Type of work: Imaginative tale
Author: Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, 1821-1898)
Type of plot: Fantasy
First Published: 1865
Principle characters:
ALICE
THE WHITE RABBIT
THE DUCHESS
THE QUEEN OF HEARTS
Critique:
Adults will view this book as a gentle satire on education, politics, literature, and Victorian life in general, seen through the eyes of Alice, a child who is the product of a confusing environment. The book is written with charming simplicity. There are poetic parodies on Wordsworth and Southey which are amusing to the point of hilarity, as well as ingenious observations on the status of powerful female rulers. Through all her puzzling adventures in the dream world, Alice remains the very essence of little girlhood. Children read this book with delight, finding in Alice a heroine who aptly represents their own thoughts and feelings about growing up.
Story snippet:
Alice was quietly reading over her sister's shoulder when she saw a White Rabbit dash across the lawn and disappear into its hole. She jumped up to rush after him and found herself falling down the rabbit hole. At the bottom, she saw the White Rabbit hurrying along a corridor ahead of her and murmuring that he would be late. He disappeared around a corner, leaving Alice standing in front of several locked doors.
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