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Cover of Alice in Wonderland: A Dramatization of Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass"

Alice in Wonderland: A Dramatization of Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass"

Written by Lewis Carroll,Alice Gerstenberg

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Children's playsFantasy drama

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About this book

"Alice in Wonderland" by Alice Gerstenberg and Lewis Carroll is a dramatic adaptation of the classic stories "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass," written in the early 20th century. This play captures the whimsical and nonsensical adventures of Alice as she navigates a surreal world populated by peculiar characters and engaging dialogues. Thematically, the play centers around themes of identity, curiosity, and the absurdity of societal rules. The storyline follows Alice as she falls through a rabbit hole into Wonderland, where she encounters various fantastical creatures like the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, and the Queen of Hearts. Throughout her journey, Alice grapples with changes in her size, engages in illogical conversations, and participates in nonsensical games like croquet with live flamingos and hedgehogs. As she moves through this bizarre landscape, she learns to question authority and the structures of her reality. Ultimately, her adventures challenge her understanding of identity and logic, culminating in a surreal courtroom trial that emphasizes the ridiculousness of the world she has entered, before she awakens back in her own reality.

Reading guide

Themes, characters and key ideas in Alice in Wonderland: A Dramatization of Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass", written by Chaptra AI.

  • about 8 hours
  • intermediate
  • whimsical
  • nonsensical
  • surreal

Alice Gerstenberg's early 20th-century dramatization masterfully weaves together Lewis Carroll's 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' and 'Through the Looking Glass' into a cohesive theatrical experience. The play follows young Alice as she tumbles into a surreal world, a dreamscape populated by a host of eccentric, illogical characters and events. Through encounters with figures like the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, and the tyrannical Queen of Hearts, Alice grapples with fluctuating identity, challenges to her logic, and the arbitrary nature of authority. This adaptation vividly explores themes of childhood curiosity, the absurdity of societal conventions, and the profound questions of self-discovery, culminating in her eventual return to reality with a new perspective.

“Curiouser and curiouser!”

Key themes

Identity and Self-Discovery
Alice's constant changes in size, coupled with characters repeatedly asking 'Who are you?', force her to grapple with her own sense of self. This theme explores the fluidity of identity, especially during childhood, and the process of defining oneself in a world that constantly challenges one's perceptions.
Logic vs. Nonsense
The entire world of Wonderland operates on an inverse logic, where rules are arbitrary, conversations are paradoxical, and reason is constantly subverted. This theme highlights the absurdity of strict adherence to logic while also reveling in the creative potential of nonsense, challenging Alice's (and the audience's) understanding of reality and order.
Childhood and Adulthood
The play can be read as an allegory for the transition from the innocence and straightforward logic of childhood to the often-complex, hypocritical, and nonsensical world of adults. Alice's child-like questions and desire for order clash with the arbitrary and often cruel behavior of the adult-like inhabitants of Wonderland.

Worth discussing

How does the play's episodic structure contribute to its dreamlike quality?

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