June's Literary Blog
 

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Tuesday, October 27, 2015

After Alice
My friend Alice is 153 years old. Not a bad age for someone who, “all on a golden afternoon,” fell down an Oxford rabbit hole in 1862 and spent the most bizarre day chasing a talking hare, taking tea with a mad hatter, cavorting with thorny roses, and staving off the murderous intentions of a crazed Red Queen. With the first publication of her adventures in 1865, still retaining ten years of age, she has been shaking up literary and entertainment worlds every since.

I am speaking, of course, of Alice Liddell, the eponymous young girl to whom Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, alias Lewis Carroll, first began relating the stories of what would become the famous and much loved, and often over-played, Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. I write “over-played” because there have been literally hundreds of re-writes, parodies, tellings, and re-tellings in an untold myriad of formats that mostly, while often delightful fun fare for children, only scratch the surface of her timeless tales.

None of the rehashes adequately go behind – beneath, if you will – the true, um, more mature nature of Carroll’s stories. Most overlook the meaning of cunning metaphors, allegories, “in” jokes, puns, parodies, and commentaries on adult life in Victorian England. They have all, sadly, “missed the point”, failing to eat the right side of the mushroom, as it were, to “get it just right”.

But then, now along comes After Alice – just released today! –by Gregory Maguire, our own time-honored, modern-day storyteller, who, years ago, gave us Wicked, his iconic first novel about OZ. Once again, Macguire takes his “worpal” pen in hand and masterfully explores the depths of yet another classic tale. And, with precise wit and an easy-reading lilting writing style, finally gives Lewis Carroll and his narratives their intellectual due.

Told from the perspectives of Ada, briefly mentioned in Alice in Wonderland, and Lydia, Alice’s older sister, After Alice explores and exposes the mores and cultural nuances of Oxford in the mid-1860s – just as true and meaningful today as the were 150 years ago. Capitalizing on Carroll’s initial intentions and his own astute follow-up research, Macguire, as always, cleverly intertwines multi-faceted themes into a multi-layered plot line whose twists and turns rival that of Alice’s proverbial underground pathways.

Pursued by Mrs. Armstrong Headstrong, Ada has her own adventures as she chases through Wonderland after Alice. Throughout the escapades, there are running commentaries, including a back story of slavery; a treatise on Oxford culture; expositions on Biblical stories [Ada’s father is an Anglican vicar]; a host of literary allusions; specifics of Darwinism [we meet “the Great one himself]; overtones of adulthood versus childishness; and, of course, the usual puns, allegories, plays on words, and nonsensical, sensible jokes. It is obvious that this cunningly ingeniously inventive author had, with a glint in his eye, loads of fun writing what will quickly become the definitive best selling adult sequel to Carroll’s children’s tales.

When Alice first tumbled down the hole into adult foibles and obvious obliviousness, she lost not only a sense of herself but the sense and meaning of time. Which is precisely what happens when I wander into a Macguire book [I’ve read them all at least twice!]; always captivated in and by his writing. After Alice is no exception. In its entertaining as well as enlightening pages “Time slips all of its handcuffs.” And, as it did, I enjoyed yet another eternally enjoyable romp through the wonder lands of Gregory Macguire’s unique talents and vivid imagination.

Happy Birthday, Alice! After Alice is the perfect way to celebrate your anniversary. As the Mad Hatter says, “Now that’s my cup of tea!”

2:52 pm edt          Comments


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June J. McInerney, the host of this Literary Blog, is an author, poet, and librettist. Her currently published works include a novel, a book of spiritual inspirations, two volumes of poetry, stories for children (of all ages) and a variety of children's musicals. Her titles include:
 
Miss Elmira's Secret Treasure: A Novel of Phoenixville during the Early 1900s
Colonial Theatre: A Novel of Phoenixville during the Roarin' 20s 
Phoenix Hose, Hook & Ladder: A Novel of Phoenixville during World War I
Columbia Hotel: A Novel of Phoenixville during the Early 1900s
the Schuylkill Monster: A Novel of Phoenixville in 1978
The Prisoner's Portrait: A Novel of Phoenxville during World War II
Forty-Thirty 
Rainbow in the Sky
Meditations for New Members

Adventures of Oreigh Ogglefont
The Basset Chronicles.
Cats of Nine Tales
Spinach Water: A Collection of Poems
Exodus Ending: A Collection of More Spiritual Poems

We Three Kings

Beauty and the Beast

Bethlehem

Noah's Rainbow

Peter, Wolf, and Red Riding Hood

 

 

Originally from the New York metropolitan area, June currently lives near Valley Forge Park in Pennsylvania with her constant and loving companions, FrankieBernard and Sebastian Cat. She is currently working on her sixth novel.

June's novels can be purchased at amazon.com, through Barnes and Noble,
at the Historical Society of the Phoenixville Area,
and 
the Gateway Pharmacy in Phoenixvile, PA
.

For more information about her musicals, which are also available on amazon.com,