Essays on Alice in Wonderland

November 26, 1865

Lewis Carroll

Novel, Children's Literature, Fantasy Fiction, Literary Nonsense, Absurdist Fiction, Fantastique

Alice, The White Rabbit, The Mouse, The Dodo, The Lory, The Eaglet, The Duck, Pat, Bill the Lizard, Puppy, The Caterpillar, The Duchess, The Cheshire Cat, The Hatter, The March Hare, The Dormouse, The Queen of Hearts, The King of Hearts, The Knave of Hearts, The Gryphon, The Mock Turtle

November 1865, by Lewis Carrol

Fantasy, literary nonsense

The story centres on Alice, a young girl who falls asleep in a meadow and dreams that she follows the White Rabbit down a rabbit hole. She has many wondrous, often bizarre adventures with thoroughly illogical and very strange creatures, often changing size unexpectedly. At the Queen’s behest, the Gryphon takes Alice to meet the sobbing Mock Turtle. Alice is then called as a witness in the trial of the Knave of Hearts, who is accused of having stolen the Queen’s tarts. However, when the Queen demands that Alice be beheaded, Alice realizes that the characters are only a pack of cards, and she then awakens from her dream.

The most obvious theme that can be found in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is the theme of growing up. Related to the theme of ‘growing up’, is the motif of ‘identity’. Other major themes include curiosity, dreams and reality, language, logic, rules and games, eating and devouring.

Alice, The White Rabbit, The Mouse, The Dodo, The Lory, The Eaglet, The Duck, Pat, Bill the Lizard, Puppy, The Caterpillar, The Duchess, The Cheshire Cat, The Hatter, The March Hare, The Dormouse, The Queen of Hearts, The King of Hearts, The Knave of Hearts, The Gryphon, The Mock Turtle

The story was originally told by Carroll to Lorina, Alice, and Edith Liddell (the daughters of Henry George Liddell, dean of Christ Church, Oxford, where the author had studied and held a fellowship) on a picnic in July 1862. Alice asked Carroll to write out the stories for her, and in response he produced a hand-lettered collection entitled Alice’s Adventures Under Ground.

One of the best-known works of Victorian literature, its narrative, structure, characters and imagery have had huge influence on popular culture and literature, especially in the fantasy genre. The tale plays with logic, giving the story lasting popularity with adults as well as with children.
The book has never been out of print and has been translated into 174 languages. Its legacy covers adaptations for screen, radio, art, ballet, opera, musicals, theme parks, board games and video games.

“Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”
“If everybody minded their own business, the world would go around a great deal faster than it does.”
“If you drink much from a bottle marked 'poison' it is certain to disagree with you sooner or later.”