| Term Paper Title | Alice In Wonderland: Enduring, Endearing Nonsense |
| # of Words | 638 |
| # of Pages (250 words per page double spaced) | 2.55 |
Alice in Wonderland: Enduring, Endearing Nonsense
by Andrew Green
Did you read and enjoy Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland books as a child? Or
better still, did you have someone read them to you? Perhaps you discovered
them as an adult or, forbid the thought, maybe you haven't discovered them at
all! Those who have journeyed Through the Looking Glass generally love (or
shun) the tales for their unparalleled sense of nonsense .
Public interest in the books--from the time they were published more than a
century ago--has almost been matched by curiosity about their author. Many
readers are surprised to learn that the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat and a host
of other absurd and captivating creatures sprung from the mind of Charles
Lutwidge Dodgson, a shy, stammering Oxford mathematics professor.
Dodgson was a deacon in his church, an inventor, and a noted children's
photographer. Wonderland, and thus the seeds of his unanticipated success as a
writer, appeared quite casually one day as he spun an impromptu tale to amuse
the daughters of a colleague during a picnic. One of these girls was Alice
Liddell, who insisted that he write the story down for her, and who served as
the model for the heroine.
Dodgson eventually sought to publish the first book on the advice of friends
who had read and loved the little handwritten manuscript he had given to Alice
Liddell. He expanded the story considerably and engaged the services of John
Tenniel, one of the best known artists in England, to provide illustrations.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through The Looking Glass were
enthusiastically received in their own time, and have since become landmarks in
childrens' literature.
What makes these nonsense tales so durable? Aside from the immediate appeal of
the characters, their colourful language, and the sometimes hilarious verse
("Twas brillig, and the slithy toves/did gyre and gimble in the wabe:") the
narrative works on many levels. There is logical structure, in the
relationship of Ali...Read entire document
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