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Behind the author -

‘Alice's Adventures in Wonderland’ was written by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, an English author and mathematician born in 1832 and who was more commonly known by his pen name Lewis Carroll. He was 33 years old when the book was published.

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Down the rabbit hole -

The story of Wonderland is one of adventure in a strange new world, where the titular character Alice falls down a rabbit hole and encounters an abundance of strange creatures that all have something curious to say.

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Literary nonsense -

Carroll’s novel is largely seen as an example of "literary nonsense," a genre of writing that balances elements that make sense with some that do not. Its purpose is to subvert logical reasoning, which works really well for children, who are often considered to have active imaginations.

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The origin of Alice -

The story of Alice was conceived on a boat trip in 1862 when Carroll journeyed with a friend’s children along the river Isis at Oxford, England. While rowing, Carroll told the children a story that would become known as ‘Alice’s Adventures Under Ground’. Carroll later wrote a manuscript of the story, and that day on the river Isis would become known as the “golden afternoon,” prefaced in the novel as a poem.

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Alice Liddell (1852–1934) -

Many critics believe that Carroll based the beloved character of Alice on one of his friend’s daughters, Alice Liddell, who was present in the boat and requested a manuscript of the story. Others argue that Carroll had always considered Liddell and his protagonist to be separate. It has been noted that Carroll himself said that the character was not based on any person.

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An icon of sorts - The character of Alice has been recognized as a cultural icon. A survey conducted by The Telegraph in 2015 found that Alice was one of the top 20 favorite characters in children's literature.

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The illustrations -

Carroll originally illustrated the book himself, which included 37 illustrations. However, artist John Tenniel was hired to provide illustrations for the published version of the book. Tenniel’s 42 black-and-white drawings released in 1865 remain the definitive depiction of Wonderland and its characters.

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The reillustrations -

Carroll’s novel has been frequently reillustrated since its copyright expired in 1907. One of the most notable illustrations is that of Arthur Rackham, who illustrated the novel in an Art Nouveau style.

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Symbolism? Or just fun? -

Many critics and biographers have claimed that Carroll’s novel is heavily based on the author’s personal life and Victorian ideals of childhood. Since Carroll was a mathematician at Christ Church, it has been suggested that the novel is a satire on mid-19th century mathematics.

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Rules of the game -

After falling down the rabbit hole, Alice seeks out rules in Wonderland that would make sense of the bizarre world she is in. Instructions are available throughout the story, and Alice works through these instructions critically, knowing that children who break the rules frequently end up with horrible consequences.

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Pool of Tears -

At one point in the novel, Alice falls into a pool of her own tears, which is filled with other creatures including birds, a mouse, and a crab. This alludes to how easily Wonderland distracts Alice and how she digresses from logic or critical thinking and instead resorts to reacting emotionally.

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Drink me and eat me -

Throughout the novel, it becomes clear that Lewis Carroll has a preoccupation with food and its consumption. Alice continually changes physical size throughout the novel, which some critics have speculated to be a metaphor for the “eat or be eaten” attitude that survivalists often adopt.

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A global printing phenomenon -

Unfortunately, there is no up-to-date record of how many copies of ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ have been sold, but we know that 150,000 copies had been printed by 1898. Comparatively, the acclaimed ‘Harry Potter’ series is considered the best-selling book series of all time, yet the first novel in the series has only been printed approximately 120,000 times since its release in 1997.

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Languages of the world -

The novel is ranked third on the list of the most translated children’s books, having been translated into 174 languages and dialects. It is surpassed only by ‘The Little Prince’ (sitting at a translation of 300 languages) and ‘The Adventures of Pinocchio’ (with 260 languages).

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Oh, the lovely rewrite -

‘Alice in Wonderland’ is the sixth-most-adapted novel in history, with over 80 adaptations of the story in various forms, including television, radio, and film. The most notable adaptations are Disney’s 1951 animated film and Tim Burton’s 2010 live-action rendition.

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Tim Burton’s madness -

The Tim Burton adaptation of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ is one of the most striking indicators of the success of Carroll’s story. The film was released in 2010 and managed to garner a box office of over US$1 billion.

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The first movie -

The first time that Carroll’s novel was made into a film was in 1903, when directors Cecil Hepworth and Percy Stowe adapted Alice into a 12-minute silent film. Incidentally, this was also the longest film produced in Britain at the time. The film was released only five years after the Carroll passed away.

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Alice in Horrorland -

Many filmmakers and game designers have reimagined Carroll’s novel in the horror genre, such as the 2010 film ‘Alice in Murderland’ and the 2011 video game ‘Alice: Madness Returns.’ This is mostly attributed to possible references of insanity in the original novel, with critics claiming that the character of Alice was experiencing Wonderland as a psychosis-fueled event.

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Fans of a feather -

‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ has never been out of print, which is a testament to its lasting impact on the human mind. In fact, Carroll’s novel has seen many notable fans, including Oscar Wilde and Queen Victoria.

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The most expensive children’s book -

In 1998, Carroll’s personal copy of the novel, which is one of only six surviving copies of the 1865 first edition, was sold at an auction for US$1.54 million. Adjusted for inflation, that is the modern equivalent of almost $3 million.

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A real-life disorder -

Although it may sound fictional, there is a real disorder known as Alice in Wonderland syndrome, or Todd’s syndrome. It is a neurological condition whereby objects are distorted to appear smaller or larger than they are. It is commonly accepted that Lewis Carroll suffered from this condition.

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Mad as a hatter -

For his novel, Carroll popularized and licensed the phrase "mad as a hatter," but he was not the one to invent it. The phrase is used as a simile for insanity, but it arose primarily in the early 1800s to describe the symptoms of dementia that arose in hat makers after they were exposed to mercury, which they used in curing felt.

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China and its ban -

In 1931, China banned ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ and its sequel, ‘Through the Looking Glass,’ on the grounds that animals should not use human language.

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Why is a raven like a writing desk? -

The above question, which is posed in the novel by the Mad Hatter, is one that has stumped and haunted Carroll readers for over 150 years. But not even the author himself had an answer to the riddle.

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Allusion to a dodo -

Lewis Carroll mentioned that the dodo bird featured in the novel was a caricature of himself, which is primarily based on his surname, Dodgson. Carroll often stuttered when he spoke, and he sometimes pronounced his last name as “Do-Do-Dodgson.”

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The Queen of Hearts -

One of the characters in Carroll’s novel is the largely unwholesome and villainous Queen of Hearts. She is the tyrannical ruler of Wonderland and continuously demands the beheading of her subjects. Some critics have speculated that Carroll’s reference came from Queen Victoria, the ruling monarch in the author’s time.

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Animal cruelty -

Carroll’s novel features a significant game of croquet, played by the Queen of Hearts, with live hedgehogs used in the place of balls and live flamingos used instead of mallets. This part of the story has called for much speculation, with many considering this to be an underlying theme of animal cruelty.

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Sequels and sequels -

In 1871, Carroll published a sequel to ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,’ titled ‘Through the Looking Glass.’ The story follows Alice again as she encounters a magical world after climbing through a mirror, where she encounters a reflection of reality.

Sources: (Time) (BBC) (Screen Rant) (The British Library) (Newsweek) (Britannica) (The Morgan Library & Museum) (Classic Books for All)

See also: Timeless children’s books to read with your kids

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