Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy: Curiouser And Curiouser

Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture #17

by Richard Brian Davis (Editor)

The perfect companion to Lewis Carroll's classic book and director Tim Burton's March 2010 remake of Alice in Wonderland Alice's Adventures in Wonderland has fascinated children and adults alike for generations. Why does Lewis Carroll introduce us to such oddities as blue caterpillars who smoke hookahs, cats whose grins remain after their heads have faded away, and a White Queen who lives backwards and remembers forwards? Is it all just nonsense? Was Carroll under the influence? This book probes the deeper underlying meaning in the Alice books, and reveals a world rich with philosophical life lessons. Tapping into some of the greatest philosophical minds that ever lived?Aristotle, Hume, Hobbes, and Nietzsche?Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy explores life's ultimate questions through the eyes of perhaps the most endearing heroine in all of literature.


Looks at compelling issues such as perception and reality as well as how logic fares in a world of lunacy, the Mad Hatter, clocks, and temporal passage Offers new insights into favorite Alice in Wonderland characters and scenes, including the Mad Hatter and his tea party, the violent Queen of Hearts, and the grinning Cheshire Cat Accessible and entertaining, Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy will enrich your experience of Alice's timeless adventures with new meaning and fun.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Essays, Literary Criticism, Classics, Ebooks, Reference

211 pages, Paperback

First published January 26, 2009

Reviews

[Belhor Crowley · Rating 1 out of 5]

A truly one star book. Not because I didn't like it (I didn't like it, not one bit) but because the book is just bad.
This book has nothing to do with the philosophy of Alice in wonderland. It is basically using the story to talk about philosophy and the topics are truly boring, they have nothing new or in depth to offer. And somehow in the process of writing these dull articles, the writers have managed to ruin the beauty and mystic of this wonderful book.
This has been a very disappointing introduction to the series.

[Angelc · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of essays is a fantastic addition to any "Alice in Wonderland" fan's collection. These are scholarly essays, and even though they are easy to read, don't expect fluff stories that were thrown together to feed off of the recent Tim Burton movie release. These are highly researched and well thought out studies of the original book.

Some of the essays, I loved and would give 5+ stars to, but my rating is for the book as a whole, which did sometimes seem repetitive. The book is separated into four parts, each with essays that related to each other in topic. There are 14 essays in all, and reading all the essays back to back made the content seem repetitive to me. I think I would have enjoyed this book much more if I had only read a few at a time.

My favorite essay was "Unruly Alice: A Feminist View of Some Adventures in Wonderland" by Megan S. Lloyd. Lloyd gives strong examples of how Alice can be seen as a feminist icon. Some of her examples I had noticed before, but some were new to me and fascinating.

Another essay that stood out was "Jam Yesterday, Jam Tomorrow, but Never Jam Today: On Procrastination, Hiking, and...the Spice Girls?" by Mark D. White. Not only was the content of this essay strong, but the way that it was written was so appealing! I feel like White really embraced the nonsense that is Wonderland and he wrote the entire essay in that style.

I also enjoyed the comparisons of Carroll's work to Socrates. The authors point out that Carroll did study Socrates so these nods to his philosophy were no accident. I learned another biographical fact of Carroll that I hadn't known, that he suffered from migraines and that contributed to his writing about distorted reality (from the Scott F. Parker essay).

I would definitely recommend this book to a fan of Alice in Wonderland. The book helped me understand the book in ways that I never did before. I only would have preferred to read the essays over a longer period of time so that the content wouldn't overlap so much. I'm eager to read some of the other titles in the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series.

I received this book from the publisher for review.

reviewed for http://inthehammockblog.blogspot.com/

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

So unbearably inane. This book felt to me as though all it did was laboriously, and with a large number of pop-culture references, explain each crystalline, brilliant joke in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass until their luster faded. I admit to reading it quickly after a certain point, skimming because I didn't want its mindlessness to detract from the delicate perfection of the original books, which I love beyond belief. Literary criticism of Lewis Carroll is dubious at the best of times, and this was a particularly bad example, written for people used to reading nothing but magazines, who either struggled through or (more likely) didn't read Carroll's books at all. I don't mean to sound snobbish about it (and theoretically, I suppose, the idea of the "Philosophy and Pop Culture" series to which this volume belongs is an admirable one, making cultural analysis and criticism accessible to a larger group, but this book, notably, was the only one in that series to analyze a classic work of literature rather than a film or television show, and they at least could hire better authors), but, honestly, it was just bad.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading philosophy and literary theory related to books I've already read is like being given a key. I feel like I've unlocked some secrets within the text and have been given a better view of what deeper meanings Alice In Wonderland may contain.
Read the rest of my review here

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm afraid I lemmed this at page 67. Not enough of the original text in the essays. None of the topics gave me fun thoughts to think about. Just not what I was looking for in this and I don't want to waste any more time on it.

