what genre is Alice's Adventures in Wonderland?

Question

I'm writing an essay and i cant find out what it falls into, ive got literary nonsense and fantasy but i'm not sure, i also need to know how it fits into that genre and the exceptions.
Any ideas?

Answer 1

As Sue C said, it is a book in which logic, and the twisting of it, is a central theme. Lewis Carroll, real name Charles Dodgson, was a mathematician at Oxford University so would, of course, be well versed in logic. Like Swift's Gulliver's Travels, another book in which logic and philosophy is a central theme, the Alice books are primarily regarded as children's books and this is, indeed, as Carroll seemed to intend as he wrote them for the young Alice Liddle, even though the allusions that the books make are complex enough to intrigue, baffle, and make adults wonder and question common assumptions. As Chris C said, there may be some satire, particularly with The Queen of Hearts. The other characters, and The Mad Hatters Tea Party contribute to this landmark piece of surreal, though short, literature. The story is arguably the pinnacle of Oxford (or Cambridge) literary imagination, of the Victorian age at the very least. Although the story partially seems rooted in an earlier time as well, of courts, palaces and woodland in a pre-industrial past, Carroll was also very modern in some ways, famously having an interest in photography as well.

Carroll's literature has been very influential in certain literature (Automated Alice is directly inspired), film (Labyrinth for one, which was also inspired by The Wizard of Oz), videogames (American McGee's 'Alice' is the most clearly inspired) and almost certainly some music too (The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour is surely Alice in Wonderland-esque).

Answer 2

Alice In Wonderland Genre

Answer 3

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RE:
what genre is Alice's Adventures in Wonderland?
I'm writing an essay and i cant find out what it falls into, ive got literary nonsense and fantasy but i'm not sure, i also need to know how it fits into that genre and the exceptions.
Any ideas?

Answer 4

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I read this on wikipedia: (Lewis Carroll's real name was Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) "The tale is fraught with satirical allusions to Dodgson's friends (and enemies), and to the lessons that British schoolchildren were expected to memorize. The Wonderland described in the tale plays with logic in ways that have made the story of lasting popularity with adults as well as children. It is considered to be one of the most characteristic examples of the genre of literary nonsense." I've also read that Alice was based on his neighbor's daughter, the author liked to watch her, and wrote the book about her. Others have said it was because he had an unnatural fascination with the real Alice, but it has never been proven, and some English people get really upset if it's brought up. Just another part of the history of the book, figured I'd throw it out there. Still, great read, one of my favorites, to this day.

Answer 5

As the variety of answers so far indicates, this marvelous
story falls into several genres. Perhaps the least applicable
is children's literature, at least in our contemporary world. It
was made up for children originally, but modern children are
mostly not able to understand much of it, for various reasons.
Nonsense and fantasy are prominent. Many parodies and
puns are included, especially verse parodies. Martin Gardner's Annotated Alice, mentioned in another answer, is
an excellent resource. This apparently exists in two editions
and the second edition should be used, because there is
more of it.

Answer 6

Delighted to hear this is set as an essay subject. It is all very clever stuff - I'm not knowledgeable enough to explain this but I'm told it refers to formal Logic (as studied by philosophers). Somewhere is a line, something like 'I see nobody coming down the road' - this is about perception. In a category all of its own, I would say, so you could invent your own name for the category. A book to delight all generations always. A treasure.

Answer 7

You've had some really interesting answers. The only thing I would like to add is that you get hold of The Annotated Alice edited by Martin Gardner. He treats it as dreamworld and much more - logic, mathematics, politics, parody ... He really opened up the book for me. (It is a great book).
ISBN 0140 289 291 £9.99 Worth every penny.

Answer 8

I would say Fantasy. It takes a person from the real world and sends her to a totally illogical land, one that breaks practically every law regarding existance we have in the real world. If that isn't fantasy, I don't know what is.

Answer 9

Author Charles "Lewis Carroll" Dodgson
Illustrator - John Tenniel
Country - England
Language - English
Genre(s) - Children's fiction
Publisher - Macmillan
Publication date - 1865
Media type - Print
Followed by Through the Looking-Glass

The book was generally received in a positive light, but has also caught a large amount of derision for its strange and unpredictable tone. One of the best-known critics is fantasy writer Terry Pratchett, who has openly stated that he dislikes the book. L. Frank Baum, the author of the Wizard of Oz series, likewise disliked having his stories compared to Carroll's, saying his books were fantasy "with purpose" while the Alice stories were just "nonsense". This draws a certain irony, considering Alice's explicitly stated desire for such "nonsense" - and as such, nonsense is a deliberate theme in the text.

In 1931, the book was banned in Hunan because "animals should not use human language" and it "put animals and human beings on the same level."

I hope this helps.

Answer 10

Alice in Wonderland revolutionized children's literature -- it changed the scope, language, everything.

There are some allegorical connotations also, but just a little to add spice. Here's a good link I found:

http://www.northern.edu/hastingw/carroll.htm