Lewis Carrolls Through the Looking Glass Essay - 3377 Words

Lewis Carrolls Through the Looking Glass â€Å"If it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn’t, it ain’t. That’s logic,† according to Tweedledee, a character in Lewis Carroll’s famous children’s work Through the Looking Glass (Complete Works 181). Of course, Lewis Carroll is most well known for that particular book, and maybe even more so for the first Alice book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The connection between Lewis Carroll and logic is less obvious for most people. In reality, Lewis Carroll is the nom de guerre for the Reverend Charles L. Dodgson, a â€Å"puttering, fussy, fastidious, didactic bachelor, who was almost painfully humorless in his relations with the grown-up world around†¦show more content†¦His hope that it might â€Å"be of real service to the young, and be taken up, in High Schools and in private families, as a valuable addition to their stock of healthful mental recreations† was reflected throug h his incorporation of such logic games and problems in all of his children’s books (qtd Braithwaite 174). His love of chess and card games is apparent in his Alice books; each contains characters that are portrayed by cards or pieces in a chess game. The two books, especially Through the Looking Glass, are rich in mathematical humor. In the latter, Alice takes a journey into the reversed world behind the Looking-Glass, allowing Dodgson to introduce not only reversals of space, but reversals of time as well—this world is abundant in left and right symmetries. The Tweedle brothers, who are mirror images of each other, exemplify these symmetries (Gardner, Universe 3). In addition, the White Queen’s memory works both forward and backward in time—she can feel pain even before the sharp point of a pin touches her finger (3). There is also an example of a somewhat recursive sequence of events. The reader can easily lose himself or herself in what Gardene r calls â€Å"endless labyrinths.† While sleeping, the Red King dreams about Alice, who is also napping and dreaming about the Red King. In both of these dreams, â€Å"each dreams of the other, forming a pair of infinite regresses† (3). In SylvieShow MoreRelatedLewis Carroll: A Brief Biography785 Words   |  3 PagesLewis Carroll Lewis Carroll was born on January 27, 1832 in Daresbury, England. His real name is Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, but is known by his pseudonym Lewis Carroll. His mother was Frances Jane Lutwidge and Father was Charles Dodgson and he had a grandfather named Charles Dodgson who was an Army Captain. Lewis Carroll’s father was the Bishop of Elphin. He was the eldest son and third child in a family of seven girls and four boys. In 1846 his education began at a rugby school in Warwickshire,Read More Differences Between Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass1301 Words   |  6 Pages At the mention of the name Alice, one tends to usually think of the children’s stories by Lewis Carroll. Namely, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass are two classic works of children’s literature that for over a century have been read by children and adults alike. These two stories tell the tale of a young girl named Alice who f inds herself in peculiar surroundings, where she encounters many different and unusual characters. Although Alice is at the centre of both storiesRead More Lewis Carroll Essay1459 Words   |  6 Pages Lewis Carroll is one of the most well known Nonsense Writers. Though using nonsense in poetry has been dismissed as simply quot;for entertainment purposesquot;, most nonsensical poetry acts as an allegory, has deep symbolism and leaves the door wide open for varying interpretations. Lewis Carroll has utilized this sense with nonsense through his poems and prose found in his novels Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass . Through Carrolls interactions with his close friends and familyRead MoreCurious Appetites : Food, Desire, Gender, And Subjectivity938 Words   |  4 Pages In the article â€Å"Curious Appetites: Food, Desire, Gender, and Subjectivity in Lewis Carroll’s Alice Texts,† Carina Garland takes on a classic childhood book and author. She enlightens the reader on the gender aspects behind the Lewis Carroll books Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There. Garland utilizes the knowledge of Carroll ’s peculiar and slightly grotesque history of relationships with prepubescent girls and abhorrence of women, linked withRead MoreDifferences Between Alices Adventures in Wonderland and Through the L1273 Words   |  6 PagesAt the mention of the name Alice, one tends to usually think of the childrens stories by Lewis Carroll. Namely, Alices Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass are two classic works of childrens literature that for over a century have been read by children and adults alike. These two stories tell the tale of a young girl named Alice who finds herself in peculiar surroundings, where she encounters many different and unusual characters. Although Alice is at the centre of both storiesRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Wonderland, And Its Sequel 875 Words   |  4 Pagesanalyzing Lewis Carroll’s works Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and its sequel, Through the Looking-Glass, studying the the illustrations is of as great importance a s examining the text that they depict. From the first sentence of Wonderland, Carroll exhibits a concern for illustrations and their role regarding storytelling in writing, â€Å"‘what is the use of a book’, thought Alice, ‘without pictures,’† (Carroll 7). As Carroll seems to have intended, the words which comprise Wonderland and Looking-GlassRead MoreAlice s Journey Through Looking Glass World1415 Words   |  6 Pagestime of great innovation and new idÐ µas to voice their people on a variety of different subjects ranging from politics to social structure. Lewis Carroll, a popular authÐ ¾r of the time, Through the looking Glass, which serves to help readers understand children. Children in the era were previously considered unimportant and empty-headed, but Carroll shows, through Alice’s interactions with various characters, how one could be much more intelligent and mature than adults of the time had thought. CarrollRead MoreAlice s Won derland, By Lewis Carroll1659 Words   |  7 Pagesmorning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I m not the same, the next question is, who in the world am I? Ah, THAT S the great puzzle! † (Carroll) This quote is from the author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll. He was man that had a passion for many different professions and hobbies. Carroll did not let one profession define him. Every day he decided who he wanted to be and how he was going to express himself. Most people in the nineteenth centuryRead MoreA Great Childrens Book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll851 Words   |  3 Pagesnarrative course and structure, characters and imagery have been hugely influenced in both popular culture and literature, especially in the fantasy part. It is considered to be one of the best examples of the literary nonsense genre. Our author Lewis Carroll is actually a name he chose as his author name as his pen name. He is Charles Lutwidge Dodgson born and raised in England Carroll had a very happy childhood. His mother was patient and friendly, and his father despite his religious work tutoredRead More Nonsense in Lewis Carrolls Poem Jabberwocky Essay1286 Words   |  6 PagesNonsense in Lewis Carrolls Poem Jabberwocky Roland Barthes’ Toys expresses the idea that French toys revolve around convention, preparing children to be adults by allowing them to repeat normal adult activities without much imagination. However, one only has to look in any modern toy store to see that today’s American toys focus more on imagination, not imitation. In contrast, however, children are usually taught language based on convention; certain words have set meanings and