Complete Alice in Wonderland - L. Carroll [93]
“Snowdrop, my pet!” she went on, looking over her shoulder at the White Kitten, which was still patiently undergoing its toilet, “when will Dinah have finished with your White Majesty, I wonder? That must be the reason you were so untidy in my dream.—Dinah! Do you know that you’re scrubbing a White Queen? Really, it’s most disrespectful of you!”
“And what did Dinah turn to, I wonder?” she prattled on, as she settled comfortably down, with one elbow on the rug, and her chin in her hand, to watch the kittens. “Tell me, Dinah, did you turn to Humpty Dumpty? I think you did—however, you’d better not mention it to your friends just yet, for I’m not sure.
“By the way, Kitty, if only you’d been really with me in my dream, there was one thing you would have enjoyed—I had such a quantity of poetry said to me, all about fishes! To-morrow morning you shall have a real treat. All the time you’re eating your breakfast, I’ll repeat ‘The Walrus and the Carpenter’ to you; and then you can make believe it’s oysters, my dear!
“Now, Kitty, let’s consider who it was that dreamed it all. This is a serious question, my dear, and you should not go on licking your paw like that—as if Dinah hadn’t washed you this morning! You see, Kitty, it must have been either me or the Red King. He was part of my dream, of course—but then I was part of his dream, too! Was it the Red King, Kitty? You were his wife, my dear, so you ought to know—Oh, Kitty, do help to settle it! I’m sure your paw can wait!” But the provoking kitten only began on the other paw, and pretended it hadn’t heard the question.
Which do you think it was?
CLOSING POEM
A boat, beneath a sunny sky
Lingering onward dreamily
In an evening of July —
Children three that nestle near,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Pleased a simple tale to hear —
Long has paled that sunny sky:
Echoes fade and memories die:
Autumn frosts have slain July.
Still she haunts me, phantomwise,
Alice moving under skies
Never seen by waking eyes.
Children yet, the tale to hear,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Lovingly shall nestle near.
In a Wonderland they lie,
Dreaming as the days go by,
Dreaming as the summers die:
Ever drifting down the stream —
Lingering in the golden gleam —
Life, what is it but a dream?
PART IV
THE WASP IN A WIG
Introduction
THE FOLLOWING “secret chapter” of Through the Looking-Glass was written by Carroll, and readied for publication in 1870. In June of that year, John Tenniel wrote Carroll to recommend excising the incident from the narrative. Carroll, reviewing the episode after Tenniel’s criticism, was inclined to agree. And with that, The Wasp in a Wig faded into obscurity for a century.
Carrollian scholars believed that the episode was completely lost. It did not in fact come to light until 1974, when an auction of Carroll’s effects revealed that a typeface copy of the Wasp episode was still in existence. In fact, it even included Carroll’s own written notes and explanation of its removal!
Now that we have the opportunity to review the chapter, we can see why Tenniel recommended that the incident be removed. (Aside from the fact that it was going to be difficult to illustrate, apparently.) The Wasp shares elements of the Gnat and the White Knight, and all of the themes addressed here are driven home with much more sympathy and conviction in the White Knight’s farewell. The writing is by no means poor, but the episode simply seems repetitive when viewed in light of the other chapters.
Nevertheless, The Wasp in a Wig is a fascinating piece of Carrollian writing. Alice’s admirable qualities are further explored, the Looking-Glass Land theme of rushing time is heightened, and the character of the Wasp is quite interesting as well. I decided early on that The Complete Alice in Wonderland could never truly be complete, without the inclusion of this “lost” chapter. I hope you find it as intriguing as I do!
The Wasp in a Wig
(NOTE: