“If it was, it would be. And if it were, it might be.
But as it isn’t, it ain’t. That’s logic.”
Was it Tweedledum or Tweedledee who said that?
I dunno. sounds like tweedledee, but I’d have to whip out my copy of the book to look it up.
My favorite “Alice” quote: Alice to Tweedledum & Tweedledee :“If I wasn’t real, I shouldn’t be able to cry.”
My most favorite snippet of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland:
There is just no way to NOT love that book. Heh…come to think of it, what else did Lewis Carroll write?
Try The Hunting of the Snark. One of the finest nonsense epics (okay, so there aren’t that many) ever written.
Phantasmagoria is also very good.
Dover Publications has a nice, inexpensive paperback edition which includes all of Carroll’s humorous verse; it would be a bargain at three times the price.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0486206548/qid=964643867/sr=1-1/104-1306066-1016765
Lewis Carroll followed Alice with Through the Looking Glass, which is more Alice material.
He later wrote some poetry The Haunting of the Snark (a mock heroic poem) and something called Sylvie and Bruno. I have no doubt someone intelligent and classy has a website devoted to this ‘unusual’ man.
He also wrote several mathematical treatises (whatever they are).
He was also a pioneer in photography.
“The rule is, jam yesterday and jam to-morrow, but no jam today”
"The time has come the Walrus said to talk of many things, of ships and strings and sealing wax and whether pigs have wings.
Jabberwocky is still one of my favorite pieces too.
A while ago I went into the libray to look up the Walrus and the Carpenter. I thought it would be simple, just find Alice in Wonderland and go from there. Would you believe the library didn’t have Alice in Wonderland. In fact the entire library system had only a few copies of the abridged Alice. Strangely enough, they did have several copies of “Through the Looking Glass”.Sheesh, how do they expect kids to grow up without reading one of the classics of children (and adult) literature.
Keith
I’ve heard vague allusions here and there to the fact that Carroll was a pedophile, but nothing concrete.
Is this true?
Now, who carried on the following conversation?
“When I use a word, it means exactly what I want it to mean…neither more nor less.”
“But the question is whether you can change a word’s meaning.”
“No, the question is who will be Master, that is all.”
I’m sure this quote is faulty, too…but ya get the gist of it.
Alice and Humpty Dumpty, with the Eggman taking the position that a word should mean what you mean it to, and not what some lame dictionary says, and Alice disagreeing.
(Humpty’s attitude is shared by many posters on the SDMB and my Research teacher, Dr. Esturlyid.)
My sig used to be a quote from Jabberwocky.
–John
There’s glory for you!
(By “glory,” I mean a good knock-down argument.)
*** Can you stand on your head?***
I found a really cool book a couple years back called Fantastic Alice. It’s a compilation of short stories and poems inspired by ideas or characters from Alice in Wonderland. The writing is diverse and interesting, I recommend it to any Alice fan.
where’s dpr?
oh, he’ll like this thread.
This also seems a fitting occasion to notice the other hard works in that poem. Humpty-Dumpty’s theory, of two meanings packed into one word like a portmanteau, seems to me the right explanation for all.
For instance, take the two words “fuming” and “furious.” Make up your mind that you will say both words, but leave it unsettled which you will say first. Now open your mouth and speak. If your thoughts incline ever so little towards “fuming,” you will say “fuming-furious;” if they turn, by even a hair’s breadth, towards “furious,” you will say “furious-fuming;” but if you have the rarest of gifts, a perfectly balanced mind, you will say “frumious.”
Supposing that, when Pistol uttered the well-known words–
“Under which king, Bezonian? Speak or die!”
Justice Shallow had felt certain that it was either William or Richard, but had not been able to settle which, so that he could not possibly say either name before the other, can it be doubted that, rather than die, he would have gasped out “Rilchiam!”
Complete this poem:
“Twas brillig and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe…”
all mimsy were the borogoves
and the mome rathes outgrab
Beware the Jabberwork, my son
the jaws that bite, the claws that catch
Beware the JubJub bird and shun
the frumious banbersnatch
Shall I go on… 