# Alice in Wonderland? Or, Through the Looking Glass? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 5, 2009, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-wonderland-or-through-the-looking-glass/512623 "2009-10-05T02:11:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-wonderland-or-through-the-looking-glass/512623/1 "2009-10-05T02:11:23Z")
What is the difference between “Alice in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass”? ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-wonderland-or-through-the-looking-glass/512623/2 "2009-10-05T02:13:10Z")
> [@Jinx](#): > > What is the difference between “Alice in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass”? Alice’s Adventres in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass are two different books. You can read either of them online in full if you look for them. “Alice in Wonderland” the Disney movie pulls from both books but moreso from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-wonderland-or-through-the-looking-glass/512623/3 "2009-10-05T02:14:15Z")
Through the Looking Glass is the sequel. [Alice in Wonderland](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_in_wonderland) [Through the Looking Glass](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Through_the_Looking-Glass) Was that hard to look up on the internet? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-wonderland-or-through-the-looking-glass/512623/4 "2009-10-05T02:17:11Z")
Two different books. _Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland_ (1865) was followed by a sequel, _Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There_ (1875). ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-wonderland-or-through-the-looking-glass/512623/5 "2009-10-05T02:28:38Z")
_Alice in Wonderland_ includes such wonderful bits as the White Rabbit, the caterpillar, the Mad Tea Party, the Cheshire Cat, the croquet game, the trial of the Knave of Hearts among other things. _Through the Looking-glass_ is set up as a chess game, with Tweedledum and Tweedledee, the White Knight, the Jabberwock, Humpty Dumpty, the Walrus and the Carpenter, et al. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-wonderland-or-through-the-looking-glass/512623/6 "2009-10-05T02:31:29Z")
Film adaptations of _Alice_ always include elements from _Through the Looking Glass_. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-wonderland-or-through-the-looking-glass/512623/7 "2009-10-05T02:36:44Z")
Moving to Cafe Society. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-wonderland-or-through-the-looking-glass/512623/8 "2009-10-05T02:45:17Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Film adaptations of _Alice_ always include elements from _Through the Looking Glass_. One of the reasons for this seems to be that film adaptations of _Alice_ almost always end up being Hollywood Unemployment Compensation vehicles\*…they become a cameo-fest with every two-bit character actor or “vintage” star getting 30 seconds or so of screen time. The more characters, the more stars you can cast. \*This is apparently not true for the Burton film, or hopefully the American McGee adaptation when it starts casting. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-wonderland-or-through-the-looking-glass/512623/9 "2009-10-05T03:01:12Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > \*This is apparently not true for the Burton film, or hopefully the American McGee adaptation when it starts casting. The American McGee game already did this (it had, for example, the Jabberwock and Cheshire Cat coexisting). On the other hand, it made sense in their case, since their story took place _after_ both books. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-wonderland-or-through-the-looking-glass/512623/10 "2009-10-05T03:27:47Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > On the other hand, it made sense in their case, since their story took place _after_ both books. Huh? God, I HATE mathematicians. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-wonderland-or-through-the-looking-glass/512623/11 "2009-10-05T03:48:10Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > The American McGee game already did this (it had, for example, the Jabberwock and Cheshire Cat coexisting). On the other hand, it made sense in their case, since their story took place _after_ both books. I actually meant the cameo-fest that most _Alice_ films become, not the amalgamation of pieces of both books. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-wonderland-or-through-the-looking-glass/512623/12 "2009-10-05T04:35:23Z")