[Caomhghain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of adequate but unexciting. Misses a lot and has no overall view.

[Maya]

Disappointing to see the overwhelming majority of contributors be white men.

Interesting concept. Essentially a set of essays discussing Alice in the context of philosophy (very Western heavy btw). A lot of reuse of the same set of examples. Some really great essays with interesting takes/views on identity, perspective, memory, and time. It's making me want to read the probably phenomenal papers written by English majors where theme/symbols would be better explored.

Always love spending time in Wonderland though.

[lucy♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of scholarly essays was an absolute pleasure to read.

I was given this delightful little book off of my favourite auntie for my birthday last week and was absolutely ecstatic as I am a huge fan of the Alice stories. Utterly obsessed, really.

The entire book was incredibly intriguing and I found it so amazingly unique. I spent the day annotating it also, challenging myself to expand my knowledge and even add my own sociological and psychological perspectives into the philosophy.

My favourite was definitely “Unruly Alice” which questions if Alice is a female icon in literature that young girls can look up to. It was so fascinating! I recommend just reading that one if you’re going to skip the book because it gave me a fresh perspective on the classic. Remarkable.

This book was brilliant and imaginative as well as informative and I recommend to anyone who likes Alice too!

Love, Lucy x

[Coos Burton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hay dos cosas que para mí resultan obvias: que Alice in Wonderland es uno de los libros más clásicos, extraños y sin sentido del mundo, y por otro lado, que es uno de mis libros favoritos de todos los tiempos. Todo indica que cualquier libro que esté estrechamente relacionado con la historia de Lewis Carroll es digno de ser leído. Conocí "Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy" gracias a una de mis profesoras del lugar donde estudio, y me entusiasmó muchísimo la idea de leerlo ya que me daba curiosidad ver de qué forma ubican a Alice en un plano más realista. Hay mucho por interpretar, especialmente por el divague, el delirio que derrocha la historia de la pequeña que descubrió un mundo disparatado donde las plantas cantan, los gatos hablan y los conejos blancos corren y se lamentan por llegar tarde.

Lo que me gustó del libro es que realmente agarra la historia y la mueve por todos lados para encontrarle una relación con cosas de índole filosófico, por ende todo esta cuestionado y planteado bajo mil posibilidades, y eso ayuda a que uno comience a ver el libro original con otra mirada. A mi me encanta la idea de poder ver desde otra perspectiva algo así de ambiguo y tan libre a la interpretación, porque considero que para eso se hicieron esos libros, para que uno deje correr la imaginación y se entretenga y le dé rienda suelta a la creatividad. Cuando leí sobre este libro me encontré con gente que hablaba sobre cómo éste libro le había "quitado la magia al original" ya que lo traslada a un ámbito más cotidiano, lo racionaliza y es justo lo que Carroll intenta evitar. Creo firmemente que nadie puede quitarle la magia y la aventura a Alice. Lo que fue creado de una forma así queda, y no hay cosa que pueda contrarrestarlo. Es como decir que un remake de una película arruinó la versión original. Lo que fue base, quedará así, sin importar lo que más tarde hagan con relación a eso. Hay que abrirse a estas cosas, eso es lo que me parece a mí. Al momento de disfrutar la historia, dejarse llevar por lo extraño, lo curioso y lo bizarro. Al momento de buscar otras opciones, apreciar la mirada del otro. De caso contrario, no podrán disfrutar de éste libro. Si realmente temen que Alice se vuelva muy "corriente", o les aburre ponerle momentáneamente un velo más realista, sigan de largo, no les recomiendo "Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy" en lo absoluto.

