The Wasp in a Wig: A "Suppressed" Episode of Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There

by Lewis Carroll

From the book's jacket: "A 'Suppressed' Episode of Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, with a Preface, Introduction and Notes by Martin Gardner."

Genres: Fantasy, Classics, Fiction, Novels, Childrens, Literature

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

The Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known by the pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican clergyman and photographer.

His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass as well as the poems "The Hunting of the Snark" and "Jabberwocky", all considered to be within the genre of literary nonsense.

Oxford scholar, Church of England Deacon, University Lecturer in Mathematics and Logic, academic author of learned theses, gifted pioneer of portrait photography, colourful writer of imaginative genius and yet a shy and pedantic man, Lewis Carroll stands pre-eminent in the pantheon of inventive literary geniuses.

He also has works published under his real name.

Reviews

[Graham Sillars · Rating 4 out of 5]

Removed from Through the Looking Glass at the suggestion of Sir John Tenniel pretty much because he didn’t fancy drawing a wasp wearing wig. I think this little slice of surreal fun would have fitted in perfectly with the rest of the story. This edition contains lots of little insights into the use of certain words within the language of the time. So glad to have this rare little gem of a book in my collection.

[Marielle Evans · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can see why this was left out as there isn't much to it, but very interesting to see what was removed and the analysis of it. Cute little excerpt.

[Surreysmum · Rating 3 out of 5]

[These notes were made in 1989:]. A previously unpublished episode of Through the Looking Glass. Macmillan have produced this slender volume to fit in with their facsimile reprint series of children's books. The episode (not even a complete chapter) was suppressed by Lewis Carroll himself; it is hard to see why, unless for reasons of length, for it is quite charming and has the usual social/allegorical overtones. The presentation is a classic case of overkill, tho': not only has an artist (Ken Leeder) provided an illustration "in the style of" - a nice idea - but the classily-printed transcription is immediately followed by a facsimile reprint of the original proof sheets, so we get the whole thing twice! Moreover, the little episode is grossly over-annotated by Martin Gardner, no doubt in an attempt to justify its publication! Nonetheless, some prefatory material was justified and it's a happy little curiosity I'm glad to own.

[Eyehavenofilter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a true "Alice" fan ( I have 4 versions of the "wonderland" and "looking glass" books dating all the way back to 1958) So the first time I saw this, it was in a magazine, published with original illustrations, in colour!
The mag was totally unrelated to Lewis Carroll. But being an avid "Alice" fan I had to have it, and tracked it down. Even for L.C. this is an extremely odd tale, considering his obsessions, and everything else we now "seem" to know , such as his liking for the "younger set". It is a strange tale to say the least! I had quite the time wrapping my head around this one. I can't really say why.
Obviously ( to me) dealing with law, courts, and even royalty, it still as Carroll always will be, quite the puzzlement.
Read it for yourself and see.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complete biased review tbh

Alice in Wonderland is my favourite book/movie (1999 adaption) of all time. Anything to do with it tends to get high praise from me. With this actually being a missing chapter this is me is a part of that so it counts.

You will probably notice when going through my read list but I don't have Alice's Adventures in Wonderland or Through the Looking Glass on here. That's because I've read it so many times and in so many editions I don't think it's fair to include them all or be fair to me to just choose one and they differ in lengths.

Anyway back to this, it was interesting and a great read for those who like the original story.

[Ed Smiley]

I won't give it a rating, because it would be deceptive.

The illustrator of the "Alice" books, the famous political cartoonist and illustrator John Tenniel, asked that the passage not be included, because he thought a wasp in a wig was "beyond the resources of human art" or some such thing.

So this passage, a few pages long, was not included. Many years later, original source material and galley proofs provided information about what was in it. The episode is mildly amusing and represents a few minutes reading.

[Sula · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no clue that there was a missing chapter for Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, so was pleasantly surprised to stumbled upon this book second-hand. This appears to have been removed on John Tenniel's recommendation, as being both not engaging and also difficult for him to illustrate. It is very short, and the introduction and the annotations are probably twice as long as the content itself. It is weaker than what ended up being published, but still enjoyable, particularly for those who really love the Alice series. Unless you are a particular fan of the Alice series I probably wouldn't recommend the effort of seeking it out. I also note there are some doubts about the authenticity of the text.

[Timothy Morrison]

“When I was young, my ringlets waved
And curled and crinkled on my head:
And then they said ‘You should be shaved,
And wear a yellow wig instead.’

But when I followed their advice,
And they had noticed the effect,
They said I did not look so nice
As they had ventured to expect.

They said it did not fit, and so
It made me look extremely plain:
But what was I to do, you know?
My ringlets would not grow again.

So now that I am old and gray,
And all my hair is nearly gone,
They take my wig from me and say
‘How can you put such rubbish on?’

And still, whenever I appear,
They hoot at me and call me ‘Pig!’
And that is why they do it, dear,
Because I wear a yellow wig

[Bernie4444 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slowly creeping its way into mainstream looking-glass literature

When the book first came out it was as unique as a suppressed episode of "Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice found there. I still have magazine articles from when it was first found.

It is nice to have this stand-alone account of its discovery and what it means so one can relive the thrill.

"A curious idea came into Alice's head. Almost everyone she had met had repeated poetry to her, and she thought she would try if the wasp couldn't do it too."

[Robin Helweg-Larsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed and annotated by Martin Gardener (who is excellent at such things, and did a brilliant annotation of The Hunting of the Snark), these are pages that Lewis Carroll cut from his original manuscript of Alice Through the Looking-Glass. They contain an odd character (the old wasp) and a not-great poem, but the interest is really in the portrayal of Alice's character as more sympathetic than it usually appears in the books.

[Nicholas Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may not be as strong as the rest of 'Through the Looking Glass' but then, as the editor of this "suppressed" episode explains, Lewis Carroll often reworked his writing at the galley proof stage. With the Wasp in a Wig episode, he gave up before doing that when Tenniel said he didn't like it.
I'm just very grateful that another piece of the splendid 'Through the Looking Glass' has survived.

[Ethan Eldho · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am SO glad that I found this, allowing myself to savor one last morsel of this series before I can let it rest. I am sure this entire chapter will be able to spark even more ideas within my mind; or, at least, it will not ignite less!

[klairhreads · Rating 1 out of 5]

i dont have think

[natalie ;) · Rating 3 out of 5]

i get why this chapter was left out, it doesn’t add much to the story, but it was still fine

3/5 ⭐️

[Jill]

Children's Books

[Nostalgia Reader]

In The Annotated Alice as well as online here: http://www.alice-in-wonderland.net/re...

[Spiegel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interessante por razões históricas para quem é fã da série, que não é meu caso.