Introduction: A Mess of Souvenirs; Chapter 1: The Many Lives of Lewis Carroll; Chapter 2: The Man in White Paper; Chapter 3: Analysing Alice; Chapter 4: Illustrators of Alice; Chapter 5: The Further Adventures of Alice; Chapter 6: Adapting Alice; Chapter 7: Dark Wonderland; Chapter 8: Fans; Chapter 9: Pilgrimage
Will Brooker is Director of Film Studies and Television at Kingston University, UK. He is the author of several books, including studies of Batman, Star Wars, Blade Runner, and Lewis Carroll.
"The book itself will become a classic of its genre"--,
Exhaustively researched and minutely argued, this volume provides a
reception history of the cultural meaning of Lewis Carroll and
Alice in contemporary Western society. The author really hits his
stride when he begins to analyze the textual history of Alice in
Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass: he looks at the
illustrations for various versions of the tales, fictional
writings, and appropriations of the Alice figure in other cultural
contexts such as films, video games, web sites, and even
pornography. Whereas the earlier chapters engage directly with
biographical studies, and thus will mainly interest Carroll
historians and others invested in the pedophile versus sainted don
debate, the latter part of the book will engage the curiosity of
any reader interested in pop-culture in a variety of disciples.
Highly recommended. Choice, 9/04--D.K. Kreisel "CHOICE "
" [H]e grounds his critical work in shrewd common sense, writes
clearly and explores an impressive range of Carroll and
Alice-related phenomena-biographies, newspaper articles, novels,
films, computer games, new editions of the books, tourist sites and
fan groups. All these manifestations of Alice are worthy of study,
but my favorite section of Alice's Adventures is that devoted to
the Lewis Carroll Society. I think that anyone who belongs to a
literary society or fan club-whether one devoted to Buffy or
William Faulkner, Jane Austen or the Sandman-will recognize the
aptness of Brooker's analysis and the accuracy of his reporting.""
-Washington Post Book World"
isn t just another coverage of Carroll s life; it s a survey of how
the characters he created live on in modern times, adapted since
his death in 1898. The analysis juxtaposes perfectly with his life
and times and creates for more depth in the analysis of Alice s
ongoing effected on modern culture, than the modern biography could
achieve. The Midwest Book Review, Feb 2005
[Brooker] covers a lot of ground here, and all of it is
fascinating. And he s attuned to how cultural trends have recast
our understanding of Dodgson and his work. The Boston Phoenix,
5/7/04-5/13/04
[Brooker] takes the reader through a fascinating and revealing tour
of late 20th century popular culture, following Alice and her
creator wherever they go. Brooker reveals the ways in which this
iconic character has been used and adapted, taking cartoons,
movies, computer games, theme parks, heritage sites, novelisations,
illustrations, biographies, theatrical performances, toys and other
products, websites, fan clubs and much more. The result is a
remarkable analysis of how one original creation has expanded over
time to symbolize many different things to many different people.
PopThought.com, 5/11/04--Tim O'Shea
Brooker s witty book gives hope that Alice will always have a role
to play in the culture of any age In showing Alice in current
culture, Brooker has written an admiring tribute to Carroll and his
creation that will have the laudable effect of getting readers to
look again at an inspired original. The Times of Acadiana, 5/04
Will Brooker combines a fan s devotion with an academic s mercurial
and precise gaze to create a detailed and excellent cultural study
of a figure that many of us have likely overlooked before now:
Lewis Carroll s eternal little girl, Alice in Wonderland.
Immaculately researched and expertly articulated The result is a
thorough but accessible cultural study that any Carroll scholar
will consider an invaluable addition to a research collection and
that nay Carroll fan will appreciate as an in-depth look at the
author s most famous figure. Alice and her creator have thus found
the perfect author to pen a study of their own place in the
pantheon of 21st-century popular culture The Bloomsbury Review,
Jan/Feb 2005
Will Brooker s Alice s Adventures is an exhaustive yet highly
readable examination of the myriad cultural manifestations of not
only the Alice books, but the characters of Alice and her creator
The Guide, 5/04--Michael Bronski
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