What a tribute to Carroll and his Alice/Wonderland books!
I learned so much about the world that inspired the books, and about the wonderful and complex man who wrote them.
Cohen's observation captures so much: “He wove fear, condescension, rejection, and violence into the tales, and the children who read them feel their hearts beat faster and their skin tingle, not so much with excitement as with an uncanny recognition of themselves, of the hurdles they have confronted and had to overcome.”
My favorite scene from LOOKING-GLASS has always been that brief interlude with the fawn in Chapter 3. It is heartwarming, tragic, and thought-provoking by turns.
*Through the Looking-Glass* is indeed better than the first book, though they're both good. I also think both books are more for adults than children unless the children have been raised by logicians.
I was so glad to see Martin Gardner mentioned. And Gyles Brandreth, whose *Joy of Lex* (1980, though reissued in 2002) helped turn me into a word freak early on. I had to check to see if he was still alive. (Yep.)
Your essay is nicely done. The menace in Carroll is often overlooked, especially the going out like a candle bit, and your note-17 pan of the line in the garish Tim Burton thing is much appreciated.
Ah, “Little Liddell” and “Middle Liddell”! Thanks for the reminder about the connection. I will say this is the only essay I’ve read on Carroll that makes me reconsider my intense childhood dislike of his children’s literature.
Fantastic essay! Wonderfully thought provoking and full of interesting, illuminating and little-known detail. Reads like a story itself - beautiful, thank you.
What a tribute to Carroll and his Alice/Wonderland books!
I learned so much about the world that inspired the books, and about the wonderful and complex man who wrote them.
Cohen's observation captures so much: “He wove fear, condescension, rejection, and violence into the tales, and the children who read them feel their hearts beat faster and their skin tingle, not so much with excitement as with an uncanny recognition of themselves, of the hurdles they have confronted and had to overcome.”
Thanks for this marvelous essay, Boze!
My favorite scene from LOOKING-GLASS has always been that brief interlude with the fawn in Chapter 3. It is heartwarming, tragic, and thought-provoking by turns.
*Through the Looking-Glass* is indeed better than the first book, though they're both good. I also think both books are more for adults than children unless the children have been raised by logicians.
I was so glad to see Martin Gardner mentioned. And Gyles Brandreth, whose *Joy of Lex* (1980, though reissued in 2002) helped turn me into a word freak early on. I had to check to see if he was still alive. (Yep.)
Your essay is nicely done. The menace in Carroll is often overlooked, especially the going out like a candle bit, and your note-17 pan of the line in the garish Tim Burton thing is much appreciated.
Ah, “Little Liddell” and “Middle Liddell”! Thanks for the reminder about the connection. I will say this is the only essay I’ve read on Carroll that makes me reconsider my intense childhood dislike of his children’s literature.
I had no idea that the Liddell-Scott Greek lexicon that I used throughout my study of ancient Greek was written by Alice's father.
Fantastic essay! Wonderfully thought provoking and full of interesting, illuminating and little-known detail. Reads like a story itself - beautiful, thank you.