Saturday Short: Through the Looking Glass

Goodreads Summary: In 1865, English author CHARLES LUTWIDGE DODGSON (1832-1898), aka Lewis Carroll, wrote a fantastical adventure story for the young daughters of a friend. The adventures of Alice-named for one of the little girls to whom the book was dedicated-who journeys down a rabbit hole and into a whimsical underworld realm instantly struck a chord with the British public, and then with readers around the world. In 1872, in reaction to the universal acclaim *Alice's Adventures in Wonderland* received, Dodgson published this sequel. Nothing is quite what it seems once Alice journeys through the looking-glass, and Dodgson's wit is infectious as he explores concepts of mirror imagery, time running backward, and strategies of chess-all wrapped up in the exploits of a spirited young girl who parries with the Red Queen, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, and other unlikely characters. In many ways, this sequel has had an even greater impact on today's pop culture than the first book.

I'm so glad that my Children's Literature Into Film class got to cover both of these novels, I devoured them both in no time at all. :]

First, I have to say [in case you missed it in my review of Alice's Adventures In Wonderland] I am just about the biggest Wonderland fangirl ever. I love watching/reading all of the new interpretations and it has been a huge oversight on my own part not to have done a reread of the originals since I've grown up [I last picked them up as a kid, and they were abridged at that!]. 

Out of the two I have to say that Through the Looking Glass is probably my favorite. It has a slightly more adult feel to it, despite the fact that Alice is only half a year older. But the way that Carroll tells the story has a more mature tone. His puns and wit have grown up in those six months since when last we adventured with Alice, and Alice herself is a bit more capable of holding her own with the crazy characters that she meets.

[And there is the fact that we generally see more from Looking Glass than Wonderland in the movie adaptions! o:]

And above all Looking Glass is more a search for identity, you get more of a young adult trying to find their way feel in this one then in the earlier novel. Its a story of coming of age and who doesn't love one of those?

I also love how this one comes full circle. It really showcases Alice's imagination and makes for an interesting read. And makes me, like the rest of Carroll's fans, wish that he had written more stories of the imaginative little girl as she had continued to grow.

 5/5