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Oct 16, 2011

Mia rated it:

A collection of essays by various philosophers who have analyzed the content of Lewis Carroll's most famous novels and have attributed the to various philosophical theories and studies.

This was entirely fascinating and if you're a fan of the Alice in Wonderland novels, I definitely recommend taking a look at this. It'll change the way you perceive the novel and help you find logic in the nonsensical world that is Wonderland. Some of the essays may go over your head due to the somewh More...

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Aug 19, 2011

Rachel rated it:

So unbearably inane. This book felt to me as though all it did was laboriously, and with a large number of pop-culture references, explain each crystalline, brilliant joke in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass until their luster faded. I admit to reading it quickly after a certain point, skimming because I didn't want its mindlessness to detract from the delicate perfection of the original books, which I love beyond belief. Literary criticism of Lewis Carroll is dubious at the best of time More...

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Jul 22, 2010

Kathy rated it:

This book continues to prove my point that I really think that Alice in Wonderland is more than a mere child's book. Yes the original is a fun fantasy story, but as any adult how has revisited it can attest there are some really bizarre and adult situations that take place in wonderland. Having just recently seen the newest screen version of Alice with Johnny Depp, I have seen how Tim Burton too has twisted the tale. This book has compiled a range of academics to view Alice as a tool to expl More...

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Apr 01, 2010

Theresa rated it:

I was excited to finally hold this book in my hands. I adored "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" as a child, so this book would be one that would explain those strange things that I didn't get way back then. I opened the book and this chill went through me. I thought: gosh, these are essays and I didn't have much for philosophy in college. Maybe this was above my head. I put the book aside, and read a nice fun fiction book and then came back to it again. I decided it was now or never, More...

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Mar 26, 2010

Angelc rated it:

This collection of essays is a fantastic addition to any "Alice in Wonderland" fan's collection. These are scholarly essays, and even though they are easy to read, don't expect fluff stories that were thrown together to feed off of the recent Tim Burton movie release. These are highly researched and well thought out studies of the original book.

Some of the essays, I loved and would give 5+ stars to, but my rating is for the book as a whole, which did sometimes seem repetiti More...

5 comments like (3 people liked it)

Mar 07, 2010

April rated it:

Reading philosophy and literary theory related to books I've already read is like being given a key. I feel like I've unlocked some secrets within the text and have been given a better view of what deeper meanings Alice In Wonderland may contain.

Alice In Wonderland And Philosophy: Curiouser and Curiouser is comprised of four subject sections. Each section is divided into chapters/essays, all written by different authors, typically a professor. Despite each essay being written by acad More...

6 comments like (3 people liked it)

Mar 24, 2010

Cheryl rated it:

We are all familiar with the story and movie of Alice in Wonderland but have you ever wondered how Alice’s adventures related to real life? Well you can get all your questions or curiosities answered in Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy: Curiouser and Curiouser.

This book is edited by two professors of philosophy but this book does not read like a boring college text book. All the different characters and situations Alice encountered while in Wonderland is dissected and broken out i More...

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Jul 03, 2010

Freda rated it:

I was so excited to read this book, because I had seen Alice in Wonderland or read the book many times and was a fan. After completing the book, I am left feeling like I wish I hadn't read it. It took away the fantasy and fun from what I had already known.
Growing up Alice is an iconic idol, for little girls all over the world. My childhood was no different. We didn't wonder what drugs the writer was on to get the story, we only cared about the content.
This book for me was over-burden More...

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Aug 27, 2010

Monica rated it:

This book came out right around the time the newest 'Alice in Wonderland' movie came out, I doubt a coincidence but it is still a welcome book. This book is a collection of stories, or essays if you will because of the non-fiction pieces, the delve into the minute details of the well loved story, 'Alice in Wonderland'.

The essays are each vastly different all taking on elements of the original story and giving different insights, historical facts, and other various tidbits. After readin More...

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Mar 15, 2010

Gmr rated it:

While a myriad of the magical aspects of the story are delved into, it was a bit too much for my liking. Some of the analogies drawn were more common in nature and highly entertaining not only to read, but to conside....such as the jam yesterday-jam tomorrow-but-never-jam-today situation. (Trust me, if you read this chapter, although you may have to be a bit related to the Mad Hatter to follow, it definitely rings true.) On the other side of the coin, another section deals with the nuclear st More...

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May 15, 2010

Dorothy rated it:

Most of us are familiar with the classic children's book Alice in Wonderland or one of the many movie version of the book. The book Alice in Wonderland and philosophy is edited by two professors of philosophy and each chapter is written by a different professor, many people contributed to the writing of the book.
So you would think it would read like a dry boring text book. But curiously the opposite The book makes the subject of Philosophy come alive and very interesting it really ge More...

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Jun 11, 2010

Kate rated it:

Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy gives readers an in-depth and academic look into the world of Alice in Wonderland. Journey deep into the rabbit hole to discover the lasting effects that Alice in Wonderland has had on our society and its pop culture.

Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy is broken down into four sections, which are then broken down further into essays. Each essay is written by various authors and professors who discuss topics from feminism to philosophy to even drug us More...

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Aug 02, 2010

Laura rated it:

Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy is a book comprised of short essays by various authors. Each essay contains how Alice in Wonderland relates to philosophy in some way. The authors of the essays are all in the academic field and the essays read as such. The book was something I would not normally read for pleasure. In just taking an English Lit Criticism class, it reminded me of the selections I had to read for class. This is a great book for those doing academic research in the fields of Engli More...

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Mar 07, 2010

Catherine rated it:

This collection, of essays by various philosophy professors about how aspects of their discipline inform our readings of the Alice books, or vice versa, was disappointing to me because of the very basic nature of the essays. And while Carroll was well-incorporated by some of the authors, others seemed to have a more pro-forma relationship with the texts. It's a good read, but very basic; having previously read none of the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series, but having read a study cal More...

