Synopsis:
* Should the Cheshire Cat's grin make us reconsider the nature of reality?
* Can Humpty Dumpty make words mean whatever he says they mean?
* Can drugs take us down the rabbit-hole?
* Is Alice a feminist icon?
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland has fascinated children and adults alike for generations. Why does Lewis Carroll introduce us to such oddities as a blue caterpillar who smokes a hookah, a cat whose grin remains after its head has faded away, and a White Queen who lives backward and remembers forward? 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.
©2010
My Opinion:
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.
(1/5)
~I received a copy from FSB Associates. I was not compensated for my opinion.~
I prefer the fantasies I read to remain just that, fantasy. As an adult I already know there are probably stories behind the stories but I really don't need a detailed analysis. Thanks for the warning on this book.
ReplyDeleteI'm actually not an Alice lover. I read it a couple of years ago with Amber and was sorely disappointed, so I might actually enjoy this one more than you did, might make me appreciate Alice again.
ReplyDeleteToo bad you didn't like the book. I hope it hasn't jilted you from Alice forever! I think it would be interesting to read into the philosophy. I'm not a huge Alice & Wonderland fan, although I don't dislike it either.
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