I picked up this volume with the intention of having a forever copy of “Alice in Wonderland.” I wanted to be able to visit my beloved cat and caterpillar whenever I desired, and also hoped to share these wonderful stories with my kids as bedtime tales.
I had no clue what to anticipate from Carroll’s other works, as I had never strayed beyond the enchanting life of Alice.
However, I was extremely pleasantly surprised by the “Sylvia and Bruno” chronicles. I truly valued the social and political criticisms put forward by the “reality” track. In particular, those regarding the pervasive duopoly culture of 1893 - it was already high time for a change. And the nonsense presented by the “eerie” track was equally captivating. But what I loved most especially was when these two worlds overlapped. I firmly believe that THAT is the true essence of life, encompassing both fantasy and hard truths.
The verse section had me laughing out loud. Reading “The Hunting of the Snark” and “Phantasmagoria” to my kids someday will surely be a highlight.
\\n \\n \\n “If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn’t. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn’t be. And what it wouldn’t be, it would. You see?”\\n \\n \\n
I have read the story of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. These two tales are truly enjoyable reads that possess a great deal of depth. They cause you to pause and think, "Hmm, I never noticed that I think or do that."
There is so much valuable and profound content to learn from in these two books. You can read them repeatedly, and if you pay attention, you can truly gain a lot from them. It serves as a great reality check for the world in which we live and work.
I have not yet read the complete works, including the poems and such, but I highly recommend reading this book. It is not merely a book for kids; it was intended for adults. When adults grasped the lessons within, they taught them to their kids and the children in the neighborhood.
For instance, the meeting of Tweedledee and Tweedledum, where they question and challenge Alice's existence, is a true masterpiece. I believe that young adults should read this and be inspired to look at life and decide that this is something they should consider when facing similar circumstances.
I recommend this book for families and adults who can understand the essence of the stories and bring those valuable lessons home to the kids in their lives.
I still need to come back and read Through the Looking-Glass. I have a different perception of it now compared to when I was a teenager. As a teen, I really liked it. But this time, when I listened to the audiobook, I had a hard time maintaining my interest. My mind kept wandering. Maybe if I had read the print version, it might have been a better experience. However, there are still some truly relevant existential quotes that stuck with me since childhood. When I read it then, I wrote some in my day planner. I wanted to remember that I needed to have a purpose, a destination, and a direction in life. The Cat had a valid point. If you don't know where you want to go, it doesn't matter which path you take. For example, when Alice asked the Cat which way she should go, the Cat replied that it depends on where she wants to get to. When Alice said she didn't care much where, the Cat said it didn't matter which way she went. And when Alice added that she just wanted to get somewhere, the Cat said she was sure to do that if she walked long enough. There are also other interesting quotes like "We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad." and "Why is a raven like a writing-desk?" and "And the moral of that is—"The more there is of mine, the less there is of yours." which makes sense in our capitalist society. The Duchess also had some rather convoluted sayings like "Be what you would seem to be" or "Never imagine yourself not to be otherwise than what it might appear to others that what you were or might have been was not otherwise than what you had been would have appeared to them to be otherwise." which Alice had a hard time following, and I can understand that. In simple terms, it means to be authentic.