Lewis Carroll
Fiction 1865| 101 pages, and
Fiction 1871| 126 pages
A few weeks ago, we went to the Central Oregon's School of Ballet performance of Alice in Wonderland. It was so well done! And the costumes are the best I have seen in a local performance. Spectacular! The director came out and spoke at intermission and admonished the children in the audience (of which there were many) now that they had seen the ballet, to read the books. I thought it was a great idea!
There are memes I recall easily ... the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat, and "one pill makes you larger and one makes you small and the ones that mother gives you don't do anything at all."
So much I have long forgotten over these sixty years or so since I last read these books, about puppies and thistles and a Dodo; and cucumber frames, hookahs, gryphons and juries; Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Carroll's writing is amazing! So much great dialogue, and never-ending creativity, while we root for Alice whether she is having a delightful experience at this moment, or when things are not going so well.
I didn't like Through the Looking Glass nearly as well as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, but the only copy I could get is an audiobook, and I am NOT a fan of audiobooks. I just can't focus. So take that comment with a grain of salt!
We went to a neighborhood gathering last night, and I mentioned I was reading these books when the conversation turned to "what have you been reading?" One of my conversation partners said she taught these books to her 4th and 5th graders when she was a teacher. She said there are significant political undertones and messages. I decided I didn't want to know about those!
How great to reread these creative books. I recommend doing this with many/any books we read decades ago!
June 2025