Through the Looking-Glass

Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, published in 1872, is a novel by Lewis Carroll, the sequel to his 1865 fantasy novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Set seven years after the events of the first book, the story follows Alice as she steps through a mirror and enters a bizarre chess-themed world where everything is reversed.

Plot Summary

The novel opens with Alice's sister, Kitty, reading to her a poem about the Red King and the White Queen. Alice becomes fascinated by the poem and imagines herself entering the looking-glass world. Suddenly, she finds herself climbing through the glass and entering a strange new world.

This world is based on a chess game, with the Red King and White Queen as the rulers. Alice soon meets a number of strange and wonderful characters, including:

• Humpty Dumpty: A large egg who is sitting on a wall.
• Tweedledum and Tweedledee: Two twins who are always arguing.
• The Walrus and the Carpenter: Two creatures who eat oysters.
• The White Knight: A clumsy and forgetful knight.

Alice has many adventures in the looking-glass world, including playing a game of chess with the Red King and White Queen, attending a trial where Tweedledum and Tweedledee are accused of murder, and participating in a nonsensical poetry contest.

Eventually, Alice wakes up from her dream and finds herself back in her own world. She is not sure whether her adventures were real or just a dream, but she knows that she will never forget them.

Themes

Through the Looking-Glass explores a wide range of themes, including:

• The nature of reality
• The power of imagination
• The importance of play
• The absurdity of the world
• The challenges of growing up

Characters

Through the Looking-Glass is full of memorable characters, including:

• Alice: The protagonist of the novel, Alice is a curious and adventurous young girl.
• The Red King: The ruler of the Red Kingdom, the Red King is a hot-tempered and easily offended man.
• The White Queen: The ruler of the White Kingdom, the White Queen is a kind and gentle woman.
• Humpty Dumpty: A large egg who is sitting on a wall, Humpty Dumpty is a wise and knowledgeable character.
• Tweedledum and Tweedledee: Two twins who are always arguing, Tweedledum and Tweedledee are a source of comic relief.
• The Walrus and the Carpenter: Two creatures who eat oysters, the Walrus and the Carpenter are a pair of nonsense poets.
• The White Knight: A clumsy and forgetful knight, the White Knight is a parody of medieval knights.

Impact

Through the Looking-Glass is considered one of the greatest children's novels ever written. It is praised for its humor, its imagination, and its exploration of philosophical themes. The novel has been adapted into many films, television series, and operas.

Some of the novel's most famous quotes include:

• "What? I never heard of 'incurious'!"
• "I know what you're thinking about," said Humpty Dumpty: "you're thinking about the great puzzle of the egg. Now tell me, why is he speaking?"
• "You ought to be ashamed of yourself," said Alice, "to talk in that way about your own sister."
• "But I wasn't talking about my sister," said Humpty Dumpty. "I was talking about the egg."
• "If you think that," said Alice, "you must have long ears and weak eyes!"
• "If all the world is mad," said Humpty Dumpty, "how can you know if I am mad? One person's madness is another person's sanity."