Por otro lado, creo que a veces se dispersa demasiado y por momentos uno olvida de que es un libro sobre Alice in Wonderland. Me gusta que haya apoyo con parte teórica, pero lo aborrezco cuando se deja de lado por completo el punto de la obra. Es indefectible que el autor busque en su momento sustento para sus planteos para poder así unir cabos, pero a veces es un tedio tener que tolerar que sea 90% historia y 10% referencias de Alice. La gracia está en homogeneizar todo y sacar un resultado comparando, citando, ejemplificando, de la manera que sea. Pero sin duda intentando no inclinarse tanto en un tema que no es el principal. Quizá el libro hubiera sido perfecto si la parte del balance estaba un poco más "armoniosa" y no quedaba más expuesta una cosa que otra. Aún así, las referencias están, y la cosa gira en torno a la creación de Lewis Carroll, como advertía desde un comienzo.

[Anita Dalton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall, this book was a disappointment to me, and that may be a user problem, I am ready to admit. I wanted this book to explain the philosophy of Alice in Wonderland. Several articles used Alice in Wonderland to explain philosophy, and if that seems like a fine distinction, it really isn’t. The former explores philosophical points in the book. The latter uses book elements to illustrate philosophical points. You can do the latter with anything. I could, if I tried long enough, find a way to illustrate any philosophical tenet using my cats, organic bathroom cleaners or the content of the junk drawer in my kitchen. You can use just about anything to prove a theory if you don’t mind stretching a metaphor until it almost breaks. That seems to happen a lot in some of these articles, and while it wasn’t what I particularly wanted, the book is titled Alice and Wonderland and Philosophy, which means that my complaint is just me… well, complaining. The book didn’t misrepresent itself. I just wanted something else. Read my entire review here.

[Freda Mans-Labianca · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was so excited to read this book, because I had seen Alice in Wonderland or read the book many times and was a fan. After completing the book, I am left feeling like I wish I hadn't read it. It took away the fantasy and fun from what I had already known.
Growing up Alice is an iconic idol, for little girls all over the world. My childhood was no different. We didn't wonder what drugs the writer was on to get the story, we only cared about the content.
This book for me was over-burdened with philosophical ideas, and granted they made sense, but is there a limit to content being used? I think so in this case. Sometimes the connections were made, drifted from, then brought back again. Too much, in my opinion.
This is not a book I would tell Alice lovers to grab. I would actually advise to steer clear of it.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book came out right around the time the newest 'Alice in Wonderland' movie came out, I doubt a coincidence but it is still a welcome book. This book is a collection of stories, or essays if you will because of the non-fiction pieces, the delve into the minute details of the well loved story, 'Alice in Wonderland'.

The essays are each vastly different all taking on elements of the original story and giving different insights, historical facts, and other various tidbits. After reading this book I want to re-read the original story just so I can get a truly see with my own eyes what each of these writers were saying in their pieces. If you like 'Alice in Wonderland', please pick up this book, you won't regret it!

P.S. I also think the cover is very well done, and super cute.

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked this overall, but definitely enjoyed some essays more than others.

[Rhian Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

For someone who adored the 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'Through the Looking Glass' adventures from a young age, I was delighted when I discovered this book. It provides a catalogue of interesting interpretations and understandings of the stories which have enchanted children for many years. Each of the authors took slightly different approaches, some seeking to expose philosophical theories within Alice, others using Alice to explain philosophical ideas. In this way, it is an engaging and instructive introduction to philosophy, for the vivid and familiar imagery aids explanation in a unique way. The authors, as expected, do not forget the traditional philosophers that underpin their work; the close referencing of specific, relevant books equally allows for the continuation of research and reading. On the whole, the most persuasive topic was the one discussing logic for Charles Dodgson (more commonly known by his pen name, Lewis Carroll) was a mathematician and logician, however, this is not to say that the essays on other topics should be dismissed.

However, I must say that some of the essays I found utterly unconvincing and at times connections between Wonderland and philosophy were strained to say the least. Occasional vagueness and poor explanation are also seen, perhaps mainly due to the language and tone some of the authors employed; some essays came across as patronising, with an abundance of pop culture references that made reading clunky. Despite these slight annoyances, the book was highly engaging and absorbing; a careful blend of academia, general interest, and of course, the fantastical. I highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in literature or philosophy and especially to those who simply are fanatics of Alice and her journey down the rabbit hole.

[Randolph King · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another book in the Blackwell Philosophy of Pop Culture series. In this book, Alice’s adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass are used to discuss ideas in philosophy. I thought this would be a good book, given that almost everyone is familiar with the subject and many people have read one of the two. This book may well encourage you to reread them.

