UNRAVELING

“WONDERLAND”

Submitted By-
Satabdi Chakrabarty
Bipasha Das
Contents
 Introduction
 Genre
 Plot Summary
 A world of no rules
 Fairytale and parody intertwined
 Reflection of subconscious mind through
“Wonderland”
 “Wonderland” and Human life
 Conclusion
Introduction
Full title- “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”
Authored by Charles Lutwidg Dodgson,
famously known by the pen name – Lewis
Carroll
Published in June, 1865
The inspiration behind the story lies in 1862
Genre
 Falls under the genre of Fantasy,
Children’s Literature, as well as Nonsense
Literature
 Plot summary
Divided into twelve chapters
A seven year old young girl- Alice follows a
gentleman rabbit and falls down through the
rabbit hole. Unharmed, she discovers what
leaves her stunned- a new world-
“Wonderland”.
A world of no rules

Impossible is possible
Contrary to Alice’s waking life
A place where Alice learned to unlearn
Fairytale and parody intertwined

 Fairytale sequences : Mythical creatures, Fantasy

elements
Satire rooted in fairytale :
 VictorianEducation System, Imperialism, Obsession
with etiquettes, Class Conflicts, Politics as well as
Science and Reason
Reflection of subconscious mind
“Wonderland” is crafted through a dream
Imagination and artistic capabilities of a child
Self talk- She “Pretends to be two”
“Wonderland” and Human life

Lewis Carroll establishes a symmetry

between Wonderland and Human life
through:
I. The Caucus Race
II. The punishment given by Time
III. The dream itself
 Conclusion
“Wonderland”, that Dodgson created for his readers, wears
a mask of fantasy and beneath that mask lies Socio-Political as
well as psychological factors leading to this new land.
“Wonderland” literally means a world that is nothing like what
we have seen before ; Wonderland is supposed to amaze us and
this newly discovered world truly amazes Alice as well as the
readers. Alice’s adventure in “Wonderland” is popular because it
is relevant to both children as well as adults. The psychological
and social background captivates the grown-ups ; the colourful
world painted through imagination entertains the young minds.