Lewis Carroll's Alice

There are 2 Lewis Carroll books on the 1001 list, both are about Alice.  The first is Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Penguin Popular Classics) and the second is Through the Looking Glass.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Penguin Popular Classics) is strange to read.  I remember being read this as a child, and I have seen a few adaptations, though this is the first of the 2 Wonderland books and the films, etc., usually are both in one. Just a great story, fabulously written (and drawn) characters. A true classic.
Alice's adventures begin when she goes down a hole after the White Rabbit. As she tries to find her way, she meets a host of characters, though when she talks with them, they talk back in a nonsensical way, something which is catching. Whenever Alice attempts to recite anything she has learnt, it turns into nonsense, too. This leads into the verse that is an integral part, recited by Alice and other characters.
Reading Alice is like reading my childhood, the characters are so familiar. It is a book that can be read by children and adults, it is a multi-layered narrative. Children will enjoy the anthropomorphic characters, my favourites being the Doormouse and the Cheshire Cat, as well as the great illustrations.

 

Through the Looking Glass is different from Alice, there are parts which I knew very well, in fact I can recite a lot of The Jabberwocky and The Walrus and the Carpenter. (My inner geek was pleased that I had learnt the correct pronunciation of The Jabberwocky as outlined in the book.) There are a lot of less familiar sections, parts which are often left out of the adaptations which usual condense the two books into one.

Alice is in the parlour with her cat Dinah, who is washing one of her kittens. Alice muses about the world on the other side of the mirror, and, climbing on the mantle-piece, makes her way into it. (I must apologise to the Red Queen for daring to say that Alice made HER way!) This other world is not like ours, things seem to run backwards, it seems to be based on a chess game, no doubt inspired by the set Alice has in her world. In order to make it back, Alice must advance from pawn to queen by crossing the squares. Of course, through the looking glass, that is not as simple as it sounds.

On her journey, she meets many strange and familiar creatures, which find her just as strange. There is a lot of muddles, mainly brought about by the play on words, such as an absurd, but amusing conversation about seeing nobody on the road. Alice says she sees nobody, which impresses the king, who remarks “I only wish I had such eyes […] to be able to see Nobody! And at that distance!” Indeed this wilful misinterpretation of the young girl's words is a device often used in the book, one which adds to its charms. Things also work backwards, the consequences of actions are felt before the action takes place, leaving Alice bewildered as she travels on.

There are more well-known figures in this book, those from other stories, such as Humpty Dumpty and the Lion and the Unicorn, as well as those famous from the adaptations, such as Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and a return of the Mad Hatter.

As with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, it is the combination of words and images that make the book so memorable, so charming. This is a book to amuse children and adults alike, great fun and deservedly a classic.