy to read and elegant and will probably please all readers, even those who are not convinced about nonsense literature.

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[EN] Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll

Title: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Author: Lewis Carroll
Publisher: Penguin Books
Release date: 2008 (first published in 1865)
Pages: 176

 

* "Well! I've often seen a cat without a grin," thought Alice; "but a grin without a cat! It's the most curious thing I ever saw in all my life!".*
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On an ordinary summer's afternoon, Alice tumbles down a hole and an extraordinary adventure begins. In a strange world with even stranger characters, she meets a rabbit with a pocket watch, joins a Mad Hatter's Tea Party, and plays croquet with the Queen! Lost in this fantasy land, Alice finds herself growing more and more curious by the minute . . .

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 * Oh dear, what nonsense I'm talking!*

* Twinkle, twinkle, little bat! How are wonder what you're at! *

There is no denying that most children –and adults– have heard of Alice’s adventures in Wonderland; that the Cheshire cat and its grin are familiar to many children; that many have attended a Mad Tea Party, be it from near of far. There is however quite a difference between watching one of the many film adaptations or seeing the play performed on stage and reading the original novel.

In fact, I would argue that Lewis Carroll’s prose is part of the extraordinary universe he created. Readers who find any sense of normality in the first few pages will soon be proved wrong, as everything quickly turns absurd. Alice grows and shrinks continuously; she meets strange animals and characters and witnesses unexplainable events. And the concise and comic writing style adds to the strange atmosphere of the story. There are no lengthy descriptions or innumerable details, which means the scenes are mostly left to the reader’s imagination. However, the brilliant wordplays and puns will no doubt guide their interpretation.

I must admit I wondered a few times while reading if the book was really intended for children. I finally reached the conclusion that it can be read on different levels, much like most children’s literature. Children will enjoy the strange universe and the funny characters, as well as Alice’s personality and her adventures, while adults will focus more on the prose and the underlying philosophical questions. Although the book was written 1865, the language is precise and friendly and still perfectly understandable nowadays.

Alice is the typical example of a little girl who wants to grow up and her perspective on the events can be hilarious at times, while annoying at others. She tries to use what she has learned at school during her adventure, but she sometimes associates ideas that do not go together, which results in a comical effect… even more so because everything is rather queer. She does not like being told what to do, but she does not always think before she expresses her ideas, which often offends some of the characters (especially when she speaks about them being eaten). She sometimes behaves like a child and sometimes like an adult and it is therefore difficult to define how old she is.

The characters all have their own personality and I enjoyed the fact that the author did not use the common stereotypes which often come up in children’s literature. Of course, I love the Cheshire cat for its grin and its magical appearances, but my favourite scene is when the Mock-Turtle discusses school; an utterly funny moment. I was laughing so much that the man sitting opposite me on the train ended up asking me what I was reading.

Although Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is very popular in contemporary culture, I would recommend discovering this strange universe with the original book. It is a quick read, but everything is perfectly balanced, depicting a nonsensical wonderland while letting the readers imagine the details how they please. An immensely enjoyable story which will appeal for readers of all ages, children and adults alike.

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* In short * 

Did you say absurd?

Although Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is familiar to most of us, it is worth discovering the original source of inspiration of this extraordinarily absurd universe. Lewis Carroll’s funny prose, full of puns and wordplays, adds to the depth of the various characters – humans, animals or… An immensely enjoyable story which will appeal for readers of all ages, children and adults alike.