May as well ask what’s the difference between The Motion Picture and The Wrath of Khan. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-wonderland-or-through-the-looking-glass/512623/13 "2009-10-05T12:44:43Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > One of the reasons for this seems to be that film adaptations of _Alice_ almost always end up being Hollywood Unemployment Compensation vehicles\*…they become a cameo-fest with every two-bit character actor or “vintage” star getting 30 seconds or so of screen time. The more characters, the more stars you can cast. That’s a part of it, but mostly it’s because audiences would wonder why they don’t show Tweedledum and Tweedledee, Humpty Dumpty, and, of course, the Jabberwock (who actually isn’t a character in the book – he’s just mentioned in a poem within the book and is no more a part of it than Father William in Alice). ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-wonderland-or-through-the-looking-glass/512623/14 "2009-10-05T12:55:34Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Two different books. _Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland_ (1865) was followed by a sequel, _Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There_ (1875). …though they are often published together, so much so that it almost seems like a rip-off when you find an edition of one without the other. I’m trying to think of another example where a work and its sequel are so often confused or put together. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-wonderland-or-through-the-looking-glass/512623/15 "2009-10-05T13:00:30Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > …though they are often published together, so much so that it almost seems like a rip-off when you find an edition of one without the other. > > I’m trying to think of another example where a work and its sequel are so often confused or put together. I offer up _Little Women_ and _Good Wives_, which were quickly packaged together as just _Little Women_. I once knew someone who somehow had a edition of only the first _Little Women_, and could never figure out why everyone else in the world thinks it’s a great tear-jerker because the famously sad part happens in _Good Wives_. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-wonderland-or-through-the-looking-glass/512623/16 "2009-10-05T13:08:27Z")
> [@delphica](#): > > I offer up _Little Women_ and _Good Wives_, which were quickly packaged together as just _Little Women_. I once knew someone who somehow had a edition of only the first _Little Women_, and could never figure out why everyone else in the world thinks it’s a great tear-jerker because the famously sad part happens in _Good Wives_. Ah yes, good call. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-wonderland-or-through-the-looking-glass/512623/17 "2009-10-05T13:11:04Z")
Both books contain a LOT of characters, most of whom are cameo, appearing in one scene or one chapter, and not recurring. Hence, the trend to using lots of [famous] actors in the roles. Both books contain scenes that wouldn’t be great in what is conceived as a children’s movie. For instance, both books both involve Alice reciting a lot of poetry, very amusing but too talk-y for a movie. Disney, for instance, illustrates the Walrus and the Carpenter poem, but many of the others (Jabberwocky, Father William, etc) just wouldn’t be good visually. _Through the Looking Glass_ is set up as a chess game, difficult to do in film terms. Hence, most movies take the most famous elements from both books and smush 'em together. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-wonderland-or-through-the-looking-glass/512623/18 "2009-10-05T13:22:00Z")
How long are these books? I’ve read both, but I’m thinking I might have gotten an abridged version. I don’t remember the books being all that long, nor quite frankly very interesting, and some of the things in the thread I don’t remember at all. I’m thinking that both together were 100-110 pages total. Is that about right or did I read some crap version? This has happened to me before, I go and get a book only to find out later on that it’s abridged. I read War of the Worlds and it was way to short, only to find a small little note inside saying abridged. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-wonderland-or-through-the-looking-glass/512623/19 "2009-10-05T13:27:12Z")
The two books really only have one character in common (Alice) – though the Queen of Hearts and the Red Queen have a lot in common apart from being both red and both queens. In the first, Alice enters the story universe by falling down a rabbit hole; in the second, by going through a looking glass (mirror). A major theme for the characters of the first is a pack of cards, though a lot of characters are not playing cards. The only theme for characters in the second is chess pieces: every character is a chess piece (including Alice, a pawn who reaches the 8th row and becomes a queen), and the whole plot is explained as being a game of chess which (more or less) follows the normal rules of chess. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-wonderland-or-through-the-looking-glass/512623/20 "2009-10-05T15:26:39Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > The two books really only have one character in common (Alice) – though the Queen of Hearts and the Red Queen have a lot in common apart from being both red and both queens. Well, the Mad Hatter and the March Hare, from AAIW, do appear as Hatta and Haigha in TTLG. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-wonderland-or-through-the-looking-glass/512623.md?page=2)