Alisa u zemlji čuda 5*

Alisa is in a wonderful land. It's a place full of magic and mystery. She looks around in awe, taking in all the strange and beautiful sights. There are colorful flowers blooming everywhere, and the air is filled with a sweet fragrance. The buildings here are like something out of a fairytale, with unique shapes and designs. Alisa feels like she has stepped into a different world.

Alisa sa druge strane ogledala 4*

From the other side, Alisa is looking at something equally amazing. There is a large forest with tall trees that seem to reach up to the sky. The leaves rustle in the wind, as if they are whispering secrets to each other. In the distance, she can see a mountain peak, covered in snow. The contrast between the green forest and the white snow is truly breathtaking. Alisa can't help but be captivated by the beauty of this place.

Tenniel is often regarded as the ideal illustrator for Alice. However, although I have a great affection for his drawings, I truly adore these rather more idiosyncratic Peake illustrations.

There is a certain charm and uniqueness in Peake's work that sets it apart. His illustrations seem to add an extra layer of mystery and quirkiness to the story of Alice.

Perhaps one day I will manage to get around to reviewing the actual words of the text. But for now, I am content to simply enjoy these wonderful Peake illustrations and let my imagination run wild.

They have a way of transporting me into the strange and wonderful world of Alice, and I find myself completely captivated by their beauty and charm.

Whether it's the curious expressions on the characters' faces or the detailed and imaginative backgrounds, Peake's illustrations are a joy to behold.

I can't wait to see what other treasures he has in store for us in the world of Alice.

Randomness GALORE...!

And yet, isn't that precisely the reason the Disney tale holds such a significant place in my early formative years?

Obviously, the Disney film is a seamless combination of both books. In the first book, as Alice awakens from her wacky adventures that seem to defy all psychoanalysis, her sister dreams about her sister dreaming.

The second volume takes an interesting turn as Alice is brought back to "waking life" from the Looking-glass House. She then realizes that one of her feline pals has dreamt her adventure.

This last revelation, of being the protagonist in someone's (or something's) dream, is where the pretzel-like logicality is masterfully on display.

David Lynch was undoubtedly inspired by the pseudo-symbolic and semi-metaphoric tales spun by the mad Carroll. There is insanity aplenty, and yet, is not the rat perhaps worse off than the pied piper?

...Are WE ALL just MAD? The question lingers, adding an air of mystery and intrigue to the already fascinating world of Alice in Wonderland.

A beautiful timeless comfort read is like a warm embrace on a cold day. It is a book that you can pick up again and again, and each time it will transport you to a different world.

These types of reads have a special charm that makes them irresistible. They often have relatable characters, engaging storylines, and a sense of warmth and familiarity.

Whether it's a classic novel or a modern-day gem, a beautiful timeless comfort read has the power to soothe your soul and make you forget about the stresses of everyday life.

Some of the most beloved comfort reads include works by authors such as Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and J.K. Rowling. Their books have stood the test of time and continue to be enjoyed by readers of all ages.

If you're looking for a way to unwind and relax, pick up a beautiful timeless comfort read. It's the perfect way to escape into a world of imagination and find some much-needed peace and quiet.

Alice was walking along when she noticed a large wall in the middle distance. There was someone sitting on top of it. As she drew closer, within a few yards, she could see that the thing sitting on the wall had eyes, a nose, a mouth, and a large pile of golden hair. When she got very close, she saw clearly that it was TRUMPTY DUMPTY himself. "It must be him because that's what is written on his baseball cap," she thought to herself.

He was already speaking to her.

"They said I wouldn't build the wall and I built the wall. They were wrong because they weren't right. Really really really great wall."

"I'm sure it is," said Alice. "What is it for?"

"Believe me, this is the greatest wall there ever was,"

"I'm sure it is," said Alice, "but please, what is it for?"

"The people, there were people, who said the wall would never be built, they were not smart people, as you see, the wall is right here, it is extremely extremely here, believe me."

"Yes, I do see that it is, but please," said Alice, getting rather impatient, "what is it for?"

"Those people, there were so many many of them, they said the wall was never ever ever going to be built, that's what they said, you can check that, it's there in the record. They were really really not smart those people. Everyone here can see that this is a great great day. That is what people are telling me."

"But –" started Alice.

"We are making Wonderland great again. Really really great. Dozens, hundreds of people, have said that there would be no wall. No wall at all. They said it would never never never happen. You can't find those people any more because they are on the other side of the wall. Oh yes, there is another side of the wall. Really really other side. Can you hear them?"

