Quotes from Lewis Carroll

These are the contexts of the quotes tweeted from @sueannbowling between May 29 and June 4, 2014. Note that the Lewis Carroll quotes (the first six) come from two different books. These books have been so mixed up in movies that it’s a challenge to tie the quote to the right book. How did you do?

“Who in the world am I? Ah, that’s the great puzzle.” Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alice, just after she grows for the first time and is uncertain of her own identity.

“There ought to be a book written about me, that there ought!” Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alice, expanding in the White Rabbit’s house.

“Beware the Jabberwok, my son!” Through the Looking-Glass. Part of the poem, Jabberwocky written in Mirror-writing in the room Alice first finds (the mirror image of the room in her home.)

“In most gardens they make the beds too soft—so the flowers are always asleep.” Through the Looking-Glass. The Tiger-lily’s explanation of why the flowers in this bed are awake and talking.

“The sea was wet as wet could be.” Through the Looking-Glass. Part of The Walrus and the Carpenter, recited to Alice by Tweedledum and Tweedledee.

“If you’ll believe in me, I’ll believe in you.” Through the Looking-Glass. Alice has just been introduced to the Unicorn, who considers human children fabulous monsters. When Alice replies that she has always thought that unicorns were fabulous monsters, the Unicorn suggests that they should both believe in each other.

“They weren’t really good at abstract ideas.” Sue Ann Bowling, Homecoming. Cinda is describing the human ancestors of 125,000 years ago.

Quotes from (Mostly) Lewis Carroll

Walt Disney totally mixed up Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, with bits of The Hunting of the Snark, in both the original cartoon Alice in Wonderland and the much more recent live-action of the same title. If you learned your Lewis Carroll from Disney, you probably guessed wrong a few times about which book was the source of each of last week’s quotes. All of these quotes but the last are taken from the original Lewis Carroll books.

“There ought to be a book written about me, that there ought!” Lewis Carroll,  Alice in Wonderland. Alice, expanding in the White Rabbit’s house.

“Beware the Jabberwok, my son!” Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass. Part of the poem Jabberwocky, written in Mirror-writing in the room Alice first finds on the other side of the looking-glass (the mirror image of the room in her home.)

“In most gardens they make the beds too soft—so the flowers are always asleep.” Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass. The Tiger-lily’s explanation of why the flowers in this bed are awake and talking.

“Who in the world am I?  Ah, that’s the great puzzle.” Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland. Alice, just after she grows for the first time and is uncertain of her own identity.

“If you’ll believe in me, I’ll believe in you.” Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass. Alice has just been introduced to the Unicorn, who considers human children fabulous monsters. When Alice replies that she has always thought that unicorns were fabulous monsters, the Unicorn suggests that they should both believe in each other.

“I don’t like belonging to another person’s dream.” Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass. Alice is concerned whether she is in her own dream or the Red King’s dream.

“What was wrong with her, that she had forgotten so thoroughly the dangers of her home?” Sue Ann Bowling, Homecoming. Marna has just almost been killed by a butterfly cat, because she forgot predators are dangerous.

One final reminder: I have a guest interview today on Christine Warner’s blog, Christine’s Words. Drop by and say hello!