Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland are just as weird as I remembered. It was also a lot of fun. I had a good memory of the basic story going in: Alice chases a talking white rabbit who is holding a pocket watch and then falls down a rabbit hole; she eats and drinks things that are suspiciously labelled and make her grow larger or smaller; and she meets a cast of weird characters (Cheshire Cat, the Red Queen, a talking caterpillar, a mad hatter). All of this is accurate, but what was most pleasantly surprising were all the small details that I’d forgotten- the doormouse giving a history lecture in the hopes that it will dry them out; the frog footmen at the Duchess’ house (the Duchess herself!), the trial of the knave of hearts (accused of stealing tarts).
I’m not sure where Carroll got his ideas, but the world he creates is very detailed and wildly imaginative. I didn’t apply any deep literary theory although I’m sure you could (who does the Red Queen represent? What is Alice’s eating and drinking of strange things supposed to symbolize? Who is the White Rabbit, really?). Even without a deeper analysis, I enjoyed it for the ridiculous, nonsense acid trip that it is- a nice break from the realities of 2020.
In the words of that other nonsense acid trip specialist, Hunter S. Thompson: buy the ticket, take the ride