Since Lewis Carol was interested in logic and word games, that provides a lot of the material for this book. The queen, who sees time backwards and who wants to remove people’s heads, and Humpty Dumpty, who reserves the definition of words he uses to suit his immediate needs, along with many others, provide a wealth of fodder for these philosophers to help educate the reader in different philosophical ideas.

Many parts of the book were concerned mostly with logic, or the lack thereof. I found these sections a bit tedious with little new for those who are well-founded in logic.

Another large portion concerned language and words. Looking at what a language is, word definitions and context. Can you readily fix a language with dictionaries and grammars when they are always changing?

Other philosophers (in the collection), addressed feminism, social contracts and nuclear strategy. It is clear that Lewis Carol thought a lot on these ideas after seeing what these authors have found among the works.

These subjects make you rethink what you knew about the books. They are full of some interesting ideas that are lost on the young reader. The book has a lot of interesting information in small bites that make it easy to read and worth the time.

[nAeEMak نعیمک]

هر کدام تازه‌ای که با جهان آلیس پیوند دارد برایم جالب است. برخی از این کتاب‌ها آلیس را در جهانی دیگری می‌برند و قصۀ خودشان را می‌سازند و کتاب‌هایی هم شبیه این جستارها و مقالاتی هستند که دربارۀ آلیس هستند. اول از خوشی‌ها بگویم. اینکه آلیس می‌تواند سبب بشود تا مقالاتی به شکل‌های مختلف نوشته شوند و گردهم بیایند برای من حس خوشی دارد. مخصوصاً اگر باعث شود که نسخۀ اصلی بیشتر و بیشتر خوانده شود. در اینجا مقالاتی از دنیای فلسفه داریم که به آلیس برمی‌گردد و خواندن‌شان برایم لذت‌بخش بود مخصوصاً که ارجاعات زیادی داشت و هر بار یادآوری این قصه حالم را خوب می‌کند. مورد دوم این بود که کلی ایده و اسم و ایسم در اینجا می‌آید که خواندنشان در این شکل راحت‌‌خوان‌تر است تا برویم اصل مطلب را بخوانیم. انگار مختصری از ایده‌های فکری مختلف را می‌بینیم و به چیزهایی فکر می‌کنیم که قبلاً بهش فکر نکردیم.
اما از بخش ناخوشش بگویم. کتاب‌هایی شبیه این در واقع به نظرم آلیس را مصادره می‌کنند و تلاش می‌کنند بگویند «آلیس این شکلی است یا آلیس دارد چنین چیزی می‌گوید» در حالی که این طور نیست. مهم‌ترین دلیلش به نظرم این است که هنوز قصل کودک یا فانتزی جدی گرفته نمی‌شود و وقتی کتابی با این عظمت نوشته می‌شود نمی‌توانیم قبول کنیم که یک کتاب فانتزی است و باید چیزهایی «بزرگ‌»تری ازش دربیاوریم که جدی گرفته شود وگرنه جنبۀ فانتزی را نباید اصلاً دست‌کم بگیریم. من فکر می‌کنم برعکس این موضوع درست است یعنی چیزهایی که در این نوشته‌ها هست در کتاب آلیس هم پیدا می‌شود اما لزوماًٌ نبایدآلیس را با خوانشی شبیه این خواند که دارد «چنین‌ چیزهایی را می‌گوید و حرفش این است» چون به اصل قصه لطمه می‌زند. به قولی آلیس که از درس‌ومشق خیلی خوشش نمی‌آمد حالا خودش سوژۀ درسی می‌شود.

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This installment in the “And Philosophy” series lives up to the premise of Carroll’s most endearing work. There is a lot of sense to be found in nonsense but a great deal of fun, too. From the irreverent to the rebellious, we look in the adventures of Carroll’s titular character with new eyes, probing what it means to be human, real or sensible.

According to the various thinkers within these pages, Alice is explained as a searching child, a would-be dictator, a rebel and feminist icon. She wants to survive Wonderland, understanding that it has dangers within its innocuous flowered pathways and checkered fields. But she also wants to know who she is and frets over the answer when she’s queried by its inhabitants.

This is a terrific book and, if it gets bogged down in head-scratching, philosophical cant by Locke, Hume and others, well, what else could you expect? If they’re all mad, what are you for reading this?