Trumpty put his hand to his ear, exaggeratedly listening. Alice listened hard too for a moment but could not hear a sound, except for Trumpty talking continually. She had by now given up trying to ask Trumpty Dumpty anything at all. It was as if he did not know what a conversation was.

"It's going to be amazing, really amazing. You will see Wonderland great again. So great."

*

Sorry about that..... I really just wanted to flag up that this Definitive 150th Anniversary edition by Martin Gardner is exquisite and replaces all previous editions. So if you have a birthday coming up, you could ask for this! And if you get it you'll have a smile that will take a really really great long time to fade away. Believe me.

I am sure that if I had read this novel in an illustrated edition, I would have given it 5 stars. However, "Alice" without illustrations is not the same, because part of its humor lies in the illustrations themselves... In defense of this edition, I will say that it is annotated, with curious facts about the work.

The truth is that the preface put me off and I didn't feel like reading it. Its author, Lewis Carroll, was not a paragon of virtues... With the information given in this preface, he seems to me a depraved person (I'm sorry if it offends his most fervent admirers). When you read it for the first time, it seems like a completely surreal and timeless tale. But with an open mind, a lot (because the preface really marked me) it seems like a wonderful tale, with subtle details, a philosophical approach, logic, mathematics, full of symbolism and English humor, although sometimes Alice is too unbearable and pedantic.

I will definitely reread it in an illustrated edition.

My parents presented me with a charming box set containing these two works, adorned with the iconic Tenniel illustrations, when I was approximately seven or eight years old. I still possess it to this very day, and it has endured several cross-country relocations and numerous readings during my childhood, not to mention several additional readings as an adult. The box set shows a bit of wear and tear, yet it remains a cherished treasure in my library.

I have largely refrained from rating or reviewing children's books on Goodreads simply because my childhood critical expectations differed in many ways from my current ones. However, at the same time, I don't believe those childhood critiques are any less valuable. So, I simply prefer not to attempt to judge a book from an adult perspective, especially if it was something that brought me great joy as a child, as I feel that this almost always overrides any adult uncertainties.

That being said, this is one of the few childhood books that I have rated because I have read and savored it several times both as a child and as an adult, and it never fails to delight. There is a richness to this book that appeals to both children and adults, and indeed to people of any age or intellectual ability. It is a simple tale of adventure and wonder, yet also a complex blend of clever wordplay and existential angst, clearly exerting an influence on many 20th-century movements such as surrealism, dada, and absurdism. There is even a touch of self-referential post-modernism here.

And I think one of the aspects that I have always loved the most is that, unlike most children's stories, there is no clear moral to the story. Carroll even pokes a bit of fun at the concept of moralistic tales. I'm certain that we all recall as children having to always search for the moral of the story. But nothing in Alice's world is so fixed and easily decipherable. Was she a bad girl for descending that rabbit hole? Should she have consumed all those curious food products that caused her to change size? Well, we are never truly led to believe that what she does is either bad or good. It just is. Much like in life, most of the things that Alice does are a combination of wonder and unease.

And all you Tim Burton haters can just deal with it! I haven't yet seen his Alice, but I'm really looking forward to it. Sure, I know he's going to tell us how the Queen of Hearts was mistreated as a child, how the Mad Hatter is a cocaine addict, and the White Rabbit has Asperger's, but I don't care. I'm going to purchase a huge bucket of popcorn that's larger than my head and a jumbo box of junior mints that is bound to send my smallish frame into a sugar coma, strap on those 3D glasses, and sit there with a wide Cheshire Cat grin, thoroughly enjoying the visual盛宴 that I'm hoping Burton has in store for me.

What makes Alice in Wonderland such an outstanding children's book is that it is not overly fanciful. It exists within a child's world, featuring cats, cards, and croquet - elements that a child is well-acquainted with, presented in an exaggerated manner that a child might already envision in their mind. It has a child's preoccupation with size, both miniature and larger things. Lewis Carroll perfectly grasps how the world appears to a child.

Alice in Wonderland has accompanied me throughout my life. I adored it as a child and continued to love it in high school. My first not-so-great band covered "White Rabbit," and this was my yearbook quote:

“But I don’t want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”

It was a bit obvious, but I've made worse decisions. Later in college, my friend Fay painted murals all over my dorm room with scenes from Alice in Wonderland. Even later, the remarkable Kate Beaton used the above scene to teach me about gaslighting.

