Review: Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass

Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

*My edition did NOT include Through the Looking Glass, despite having the same ISBN.

Is this possibly one of the first 'it was all a dream' pieces of literature ever written?

Despite the device being used plenty to this day, this book makes excellent use of it, and this story is entirely as bizarre as a dream that hops about nonsensically. Nothing makes sense, but it's a lot of fun in its strangeness, and there are some fascinating ideas on identity and social constructs.

Alice is a little snot, but since she's only a kid and this is her dream, you kind of just accept it. Plus, most of the other characters are just as horrible, and completely unhelpful. It raises so many questions about the characters' lives, but the answer to all is their lack of existence before the precise moment they enter Alice's adventure. Which is pretty unsatisfying but it does allow the imagination to run wild, and what is this book about if not that?

I LOVED THE WORDPLAY. Puns are the best kind of joke so I enjoyed the word banter immensely, but it's also very clever in the way it uses the multiple meanings and ambiguity of words to create conflict. I can understand Alice's frustration! Brilliantly written, though, in its contemplation of every single word. I really appreciated that.

This is fun, quirky story, even if you miss the greater symbolism. Alice is no hero, but her adventure is famous, and the book of course delivers more than any visual incarnation could.

On my part, I really must get around to TTLG.

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