We’re beginning with a doubleheader as we discuss ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ and ‘Through the Looking Glass’ by Lewis Carroll. With everlasting tea parties, croquet games played with flamingos and very judgemental talking flowers, Wonderland and (to a slightly lesser extent) Looking Glass Country have become touchstones of popular culture in the last century and a half. They’re a good example of world-building before anyone truly thought of that as a concept: it’s interesting to consider them on their own merits but also in the light of what we’ve come to expect from fantasy worlds like the wizarding world. Read either or both of them (don’t worry, they’re both pretty short and you can legally get both for free as they’re in the public domain) and let us know what you think about the places you find yourself in.
Here are some discussion prompts to help you frame your response. Feel free to totally ignore them – we’d like to hear what you think!
- Do you feel like Wonderland and Looking Glass Country exist beyond the parts of it that Alice sees? Do you think Carol planned any of this or did he simply create as he went along?
- Do you like the books’ reliance on nonsense (where anything is possible and nothing need be explained because it can’t be) or do you prefer a fantasy land where the rules are clearer cut?
- Do you prefer the more rigid, chessboard pattern of Looking Glass Country or the ever-winding and shifting Wonderland? Do you think the way the worlds are set up has an impact on the plot?
- Why do you think these two worlds have been as enduring as they have been?
Please use spoiler tags if you’re discussing specific parts of the plot.
"Growing up doesn't have to mean I lose the cape, the faith, the dream. I'm so done with that... I'm taking it back."
(Av/sig by S. Elf)
