What is "Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland"?

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland , published in 1865, is a widely loved children’s book by Lewis Carroll that tells of a girl named Alice who dreams she follows the White Rabbit into a bizarre world. There, she has illogical adventures and meets strange creatures such as the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, and the Queen of Hearts. Originally told to the Liddell children, Alice asked Carroll to write the stories, which he revised and expanded after a visitor suggested publishing them. While initially baffling to critics, its nonsense captivated young readers. However, the book has been banned at times for a variety of reasons, ranging from allusions to drug use to diminishing authority figures.

Who wrote "Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland" and when was it published?

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland , a popular children’s book by Lewis Carroll , was published in 1865. The story follows Alice, who falls asleep and dreams she follows the White Rabbit down a rabbit hole. She has bizarre adventures with strange creatures, like the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, and the March Hare. Carroll originally told the story to the Liddell sisters in July 1862 and wrote a hand-lettered collection entitled Alice’s Adventures Under Ground for them. After revisions, it was published and attracted a following, later inspiring films and performances.

Who is the main character in the story?

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland , a popular English children’s book by Lewis Carroll, revolves around Alice , a young girl who dreams she chases the White Rabbit down a rabbit hole. In her dream, Alice has bizarre adventures with strange creatures, often changing size. She meets the Cheshire Cat, the Duchess, and the hookah-smoking Caterpillar, and she attends an endless tea party with the March Hare and the Mad Hatter. She awakens when she realizes that the characters are only a pack of cards. The White Rabbit is the character that wears a waistcoat, carries a pocket watch, and is always in a great hurry.

What unusual world does Alice discover after following the White Rabbit?

After Alice follows the White Rabbit down the rabbit hole, she enters a dream world filled with illogical and strange creatures. She shrinks and grows unexpectedly, and encounters a hookah-smoking Caterpillar, the Duchess, and the Cheshire Cat. Alice also attends a strange tea party with the Mad Hatter and the March Hare and plays croquet with a flamingo and hedgehogs. Later, she is called as a witness in the trial of the Knave of Hearts. When the Queen demands Alice be beheaded, she realizes it is all a dream and wakes up.

What are some of the strange characters Alice meets in Wonderland?

In Alice's Adventures in Wonderland , Alice encounters many strange characters. Her curiosity is piqued by the White Rabbit , who wears a waistcoat and carries a pocket watch. She attends an outdoor tea party hosted by the March Hare and the Mad Hatter , both of whom behave unpredictably. Alice also meets the Cheshire Cat , known for its broad grin and ability to disappear and reappear at will. The tyrannical Queen of Hearts is another character Alice meets.

Why has "Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland" remained popular with readers for so long?

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has remained popular because Lewis Carroll understood how children's minds worked, and he turned logic on its head, which appealed to their sense of the ridiculous. The book, first published in 1865, was initially baffling to critics because it was written at a time when children's books generally taught moral lessons. The success of Alice is a mystery, but it is not an allegory and has no hidden meaning or message. The book’s vivid imagery, comical whimsy, and original critiques of the mathematical, political, and social systems of Carroll's time have allowed it to stand the test of time. By the time of Carroll's death, Alice had become the most popular children’s book in England.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

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Hear Jill Gage explore the interest in the first edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and the enduring adventures of Alice

Children climb and play on a large bronze statue of Alice, the Mad Hatter, and the March Hare from Alice in Wonderland, surrounded by oversized mushrooms in Central Park, New York City.

Illustration by Sir John Tenniel for Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865).

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

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What is "Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland"?
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, published in 1865, is a widely loved children’s book by Lewis Carroll that tells of a girl named Alice who dreams she follows the White Rabbit into a bizarre world. There, she has illogical adventures and meets strange creatures such as the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, and the Queen of Hearts.

