Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll

I'm not sure if I read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland when I was a child or not. I certainly remember the animation. It is probably one of Disney's best old school animations. The book itself is short, and freely available courtesy of the wonderful people at Gutenberg.org.

Parts of the animation are very similar to the book: the falling scene; the scene in the White Rabbit's house. Other scenes are different: there are no scenes with oysters, for instance.

I am a particular fan of the surrealist movement. Dali, at least in my youth, was amongst the most intriguing artists. Max Ernst and Picasso, Fay Pomerance, being some very few, intrigue me like few others. I grew up frequently listening to the musical version of "The Point." Though Wikipedia suggests that the movement didn't really start until the 20s (and certainly the term wasn't coined until 1917 by Guillaume Apollinaire), the spirit of the movement is clearly well established within the Caroll's most famous story, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Thus, this is the birthplace of surrealism and all of its glory. For that reason alone, it is a book worth reading.

The story goes that Alice follows a hare down a hole and goes through a great adventure. She meets a variety of interesting characters: a mad hatter, a vanishing cat, and attends a strange trial.

The trial goes well but ends with Alice waking up. I'm not sure if the trial is a mockery of justice or if he was merely being silly. My favourite line from the trial is where the king is demanding a witness to give testimony:

"Give your evidence," said the king, "and don't be nervous, or I'll have you executed on the spot."

The whole trial is a mockery. And really, just as I start to think I'm getting the idea of it, Alice wakes up and it is essentially over. There is a sequel: Through the Looking Glass. I'm not sure if I will read it, but I am slightly tempted.