ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND
-ILLUSTRATIONS-
Unlike
the large majority of novels published all over the world, this book is full
of illustrations.
There
are specific reasons for it, and it even changes the way the story is read.
This illustrations are very important for "Alice's adventures in
Wonderland" because they give a visual pattern to the oral story and they
help children to remember it and to understand some difficult points.
The
pictures are not only an ornament to the story but they clarify some
descriptions that are not complete.
Carrol
was influenced by the age of his reading public in the peculiar role given to
the illustrations. It can be noticed that throughout the book some details of
the story, which are shown in the pictures, are not repeted in the written
test, because the two aspects are considered as a whole.
When
Carrol wrote his story he had already decided to include some pictures in it
because the book was intended primarily for children.
Consequently,
all readers are supposed to look at the pictures while reading as if they were
part of the descriptions.
-NARRATOR-
In
some respects the narrator of this story is very traditional, but in others he
is of a very peculiar kind. The narrator is an external observer, he reports
Alice's feelings and thoughts, he shares her point of view and he seems to know
only what Alice thinks.
He
addresses the readers directly and makes many remarks throughout the story, often
in the form of bracketed sentences.
The
most relevant uses of the bracketed sentences are:
·
To convey Alice's thoughts;
·
To correct Lice's mistakes;
·
To explain
difficult passages to young readers;
The
most relevant effects created in the readers are:
·
They help the readers know Alice better;
·
They make the readers understand the story more
easily;
·
They give a sense of familiarity to the story;
·
They make the readers become friends of Alice.
This
relationship between the narrator and the readers creates an atmosphere of
familiarity, friendliness and trust.
Carroll
must have been influenced by the young age of his reading public: first,
because he chose to see the story from the point of view of a child; second,
because one of the reason for this very obtrusive kind of narrator is to help
young readers to understand the story better; third, because the atmosphere of
confidence created by such a narrator is particularly necessary for young
readers (in fact it is the same style that is usually used in fables and fairy
tales).
-SETTING-
Wonderland,
as the word suggests, is a fantastic land where srange things are possible and
where everything is illogical.
The
use of food in Wonderland is not illogical, but it is different from ours
because in our world we can only grow larger while there you can even grow
smaller.
Time
is also different in Wonderland: real time moves constantly forward,
"time" there can stop or accelerate. Another difference is that time
in Wonderland is personified.
The
concept of space is sometimes quiet strange in Wonderland too. Objects and
places seem not to have a precise position in space: objects appear and
disappear, and even places change thei aspect and position.
Alice
meets many characters in Wonderland, and many of them are quiet strange.It is
possible to distinguish four categories of characters:
·
Human beings;
·
Animals;
·
Fantastic animals;
·
Living playing-cards.
All
categories of characters are not normal:only the characters of the first
category might exist in the real world, but their behaviour is very unusual.
We
can say that Wonderland is the typical product of a mind of a child.
-THE
LANGUAGE-
The
language used in this book is very particular as it is possible to detect two very
different styles in it. There is a style for the descriptions and the narration
and there is a style for the conversations.
The
language of the descriptions is simple, evocative, relaxed, fantastic, easy and
gentle and it is typical of fairy tales and fables.
The
language of the characters is fantastic, puzzling, rude and aggressive and it
is in contrast to the one of the descriptions.
A
large part of the conversations among people in Wonderland is devoted to puns
and other plays of words.
Puns
are destined to children and they represent their difficulties in learning
their own language.
-ALICE'S
PERSONALITY-
Alice
has got a rich and interesting personality, in spite of her young age. She is
in fact the only fully developed character in the story.
At first
she is shy, polite and careful but after she becomes cunning and
self-confident.
Alice's
behaviour changes because the characters are rude with her and she understands
that in Wonderland everything is illogical.
In
fact Alice, who was completely passive and submitted to Wonderland creatures at
the beginning of the story, first learns how to behave towards them, then she
starts to criticize them, and at the end she even feels superior to them.
This
novel can be considered a Bildungsroman because Alice's personality evolves
during the story after the experiences she has faced in Wonderland.
The
novel can be read as the metaphor of the passage from childhood into adulthood.
-THE
VICTORIAN SOCIETY-
Alice
is a seven years old girl at the time of the story. Despite her young age, she
has already got a clear ideas of private an
pubblic life in her society. Through her actions and comments we can try
to understand Lewis Carroll's opinion
on the ictorian Society.
One
of the matters which concerns Alice most is education. The teacher is very
severe and the lesson is boring and out of plays; so the impressions we have on
the Victorian school is pedantic and even a bit ridiculous.
Carroll
makes us understand that children didn't have any right. That society considers
children inferior and it is based on violence, individualism and in particular
corruption.
The
criticism of the Victorian Society can be seen as the criticism of a child of
the world of adults.