Complete Alice in Wonderland - L. Carroll [47]
“Like a Tea Tray in the Sky”: This line of the Hatter’s improvisation refers to an amusing incident which happened in Carroll’s rooms. Helmut Gernsheim, in his excellent book Lewis Carroll: Photographer, tells the story this way: “At Christ Church the usually staid don relaxed in the company of little visitors to his large suite of rooms—a veritable children's paradise. There was a wonderful array of dolls and toys, a distorting mirror, a clockwork bear, and a flying bat made by him. This latter was the cause of much embarrassment when, on a hot summer afternoon, after circling the room several times, it suddenly flew out of the window and landed on a tea-tray which a college servant was just carrying across Tom Quad. Startled by this strange apparition, he dropped the tray with a great clatter.”
The Dormouse’s Story: As part of her dream, the Dormouse may well be drawing information for stories out of Alice’s mind. The three sisters, of course, are Lorina (Lorina Charlotte, or L.C., or Elsie), Alice (an anagram for Lacie), and Edith (Tillie, short for Matilda, which was Edith’s nickname).
The Treacle Well: The medicinal, or treacle well, exists at Saint Margaret’s Church, Binsey. This locale (quite close to Christ Church and the “Wonderland” region of Godstow) was frequented in medieval times by those who hoped to heal themselves with pure mineral waters. Alice certainly knew of the place, and was probably taken there by Carroll.
The Garden of Cool Fountains: This reference may be to the Christ Church Cathedral Garden, adjoining the Dean’s Garden. The Liddell girls were not allowed to enter the Cathedral Garden, but they could see it from their nursery window and always wondered about it. Without doubt, they were intrigued by the “forbidden” beauty of the place and may have wondered what occurred on the grounds!
Chapter VIII
The Red and White Roses: These seemingly innocuous flowers represent the War of the Roses (white for the House of York, and red for the House of Lancaster) in English history. As the red rose is the flower of the Queen of Hearts, we can assume that the white rose is the symbol of some rival lineage of royalty in Wonderland. No wonder the gardeners are nervous about being seen by the Queen before they can change the roses’ color!
Tulips of Madness: The passing reference to tulips as flowers of Wonderland is interesting, since tulips are sometimes regarded as symbols of passionate madness. In the early 1600s, the tulipomania took place: A wild surge in tulip buying and speculating that caused bulbs to fetch outrageous prices. When the bubble finally burst in 1637, the result was one of the first and most ridiculous market crashes (which certainly afflicted royalty). Such an insanity-inducing flower is quite appropriate for the garden of the Queen of Hearts!
Five and Seven Said Nothing, but Looked at Two: This is one of Carroll’s hints that an unspoken hierarchy exists among the numbered cards, with ten being the tenth in precedence (and least important), and the Ace being the most senior. In this case, Five and Seven are deferring to their superior to answer Alice. This subtle hierarchy is further supported when we see that the executioner—the most important of all the solders—is the Ace of Clubs.
The Queen, the King and the Knave: These characters are caricatures of iconic royalty. The Queen is imperious and tyrannical, the King is doddering and self-important, and the Knave is a drunken rogue.
The Hierarchy of the Cards: As in the classic card game of Hearts, the Hearts are the ruling suit of Wonderland. Beneath them are the courtiers (the aristocracy, dressed in Diamonds), soldiers (the warrior class, wielding maces, or Clubs) and gardeners (the working class, toiling with Spades). The other Hearts are the royal children of the King and Queen. The nature of the Knave of Hearts is not stated, but we can assume that he is a roguish brother, cousin or nephew of the Queen.
The Courtiers: As mentioned, the courtiers following the Queen of Hearts represent the suit