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Oct 02, 2011

Jessica rated it:

After reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and viewing Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland film, I was really excited to read to see once again another interpretation of Lewis Carrol's timeless characters. This book is a collection of essays explaining the lessons you can learn from the novel. Examples are Alice as a Feminist icon, Jam Yesterday, Jam Tomorrow but Never Jam Today is related to procrastination. I've never read anything like this before and was completely surprised that William Ir More...

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Jul 31, 2011

Anita rated it:

Overall, this book was a disappointment to me, and that may be a user problem, I am ready to admit. I wanted this book to explain the philosophy of Alice in Wonderland. Several articles used Alice in Wonderland to explain philosophy, and if that seems like a fine distinction, it really isn’t. The former explores philosophical points in the book. The latter uses book elements to illustrate philosophical points. You can do the latter with anything. I could, if I tried long enough, find a way to il More...

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Jan 10, 2012

Jennifer rated it:

My review from my blog:[return][return]Alice In Wonderland and Philosophy is a rather enlightening read about lessons that can be learned through the various characters and their actions in the novel Alice In Wonderland. While I had never looked this deeply into the meaning of Lewis Carol's delightful and fanciful tale before now, William Irwin and Richard Brian Davies decided to as a part of their Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series. So what can be learned? The book is laid out in four More...

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Apr 06, 2010

Kristina rated it:

Let me start off by saying that if you are in to deep thought and looking at things from a different point of view then you'll like this one. If you don't like to think too hard then I suggest you just admire the pretty cover. *smiles at readers*

It's just as the cover says: philosophy! But it's also very interesting as an adult to see the hidden meanings behind Alice in Wonderland that you simply don't see as a child. Who would have considered that Alice would have been a femin More...

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Jul 16, 2010

Haley rated it:

Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy is a collection of essays by various contributors, many of which have contributed to other books in the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series. Many questions that went unasked are brought forth and argued, and many things that you never thought twice about are exposed.

I am a long-time Alice lover, having read and listened to the stories my whole life and played a part in the Disney-ballet. I love Carroll’s stories for what they are, and I see More...

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Aug 13, 2010

Diana rated it:

Taken from my blog.

I hadn't read anything like this so I was excited when I got the chance to read it!

It was very interesting to see how others took the story of Alice and thought of it in so many different ways. At some times they got me thinking in ways that I hadn't before and made me realize so many things. At times I had thought of the things that they said but at others they made me think of a whole different possibility.

Throughout the book many of the w More...

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Apr 11, 2010

Mary (BookHounds) rated it:

Here is another book that came into my house and was instantly claimed by my son. This is a series of essays brings up some excellent points about Lewis Carroll, his history and the impact on today's world. The fact that Alice In Wonderland is still relevant today shows what a great author Carroll was and how thoughtful this child's tale actually is. Of course, there are the expected such as drugs and Alice, but there is the unexpected as well, like nuclear weapons and the Red Queen. I think More...

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Sep 14, 2011

Samantha rated it:

The theories discussed in this book are incredible, and it opens up a whole new set of worlds to explore whenever I re-read Alice (which I do about once a year). I especially enjoyed the feminist and logical accounts of these books, as they're issues I've explored on my own and thoroughly loved seeing from other writers' points of view.

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Mar 15, 2011

Amy rated it:

really good thought provoking book. Brought to mind some underlying themes in the childhood book i hadn't thought about and trumps some rumored theories too. only wish it could have been longer.I was a little disappointed that it didn't delve very deeply into the symbolism of the Cheshire cat which i would love to know more about.

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Jan 10, 2011

Andy rated it:

A whole pile of short pop philosophy essays, some more related than others to Carroll's stories. (Not to mention some beyond-questionable speculation. 'Alice's line, "little girls eat eggs quite as much as serpents do," even resonates with today's pro-life/pro-choice discussion.' Really?)

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Aug 16, 2010

Lori rated it:

Whether you agree or disagree with the various discussions in the book, it certainly provides a wide array of philosophical theories related to the Alice in Wonderland stories. It is made even more interesting because several of the philosophers are mentioned in many of the articles (John Lock, David Hume) and several of the passages mentioned are similar as well, but with the different takes on them. For example, the "jam to-morrow & jam yesterday but no jam to-day" bit is brought up More...

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May 05, 2010

megan / redwitch rated it:

this was pretty good. some essays better than others as one might expect. what was really interesting though was just seeing this story - alice - in a sort of academic light. i never really considered that alice really is a strong female character or that is questions reality and time like many philosophers. if you like alice and are interested it might be worth picking-up.

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Mar 20, 2010

Victoria rated it:

There were a few interesting analytical articles in here, particularly "Unruly Alice: A Feminist View of Some Adventures in Wonderland" by Megan S. Lloyd and "'You're Nothing But A Pack of Cards!":Alice Doesn't Have a Social Contract" by Dennis Knepp.

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Aug 07, 2011

Victoria added it

WAY too effin repetative.. it had good points but did not fall through and went off track with connecting to history more then the main point.. ALICE IN WONDERLAND... but somethings did get me thinking... ending was lame

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Jun 12, 2010

Megan rated it:

Tyler Shores' essay "Memory and Muchness": Alice and the Philosophy of Memory was by far the most thought provoking piece in the book. Actually, the entire book was thought provoking...but that's what philosophy is, right? This collection challenges your mind, but in terms that are familiar...in the characters of Wonderland. You don't have to be an Alice purist to enjoy the philosophy of Wonderland.

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Aug 30, 2011

Andrea rated it:

it started out great and there were some parts i loved and read twice others couldnt keep my attention

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