Keith in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass

Read from Wednesday, December 22nd to Sunday, December 26th.

Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, the classic by Lewis Carroll. These two books combined in one are really one long story of Alice and her journeys through a magical, nonsensical land of strange creatures and objects. I read this book after finally seeing the modern movie adaptation starring Johnny Depp, directed by Tim Burton. The movie is very different than the book. The movie borrows certain scenes, characters and lines and forms a coherent plot and adventure for Alice.

The book, both stories in fact, follow Alice as she meets new people and animals. There is really no plot. In Alice in Wonderland, she tries to get to the Queen's garden to play croquet, and while avoiding getting beheaded, she is called upon as a witness in a court. In Through the Looking Glass, Alice goes through a mirror and follows a journey that loosely follows a chess game, as she is a pawn that makes it to the other side and becomes a queen. But in each short chapter she meets new characters. Some of my favorites were the Mad Hatter and friends, the Chesire Cat, Humpty Dumpty, the King of cards, the Mock Turtle, and others. All the characters are mad, and make no sense. They play upon the English Language, and recite many funny poems. Alice maintains her reason and child-like sense of wonder. She is not afraid, but merely keeps exploring.

Carroll wrote these stories for Alice Liddell, a little English girl he was friends with. He would tell her and her sisters stories, and they begged him to write them down. The stories are fun, and it is interesting to hear the origins of so many phrases and characters that we take for granted. Carroll is a master of the language, so some passages are witty adventure rides for the reader. I would have liked more of a plot or more danger, but it was good nonetheless. Three out of five stars.