Complete Alice in Wonderland - L. Carroll [141]
Fury of the Queen: When the Queen of Hearts yells at Alice, her entire face turns a deep shade of scarlet.
Strange Fur Indeed!: Regardless of the Gryphon’s leonine origins, his head, claws and paws are orange, and his entire body is covered in emerald green plumage, or scales.
Explanatory Notes on the Text
SOME OF Carroll’s new text in this version of the story is fascinating, in that it offers us a few more of Wonderland’s secrets. But many of the entries are (from our modern perspective) curiously morbid. This is not a failing on Carroll’s part, for a Victorian childhood was a far more dangerous one than what is enjoyed by many children today; but these instances do reflect on the purely Victorian nature of The Nursery “Alice.”
Spoiling the Story: Carroll tells us right away, for the benefit of a literal child, that Alice’s adventures were entirely a dream! This takes away all of the drama, excitement and ambiguity of Wonderland, but makes the tale perhaps “safe” and not one to inspire fear.
Teasing About Decapitation: Carroll tells our little nursery friends all about decapitation, but he is nice enough to let us know that beheadings never really happen in Wonderland. They are simply threatened, is all.
The Doddering Rabbit: Although we may have guessed this in prior versions of the tale, Carroll makes it clear to us that the Rabbit is getting old, perhaps even senile. His mistaking Alice for Mary Ann is a result of his failing vision.
Mary Ann, Thief Catcher: We are told that the reason for Alice’s alarm in White Rabbit’s House is not only that Mary Ann might see her, but that the vigilant housemaid will regard Alice as a robber and either cry out or take action against her.
Runaway Puppy: Carroll explains to us that if you are going to be run over by an enormous puppy, it’s quite like being run over by four horses pulling a carriage. Such a charming image for the children, to be sure!
Force-Feed That Puppy!: For some reason, Carroll goes into a bizarre aside about a puppy named Dash, and how it needed to be force-fed oatmeal porridge (because it would not eat it on its own).
Beware the Hippopotamus!: Continuing with the grim parade of cautionary tales, Carroll warns us not to play with a Hippopotamus, lest we be squashed underfoot.
The Rules of Abuse: In the home of the Duchess, we are told all about ugly people, murder with axes, and baby tossing. However, we are also reminded about the proper way to hold a child while nursing!
Fox-Glove, the Fairy Flower: Carroll takes the time to tell an interesting story above Fox-Gloves, and how they relate to the fairy world.
Does Vanishing Cause Madness?: There is an intriguing mention associating the Cheshire-Cat’s vanishing with Alice’s fears about going out like a candle, and no longer existing. We can speculate that the nature of the Cat’s madness may be founded in the fact that his vanishing is actually a momentary form of non-existence, in which he is not only not there, but simply is not at all.
Straw, the Sign of the Mad: Carroll points out an oft-missed detail, that the March Hare has a few bits of straw stuck to his head (from cavorting madly about in the fields). This depiction was actually quite common in Victorian times, as shorthand for insanity or wild (rural) behavior.
An Illustrator’s Rare Error: Carroll kindly glosses over the fact that Tenniel forgot to illustrate the milk-jug at the Mad Tea-Party, by implying that the jug and the March Hare’s plate are hidden behind the tea-pot.
At What Price a Topper?: We are told that the numerals on Hatter’s hat-tag show the price of his hat to be ten shillings and six pence, quite a lavish price.
A Reptilian Gryphon: Instead of feathers, Carroll tells us that the Gryphon is covered in lizard-like scales. (Since we now know that birds’ feathers evolved from dinosaurian scales, this is not so far-fetched.)
Fear of Becoming Food: If it hadn’t been made quite clear in the prior versions, we are told that the Mock Turtle is in fear of