The Complete Lewis Carroll

This is truly silly stuff, and yet I adored every single word of it. The puns, the word play, the jokes, and the vivid imagination all delve deep within and remind me of how much seriousness in life is merely a construct. I had forgotten all the wonderful newness of the world. Without a doubt, we often take ourselves, especially in our later years, far too seriously.

I suspect that when we read "Alice" all those once-upon-a-time strange things in the world become strange again, and we either giggle, smile, or let the thought linger for a moment. I bet you can't say that about any typical beach read. We encounter all those wonderful characters: the March Hare, the Mad Hatter, the Red Queen, the White Rabbit, the Mock Turtle. And they bring to life those silly puns (are there really such things as serious puns?) and word play that only the inner child desires to engage with.

In the introduction by Tan Lin, there is a comment about how we reacted to reading about the problem when Alice grows tall and thin and can't reach her feet. As an older adult, reaching my own feet is still a bit of a challenge!

We know that there are only a handful of stories that have endured for years. They convey something that always seems to need repeating. Maybe that's why some of us keep coming back to read about Alice's adventures.

If you're a fan of the likes of "Alice," then add "The Phantom Tollbooth" to your reading list.

"Through the Looking-Glass" is commonly regarded as a sequel to "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," and it reads that way, almost, but it's also a standalone story. This is Alice's dream adventure triggered by the looking-glass, where everything is, of course, backwards. We meet the Walrus and the Carpenter, Humpty Dumpty, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Red Knight and the White Knight, and the red and white royalty. Everyone is in conflict with something else, and most everyone can't seem to do things correctly. I was reminded of the Beatles' "I Am The Walrus" while reading the poem about the walrus and the carpenter and the oysters. And, I was thinking about Don Quixote when Alice, in her final move on the chessboard that will bring her out of the looking-glass and back home, meets the clumsy, funny, yet serious, White Knight.

Carroll must have had a great deal of fun in his days writing such silliness, and I'm more than happy to admit that I had an equal amount of fun reading the same silliness.

I will only be reading through and reviewing the first two works included in this collection, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and Through the Looking-Glass. They will have separate star ratings within the review, and then the overall collection's rating will reflect the collective rating of the two works together.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - 4 stars

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is truly a delightful and lighthearted romp through a fantastical and absurd world. It is widely regarded as a classic, and I wholeheartedly agree. The short novel is simply a joy to read.

Although the plot may not have a strong driving force, and Alice as a character may not be overly complex, the book is still highly enjoyable due to the various situations she finds herself in. Some of the standout moments include the council of birds, the Gryphon and the Mock-Turtle, and of course, the iconic Queen of Hearts and her croquet game.

If you are curious about the roots of a particular branch of fantasy or the genre of absurdism, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a fun and easily digestible piece of literature that can provide insights into both in a relatively short amount of time.

Through the Looking-Glass - 2 stars

Through the Looking-Glass unfortunately ends up being a somewhat lackluster and inferior retread of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

This second book continues from the first, with the only real indication being that Alice's cat Dinah has had kittens. Given that the first book ended with the revelation that Alice's adventure was just a dream, this makes sense, but it also begs the question of why this is a sequel at all. It could just as easily have been a standalone story, as there is nothing in particular that requires Alice from the first novel to be the protagonist.

Similarly, the rest of the book feels rather aimless and lacking in direction. Even at its most absurd, the first book had a sense of taking the reader along for a ride, while this second novel seems only to exist to confuse and frustrate. Each character's conversations go nowhere and spiral into meaninglessness due to one logic loophole after another. While some may find this clever, I found it tiring after a while. The constantly changing situations also make the 'twist' at the end that everything is a dream yet again feel like a non-twist, giving the impression that nothing on each page has any real impact.

Overall - 3 stars

While Through the Looking-Glass definitely weakens the overall package of the two books for me, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is well worth the read. Through the Looking-Glass is also interesting in its own right, but I would not necessarily recommend the entire second book.

There are 3 parts in this book:

- Alice in Wonderland, the famous and well-known Alice in the wonderland. I read it in English for the first time (and the last time was a very, very long time ago). It's great, it's funny and improbable.

- Through the looking glass. Well-known but less than the previous one. I found it strange, not unpleasant but I would say too crazy. Maybe it's because I know much less than "in the wonderland", which, we must admit, is quite crazy in its kind, but since I've known it since I was very small, I liked the book, the cartoon, even the attraction at Disneyland, and so the craziness passes without a problem? It's possible that this is the explanation.

- Poems. I didn't get hooked on the first one, I was already ready to give up the following ones, and then finally I got hooked on most of the following ones, it's funny and crazy too (but not too much). Which shows that it's still a matter of dosage.

I consider the "Alice" books and Carroll's nonsense poems to be among the greatest works in the English language.

Looking at the entire range of his work in this substantial volume, it is hard to claim that everything else attains the same high standard. This is precisely the reason why I deduct a star.

The "Sylvie & Bruno" novels are fascinating, being more adult renditions of his surreal fantasy with blatant references to fairy lore. However, they strangely suffer from moralism and sentimentality. His early poetry is remarkably very Victorian. It is not always bad; rather, it is unformed and derivative.

If you have a penchant for Lewis Carroll and wish to delve deeper into his work, any of the complete collections are highly recommended. It surely provides a more comprehensive picture of Carroll's core themes and style, as well as his absolute talent for language and logic.

If you are fond of the "Alice" books, it is advisable to read Gardner's annotations first.

Whimsical, witty, and wildly imaginative. These are the words that come to mind when thinking about this particular work. What more can one say?

