(Un)Birthday Celebration at UNC-Charlotte

Thanks to the Children's Literature Graduate Students and Mark West at University of North Carolina-Charlotte's English Department for inviting me to be part of their (Un)Birthday Celebration of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

I am looking forward to meeting with students and talking about "Alice and Multiple Wonderlands." How has Alice endured for so long? How did Lewis Carroll, particularly as the controller of the Wonderland empire, help to cement the book's legacy? What is it about the books that still appeals to readers? These are some of the questions that I have been pondering as I prepared the talk.

U.K. reviewers of Alice in Wonderland film enjoy 3D, great visuals

The new Alice in Wonderland film, directed by Tim Burton and featuring Johnny Depp, was released in the Opening night in London of Alice in WonderlandUnited Kingdom last week with a opening that featured royalty.  That is an interesting twist as the film, like the book, finds Alice figuring out how to deal with queens and kings in Wonderland or Underland, in the film.

Another similarity between the two Alice books and film is that many familiar characters from the first show up in the second. That is what has been heavily promoted in photos and video previews.  Those images look lush and appealing and are probably what will draw people to see the film. But the storyline is quite different, and that may be what causes many to be confused and leave somewhat frustrated.

The London Times is relatively positive. While "the characters may be familiar but the plot deviates insanely from the original," these changes don't stop the critic from enjoying The Caterpillar in Alice in Wonderlandthe new story and how it looks.

Meanwhile, a Guardian film critic bemoans that  Tim Burton's imaginative gothic style has lots its mojo. AS Byatt has a good essay in The Guardian about revisiting the book and why it's still a classic

The Mirror has a glowing review calling it a "terrifically twisted take on the Alice in Wonderland story in a gloriously lush 3D romp"

From OK! Magazine:  the visuals are great, but the storyline is confusing

From The Void blog "a subtle sequel mixing loving homage with out-and-out weird"

IGN likes Alice as "a rebellious, free-thinker" but doesn't like "the headache inducing visuals"

Alice is still bratty, even in an older version, according to The Daily Beast.  Even in the book Alice is "a cranky know-it-all with a low threshold for the nonsensical."

And, in other Alice news that flooding the media, it's curious to find a "thrice-removed" cousin of Alice Liddell managing a children's boutique in Abingdon where she stocks white rabbit merchandise.  RAR4YCRJAAA7

Interview about Lewis Carroll book on WGLT

Jim Browne's interview of me about Alice in Wonderland and my book, The Place of Lewis Carroll in Children's Literature is airing today (12/24).  Here's a link to the WGLT newsroom with the interview from the radio and another excerpt.  Thanks to Jim Browne for making me sound good!

And, as I said in the interview, Alice in Wonderland is a great Christmas gift.  Altho Carroll told the story first in July to the Liddell family in 1862, he gave an illustrated manuscript copy (Alice Underground) to Alice Liddell at Christmas in 1863. The book, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, with John Tenniel's drawings, was published for the Christmas season in 1865. And it's still available in bookstores