Originally told to the Liddell children, Alice asked Carroll to write the stories, which he revised and expanded after a visitor suggested publishing them. While initially baffling to critics, its nonsense captivated young readers. However, the book has been banned at times for a variety of reasons, ranging from allusions to drug use to diminishing authority figures.
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Who wrote "Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland" and when was it published?
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, a popular children’s book by Lewis Carroll, was published in 1865. The story follows Alice, who falls asleep and dreams she follows the White Rabbit down a rabbit hole. She has bizarre adventures with strange creatures, like the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, and the March Hare. Carroll originally told the story to the Liddell sisters in July 1862 and wrote a hand-lettered collection entitled Alice’s Adventures Under Ground for them. After revisions, it was published and attracted a following, later inspiring films and performances.
1 Britannica Source
1. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Who is the main character in the story?
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, a popular English children’s book by Lewis Carroll, revolves around Alice, a young girl who dreams she chases the White Rabbit down a rabbit hole. In her dream, Alice has bizarre adventures with strange creatures, often changing size. She meets the Cheshire Cat, the Duchess, and the hookah-smoking Caterpillar, and she attends an endless tea party with the March Hare and the Mad Hatter. She awakens when she realizes that the characters are only a pack of cards. The White Rabbit is the character that wears a waistcoat, carries a pocket watch, and is always in a great hurry.
2 Britannica Sources
1. White Rabbit
2. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What unusual world does Alice discover after following the White Rabbit?
After Alice follows the White Rabbit down the rabbit hole, she enters a dream world filled with illogical and strange creatures. She shrinks and grows unexpectedly, and encounters a hookah-smoking Caterpillar, the Duchess, and the Cheshire Cat. Alice also attends a strange tea party with the Mad Hatter and the March Hare and plays croquet with a flamingo and hedgehogs. Later, she is called as a witness in the trial of the Knave of Hearts. When the Queen demands Alice be beheaded, she realizes it is all a dream and wakes up.
2 Britannica Sources
1. White Rabbit
2. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What are some of the strange characters Alice meets in Wonderland?
In Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Alice encounters many strange characters. Her curiosity is piqued by the White Rabbit, who wears a waistcoat and carries a pocket watch. She attends an outdoor tea party hosted by the March Hare and the Mad Hatter, both of whom behave unpredictably. Alice also meets the Cheshire Cat, known for its broad grin and ability to disappear and reappear at will. The tyrannical Queen of Hearts is another character Alice meets.
7 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Why has "Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland" remained popular with readers for so long?
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has remained popular because Lewis Carroll understood how children's minds worked, and he turned logic on its head, which appealed to their sense of the ridiculous. The book, first published in 1865, was initially baffling to critics because it was written at a time when children's books generally taught moral lessons.

The success of Alice is a mystery, but it is not an allegory and has no hidden meaning or message. The book’s vivid imagery, comical whimsy, and original critiques of the mathematical, political, and social systems of Carroll's time have allowed it to stand the test of time. By the time of Carroll's death, Alice had become the most popular children’s book in England.
5 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, widely beloved British children’s book by Lewis Carroll, published in 1865. With its fantastical tales and riddles, it became one of the most popular works of English-language fiction. It was notably illustrated by British artist John Tenniel.

The story centres on Alice, a young girl who falls asleep in a meadow and dreams that she follows the White Rabbit down a rabbit hole. She has many wondrous, often bizarre adventures with thoroughly illogical and very strange creatures, often changing size unexpectedly (she grows as tall as a house and shrinks to 3 inches [7 cm]). She encounters the hookah-smoking Caterpillar, the Duchess (with a baby that becomes a pig), and the Cheshire Cat, and she attends a strange endless tea party with the Mad Hatter and the March Hare. She plays a game of croquet with an unmanageable flamingo for a croquet mallet and uncooperative hedgehogs for croquet balls while the Queen calls for the execution of almost everyone present. Later, at the Queen’s behest, the Gryphon takes Alice to meet the sobbing Mock Turtle, who describes his education in such subjects as Ambition, Distraction, Uglification, and Derision. Alice is then called as a witness in the trial of the Knave of Hearts, who is accused of having stolen the Queen’s tarts. However, when the Queen demands that Alice be beheaded, Alice realizes that the characters are only a pack of cards, and she then awakens from her dream.

The story was originally told by Carroll to Lorina, Alice, and Edith Liddell (the daughters of Henry George Liddell, dean of Christ Church, Oxford, where the author had studied and held a fellowship) on a picnic in July 1862. Alice asked Carroll to write out the stories for her, and in response he produced a hand-lettered collection entitled Alice’s Adventures Under Ground. A visitor to the Liddell home saw the storybook and thought it should be published, so Carroll revised and expanded it. Appearing at a time when children’s literature generally was intended to teach moral lessons, the book at first baffled critics, who failed to appreciate the nonsense that so captivated its young readers. But Carroll understood how children’s minds worked, and the way he turned logic on its head appealed to their sense of the ridiculous. In the riddles and the poems—such as “How doth the little crocodile” and “You are old, Father William” (both parodies of well-known didactic poems)—he reached even more absurd heights. The work attracted a following and led to a sequel, Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (dated 1872 but published in December 1871). By the end of the 19th century, Alice (taking the two volumes together) had become the most popular children’s book in England, and within two more decades it was among the most popular storybooks in the world. It inspired numerous films, theatrical performances, and ballets as well as countless works of scholarly analysis.

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