Well, other than odd. It truly has an odd charm that is both captivating and a bit perplexing. I only read the one book, and it was for a Book Club.

The story took me on a journey filled with unexpected twists and turns, characters that seemed to leap off the page, and a world that was like no other I had ever encountered.

Despite its oddness, there was something about it that kept me engaged from beginning to end. Maybe it was the author's unique writing style or the way in which the story was told.

Overall, it was an experience that I won't soon forget. It made me think, it made me laugh, and it made me appreciate the power of imagination.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
4.25
It wasn't until recently that it became clear to me. In fact, Alice can be described as a rather whiny and disrespectful girl. She calls most of the characters in the book ugly, asks questions but never listens, and is too easily distracted to even pay attention to many interesting life stories. Is it curiouser and curiouser? Well, yes, that's because she doesn't listen. Fortunately, this seems to be intentional, and the creatures are more than eager to call her out on her behavior. It even becomes a running gag. Svankmayer did it right in his adaptation, with the same annoying Alice.
Luckily, this works well for the story (or perhaps even because of it). There's a lot to enjoy, such as scrambled nursery rhymes, language jokes, mathematical errors, and weird riddles. Even all the unfinished character arcs (whatever happened to the pig?) add up to the almost psychedelic chaos. Additionally, I had never seen the Tenniel drawings in full before, which was quite a curious and queer experience. It's a lot to take in, but it's just right.

Through the Looking-Glass (and What Alice Found There)
4
Basically, it's an open dreamworld version of a chess game, although it's not really about the chess at all, and the rules don't make any sense. It sounds like an Alice dream, all right. She herself is a lot less annoying and is mostly even nice to the creatures she meets, which means they can finally finish their stories, songs, riddles, and poems without much interruption. That's definitely for the better.
Although this story is also more linear and less chaotic. Basically, she meets a lot of characters who either sing, tell poems, or give a riddle. There's a lot of emphasis on language and a structure of surrealistic dissonance and weirdness, with the odd math problem thrown in. I bet for some readers it can get a bit dull, as it's definitely less expansive than the world of Wonderland, but I happen to really enjoy it. There's a lot of humor to be found there. Good stuff!

An Enjoyable, yet Exhaustive Collection

This is an extremely thorough collection of the works of Lewis Carroll. It not only encompasses both the classic "Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass" but also features a plethora of other shorter fiction stories. Most of these, I must admit, were quite unfamiliar to me.

The collection also includes all of his poetry. This well-laid-out and illustrated edition of Lewis Carroll's works is truly a gem. I'm aware that sometimes books claim to be illustrated, but this one truly is, likely with the original illustrations from the first edition.

It offers a wonderful opportunity to explore the full range of Carroll's creative genius. Whether you're a die-hard fan of his famous Alice stories or someone looking to discover new aspects of his writing, this collection is highly recommended reading. It provides hours of entertainment and a deeper understanding of the man behind the magical worlds he created.

I really enjoyed reading the introduction. Before that, I knew nothing about Lewis Carroll. His life was truly fascinating. Finally, I found an introduction that was both interesting and informative.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
20th - 26th January 2016
This is one of my favorite books. Every time I read it, it feels like the first time. I always discover something new, and I don't think I'll ever tire of reading it. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland are delightfully random, laugh-out-loud funny, and I would love to have my own adventures there.

Through The Looking Glass
26th - 28th January 2016
Again, I know I have read this book before, but it all seemed so new, random, and strange - and I loved it! I also realized (probably not for the first time) that Disney must have carefully selected the best parts of both books to create the cartoon.

Sylvie and Bruno
28th January - 12th February 2016
Never in my life has it taken me so long to read so few words! I found this story very difficult to get into because it really felt like I had picked up a book and started reading from the middle. Nothing made sense to me. That must be why this story is not as well-known as Alice's Wonderful Adventures. I can't believe it was written for children! A basic summary is that it's about a man who follows and befriends two child fairies (which is not creepy - much...). It was just too bizarre for words and did not inspire me to pick it up and find out more. So, with a heavy heart, I carried on to find out how Sulvir and Bruno is Concluded.

Sylvie and Bruno Concluded
12th - 17th February 2016
Thank goodness it is concluded because I struggled to connect with this story. I really can't believe it was aimed at children! There were some quite interesting arguments, presenting both sides of the debate, among the adult characters. Mixed in with frequent (bizarre and confusing) and totally childish fairy encounters. My poor mind was boggled. In other news, I found the author's thoughts on the use of an apostrophe in the preface one of the highlights of this section.

A Tangled Tale
18th February 2016
I was quite good at mathematics in school (in the highest class), so I like to think that back then I could have had a good attempt at solving this collection of knots. Sadly, I doubt I have the brain capacity, time, or inclination to do so now. I almost gave it a try, but since I have been slowly reading this book for a month, I just want to be done with it. The stories were slightly bizarre, but much better than Sylvie & Bruno. So, I quickly moved on to the answers. I'm so glad I did. I love the author's increasingly critical analysis of the reader-supplied answers to the solutions. I'm laughing out loud at it all, even if I'm not quite sure where the answers are coming from. It's very entertaining! I can't remember if these were originally published in a periodical. From what I'm reading, it would make the most sense.

Novelty & Romancement
18th February 2016
A very random autobiographical tale?

Photographer's Day Out
19th February 2016
An amusing look at a day in the life of an obsessed photographer.

The Legend of Scotland
19 February 2016
The strange old spellings made it really hard to understand (or care about) this story.

Wilhelm Von Schmitz
19th February 2016
What on earth was that all about?!? Oh well, at least I've finally finished this book.