[Ella · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’ve ever wondered what Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has to do with philosophy, this book has the answers—or at least a whole lot of interesting questions! Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy: Curiouser and Curiouser is a fun and thought-provoking collection of essays that explores the deeper meaning behind Alice’s adventures, connecting them to ideas from famous philosophers like Plato, Kant, and Nietzsche.

Some essays are playful, others more academic, but all highlight how Carroll’s whimsical world is packed with big ideas about logic, identity, and reality. Whether you're a philosophy fan or just love Wonderland, this book makes you see Alice’s journey in a whole new way!

As Caterpillar asks, “Who are you?”—this book will have you thinking the answer to that question long after you’ve finished reading.

[Lizzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

My math explained:

- Unruly Alice (5*)
- Jam Yesterday, Jam Tomorrow, but Never Jam Today (4*)
- Nuclear Strategies in Wonderland (1*)
- You're Nothing but a Pack of Cards (3*)
- Six impossible Things before breakfast (4*)
- Reasoning Down the Rabbit Hole (4*)
- Three Ways of Getting It Wrong (4*)
- Is There Such a Thing as a Language? (2*)
- Alice, Perception, and Reality (3*)
- How Deep Does the Rabbit Hole Go? (1*)
- Perspectivism and Tragedy (1*)
- Wishing It Were some other Time (2*)
- Serious Nonsense (3*)
- Memory and Muchness (5*)

[Natalia Nazeem Ahmed · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating read! A compilation of short essays, discussing Alice in Wonderland through different lenses - studying the use of memory, of different realities (influenced by drugs), and even studying the concept of time- the way we experience it and the way Alice experiences it.

[Cary · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is just a feminist agenda using the AIW story to advance it's biased and zealous views.

From p. 12: "Alice's line 'little girls eat eggs quite as much as serpents do,' even resonates with today's pro-life/pro-choice discussion"

[Elysa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Placing an overall judgement on a collection of essays is always tricky. This book had some excellent essays and some I didn't enjoy. The collection covered a wide range of ideas, and it was really interesting to read.

[gothgoomba · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is a lot of things.... an easy read and comprehensive is not one of them. I spent so much time reading and re reading and not understanding why these essays were considered philosophical beyond mentioning a philosopher here and there.

[Jayshree Salian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wasn't exactly what I expected it to be, a nice feminist take at the book though.

[Val Escobar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totalmente enriquecedor, me tomo 4 años terminarlo! Pero me ha permitido perder el miedo a leer textos “densos”, una lectura que exigía mi atención. Maravillosa

[Ripley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this. I really did. However, it wasn't for me.

[Michael A. Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a *bad* read, but the essays were a bit disjointed and some were less than serious.

[Sarah Nestler]

Read before September 2022 and before the Great Cleaning - therefore, I have no rating. But I remember that I read it and did not like it enough to keep it.

[Collette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating!

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was excited to finally hold this book in my hands. I adored "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" as a child, so this book would be one that would explain those strange things that I didn't get way back then. I opened the book and this chill went through me. I thought: gosh, these are essays and I didn't have much for philosophy in college. Maybe this was above my head. I put the book aside, and read a nice fun fiction book and then came back to it again. I decided it was now or never, so I jumped in and started to read.

I won't lie and tell you I understood everything, however, the book as a whole was enjoyable and very enlightening! I know that I'm going to go back through this book again, after reading Alice in Wonderland over again, and then see if those things I didn't get will be clearer. "Alice... and Philosophy" definitely is a thinking book, and it has provoked lots of thought on my end!

I really enjoyed many of the essays, but I think my favorite was "Jam Yesterday, Jam Tomorrow, but Never Jam Today: On Procrastination, Hiking, and ... the Spice Girls?" by Mark D. White. I found the essay made a lot of sense, and his humor was brilliant - even in his footnotes!!" (I didn't know footnotes could be so fascinating or funny).

The essay "Is There Such a Think as a Language?" by Daniel Whiting was excellent and made me look at the language and communication both in the story as well as in our world. Actually, when I think about it, all the essays were thought provoking - even the ones I didn't totally "get".

"Alice... and Philosophy" is really a great addition to one's library. I thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact I enjoyed it enough to add some of the others of the series to my "must purchase" list and they will be coming home with me the next time I visit my local bookstore!!