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A review by nostalgia_reader
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
5.0
Average 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5.
Wonderland: 5 stars.
Looking-Glass: 4 stars.
For such a favorite book of mine, up until last year, I had never owned a singular copy of the duology (just the one contained in a complete Carroll anthology) and I had never read any sort of annotated or critical edition of it. My comprehension of the nonsense suffered because of that, especially since I am "that person" who insists on finding symbolism and meaning in explicitly nonsensical, surrealist work. When I skimmed through this edition at work, which had been assigned for an English class for a few semesters, I knew this was an edition I needed to read.
The Centenary Penguin edition was a delightful semi-critical edition to read and the extensive notes were an absolute delight to read through. Among the 50+ pages of notes there's provided context from Carroll's life and times, explanation of some of the obscure puns and word plays, specific notations as to where and how Wonderland diverges from Underground and explanations for various obscurities, like what the heck a caucus is and why the snap-dragon-fly is a pudding and not a flower! Haughton's lengthy Introduction (80 pages!) also contextualized much of the reasoning behind the inclusion of nonsense and how Carroll's personal life affected much of the inspiration for the stories.
The full text of the original story Carroll wrote specifically for Alice Liddell--Alice's Adventures under Ground--is included, with his original illustrations, as well as his article "Alice on Stage."
While I now see that these stories are in no way the greatest written or constructed stories ever--there are so many parts that have always bored me or confused me or just taken away from the narrative (*cough* Gryphon and Mock Turtle *cough* sorry guys)--having the added context of the notes made me appreciate the commentary that Carroll was making, and made it seem less out of place. (Full disclosure though, many of the scenes I find as "out of place" are ones that are not included in many standard movie adaptations of the book, and since I watched the movies before I ever read the books, they certainly shaped how I think of the plotlines.)
The wonderful absurdity of the worlds, combine with the analytical look at it all in this edition, made for a ridiculously enjoyable read, and cements the Alice Duology as forever favorites.
Wonderland: 5 stars.
Looking-Glass: 4 stars.
For such a favorite book of mine, up until last year, I had never owned a singular copy of the duology (just the one contained in a complete Carroll anthology) and I had never read any sort of annotated or critical edition of it. My comprehension of the nonsense suffered because of that, especially since I am "that person" who insists on finding symbolism and meaning in explicitly nonsensical, surrealist work. When I skimmed through this edition at work, which had been assigned for an English class for a few semesters, I knew this was an edition I needed to read.
The Centenary Penguin edition was a delightful semi-critical edition to read and the extensive notes were an absolute delight to read through. Among the 50+ pages of notes there's provided context from Carroll's life and times, explanation of some of the obscure puns and word plays, specific notations as to where and how Wonderland diverges from Underground and explanations for various obscurities, like what the heck a caucus is and why the snap-dragon-fly is a pudding and not a flower! Haughton's lengthy Introduction (80 pages!) also contextualized much of the reasoning behind the inclusion of nonsense and how Carroll's personal life affected much of the inspiration for the stories.
The full text of the original story Carroll wrote specifically for Alice Liddell--Alice's Adventures under Ground--is included, with his original illustrations, as well as his article "Alice on Stage."
While I now see that these stories are in no way the greatest written or constructed stories ever--there are so many parts that have always bored me or confused me or just taken away from the narrative (*cough* Gryphon and Mock Turtle *cough* sorry guys)--having the added context of the notes made me appreciate the commentary that Carroll was making, and made it seem less out of place. (Full disclosure though, many of the scenes I find as "out of place" are ones that are not included in many standard movie adaptations of the book, and since I watched the movies before I ever read the books, they certainly shaped how I think of the plotlines.)
The wonderful absurdity of the worlds, combine with the analytical look at it all in this edition, made for a ridiculously enjoyable read, and cements the Alice Duology as forever favorites.