The Annotated Alice (1865)

A cat may look at a king! ( )

What Gardner adds to these two classics. This my reaction on reading this in 1990.

Gardner's "Introduction" talks about Carroll’s shyness, his fondness for little English girls (nothing untoward went on between him and them), his undistinguished life as an Anglican deacon and Oxford mathematician (though some of his writings touch on metalogic), and his special relationship with Alice Liddell. Gardner also takes jabs at the many allegorical and Freudian interpretations of the Alice books. Gardner, who I only know through his science and puzzle writings, is surprisingly diverse in citing literature that shares Carroll’s strange, absurd view of the world.

"Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland" -- Gardner’s notes explain the historical and literary allusions (particularly to the execrable songs and poems parodied) and notes relevant details from Carroll’s personal life.

"Through the Looking Glass" -- Gardner points out how Humpty Dumpty raises some serious questions of a philosophical, linguistic, and artistic nature. Do things have no names beyond what we arbitrarily decide? If words can’t mean what me want them to, how are puns and poetry possible? If words aren’t rigidly defined by others, how is communication possible? The annotations in this book are even more valueable than those for Alice in Wonderland. In addition to explaining allusions, Gardner points out the philosophical, mathematical, scientific, and logical questions raised by Carroll’s playfulness -- explaining Carroll’s continuing appeal to scientists and mathematicians. The annotations also help explain the strange chess game central to the story. All the moves are legal -- just not done in the proper white-red-white sequence). He also notes the many literary takeoffs of Carroll. Last, but not least, Gardner (with help from the Oxford English Dictionary) explains that the famous Jaberwocky poem isn’t quite as strange as it seems. ( )

http://tamaranth.blogspot.com/2012/08/201234-annotated-alice-lewis-carroll-ed.ht... ( )

I've been reading Alice since someone gave me a Golden Book (which left out most of the story). My parents took me to what was probably the first showing of Disney's film which, alas, scared the daylights out of me.
I used to work for a woman, Mrs. Downes, who quoted Alice all day long. Once she suggested I read the -annotated- Alice. Now I would never read any other version. I love being reminded of Dodgson's use of mathematical theory, historical events and scandals, and various bits of Victorian life in his two best-known books.
Alice's dream entry into Wonderland is the only aspect of the book which does not appeal to me. I feel cheated when a children's book purports that its tale was only a dream.

There is an album of songs based on Carroll's tales, titled "Music of Wonderland" & sung by Meg Davis. Most of the songs are also composed by her while a few are taken directly from Carroll's words. The titles are:
Our Fairy Tale
All my Own Invention
I'm Late
The Snap Dragon Fly
Other People's Children
You Will Remember Me
Queen Alice
Teatime
Just Desserts
Upon a Summer's Sky.
Most of the songs are gentle and nostalgic, in my view filled with a longing for an idyllic childhood that perhaps never way, even in Carroll's time. I often fall into this same mood when reading the book. However the album lacks Carroll's nonsense. ( )

Always enjoyed Alice in Wonderland -- such a well put together and entertaining story.

This was my first read of "Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There." I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the original -- perhaps because I'm not familiar with chess so the nuances were lost on me.

Gardner's annotations to the text (and the original illustrations) are sometimes fascinating and sometimes a little silly. However, they definitely added to the reading by shining a little more light onto Carroll and his inspiration for certain passages. ( )