So, returning to it recently was one of those excellent reading experiences - like reuniting with an old friend. I know a significant portion of it by heart, and it still holds its charm.

The drug-related aspects that attracted me as an adolescent, such as the hookah-smoking caterpillar and the new interpretation of "Eat Me," no longer seem essential to me. I mean, they work, and you can get lost in them if you desire, but I don't think this is precisely an encoded book. I believe it's a children's book that can be adapted.

And the mock turtle is still dull. That part always makes my eyes glaze over.

But the rest remains perfect, and it's wonderful to once again enter the world of mad people.

People love this.

Not me. Does that mean I'm not people?

Usually I have a penchant for scatterbrained, nonsensical stuff. And perhaps that's precisely my problem: I simply don't get the references.

At least some of the wild and crazy antics seem to occur to prove a point about the absurdity of certain or other quirky British conventions. So, maybe all the wacky things that take place in Alice in Wonderland have a deeply satirical foundation?

I must give Carroll his due; the satire that I did understand, I actually enjoyed. However, for me, much of this simply fell flat and even, on occasion, annoyed me.

Just the same, I will take this issue upon myself and promise to eliminate my lack of knowledge in the domain of archaic 19th-century British mannerisms. Haha! Like hell I will!

Still and all, awarding three stars doesn't imply hating a book, and I don't hate Alice in Wonderland. There are numerous delightful characters and scenes. I'm glad I finally read it and am now able to distinguish the original from Disney's bastardized version.

This book has its charm, and although it didn't completely win me over, it has left an impression. I may not have grasped all the nuances, but I can appreciate the effort and creativity that went into it.

Maybe on a second reading, with a better understanding of the context and references, I will have a different perspective. For now, I'll leave it at three stars and move on to the next literary adventure.

Alice in Wonderland is a truly great classic. In all disciplines of art, an Alicevari approach has been discussed both in terms of creation and analysis. The artists who move in the projection of this work have been able to open completely different doors and bring their creativity to very different points. 'Alice in Wonderland' is one of the most phenomenal works in this sense, and with the richness of the allegorical world it creates, it still amazes its fans. This is precisely the reason why popular culture has plundered this story quite a lot. I read the entire text, albeit a bit late. This book contains Carroll's other important work 'Through the Looking-Glass' along with 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'. In both works, it is satisfying in terms of meeting expectations. However, I didn't like the translation at all. Ithaki Publishing is not a very successful publisher in terms of editorial work anyway, but they always try to be careful in terms of translation. I don't understand how they published the translation of this work. Also, later, Yabancı Yayınları published the same translation, perhaps they prepared it for publication in a corrected form.

I recommend reading this important work that has opened the door to an era and the review articles written about the work in order to more healthily perceive and establish its references in the visual age we live in.

Happy reading.

6.5/10

HEY! don’t come around here no more.

This simple yet powerful phrase has had a profound impact over the years. It has not only inspired some truly freaky art but has also left a lasting impression on the minds of many.

For example, in MTV's golden age, Tom Petty's Mad Hatter themed video for “Don’t Come Around Here No More” was a prime example of the creative influence this phrase had. The lyrics, “I don't feel you any more, you darken my door. Whatever you're looking for, Hey! don't come around here no more” added an extra layer of mystery and intrigue to the song.

The repeated refrain of “HEY! don’t come around here no more” emphasized the finality of the message. It was as if the singer was trying to put an end to a toxic relationship or a situation that was no longer serving them.

RIP Head Heartbreaker. This closing line seems to suggest that the person or thing that was causing the pain is now gone, and the singer can finally move on.

In conclusion, “HEY! don’t come around here no more” is more than just a catchy phrase. It is a statement of independence, a cry for help, and a symbol of hope for a better future.

This book had a profound and irreversible impact on my sense of humor when I was merely a child.

It was as if a dark cloud had suddenly descended upon my once-bright and playful world of laughter. The words within its pages seemed to drain away all the joy and light-heartedness that I had previously associated with humor.

Every time I opened the book, it was like a slow and painful erosion of my ability to find things funny.

I can still vividly recall the moments when I would read those lines, feeling a strange emptiness creeping in where my sense of humor should have been.

It was a loss that I have never truly been able to recover from, and it has left an indelible mark on my life ever since.

To this day, I wonder what might have been if I had never come across that fateful book.