Alice in Wonderland: Difference between revisions
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** The Mock Turtle has a head, hooves, and tail of a calf because mock turtle soup, which the Queen says is made from mock turtles, is made from the discarded parts of a calf (specifically a calf's head), much like the discarded parts of cows are used to make low-grade hamburger in modern times
** Even some British readers may be confused by some references, like the Hatter saying it's always tea time because it's always six o'clock. Five o'clock tea would not become a tradition in Britain until later.
* [[Aluminum Christmas Trees]]: There are many, due to the date it was written, along with the nationality of the author:
** Most modern adaptations have to explain that "treacle" is a word for molasses<ref>Also a case of Separated by a Common Language - it's still called treacle in the UK</ref>, and that a "cravat" is a piece of menswear that is a forerunner to a man's tie. (One adaptation actually has Alice call it a tie.) Some of the humor might go over the heads of modern readers, like the Hatter claiming Alice's hair "wants cutting" (a comment that would have been incredibly rude in Victorian times) and the Duchess claiming that she was "twice as rich and twice as clever" as Alice. ("Rich" and "clever" were used to describe contradicting concepts, making her comment an impossibility.)
** Teniel's illustration of the Lion and the Unicorn in the second book depicts the two beasts as caricatures of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Ewart_Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Disraeli Benjamin Disrael], a depiction that was common among political cartoonists at the time. Whether this was Carroll's intention is impossible to say.
** Even some British readers may be confused by some references, like the Hatter saying it's always tea time because it's always six o'clock. (Five o'clock tea would not become a tradition in Britain until later.)
** After the Caucus Race, Alice gives everyone "confits", which are hard fruit candies.
* [[Artistic License Physics]]: As an algebra professor, Carroll clearly knew that if Alice had truly been in a state of freefall, she could neither have dropped the marmalade jar nor put it in a cupboard as she fell by it. Probably a minor nitpick considering that her descent itself was a rather blatant violation of the laws of physics.
* [[Author Appeal]]: Lewis Carroll's love of [[wikipedia:Alice's Adventures in Wonderland#Symbolism|mathematics]] is evident.
* [[Author Avatar]]: The Dodo in the Caucus Race. Dodgson stuttered and so would pronounce his last name "Do-Do-Dodgson", which earned him the nickname. The White Rabbit's fussiness is also based on Dodgson. The White Knight is a possible example, as he is the only character in either book who is 100% kind to Alice.
* [[Brick Joke]]: A few
** In chapter 7, the Hatter tells Alice how he performed at the Queen's concert (singing a parody of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star") and the Queen ordered him executed for "murdering the time". Later, in chapter 11, when he's called on as a witness at the trial, the Queen looks at him closely, and then asks a servant to bring her a list of the performers from the concert. Clearly, she's remembering the incident he mentioned. The Hatter is noticeably nervous about it.
** Also, in chapter 6, the Duchess growls, "If everybody minded their own business,
{{quote|
'''Alice:''' Somebody said that [[Little Miss Snarker| it's done by everybody minding their own business]]!}}
:* As might be expected, the Duchess doesn't get the hint.
:* The second book combines this with foreshadowing. When Alice sees the living chess pieces in miniature form, she writes in the King's notebook, "The White Knight is sliding down the poker; he balances very badly." Several chapters later, when she meets the white Knight in person, he clearly balances horribly, falling off his horse every few steps it makes.
:* Also in the second book, Humpty Dumpty recites a poem of how he went to punish the fish for disobeying him, taking a corkscrew and finding a locked door in his way. Later, the Red and White Queens relate the incident, claiming he had been at the door with a corkscrew looking for a hippopotamus, mentioning they only have one on Tuesdays.
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* [[Blind Mistake]]: The White Rabbit and the Bird in the Tree are short-sighted and mistake Alice for Mary Ann and a snake, respectively.
* [[Board Games]]
* [[Butt Monkey]]: The Doormouse. Also, Bill the Lizard. Especially so when Alice takes his pencil away.
* [[Cats Are Magic]]: The Cheshire Cat.
* [[Cats Are Superior]]: Or at least Cheshire Cat thinks so.
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