It’s Sunday evening. I’ve just realized that for the whole day I’ve been reading up for tomorrow lecture and for the whole day I’ve been smiling like the Cheshire cat. It’ll be Carroll’s Alice. There’s sort of inexplicable Magic about Alice that works in the same way whatever time I open it. Some sweet madness which I don’t mind. Do you remember the dialogue?
– We’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.
– How d’you know I’m mad?
–You must be, or you wouldn’t have come here.
click on the picture for a closer view
You know what I mean? Are you among that mad folk as well?
What's Alice to you?
What's Alice to you?
Can't forget your workshop on Alice... Sure, you've upgraded it to higher standards... :)
ОтветитьУдалитьWell.... What does Alice mean to me? It is the unforgettable book. Especially you imbued with this book, reading it in the original. I can imagine, how difficult, but interesting it was for the interpreters of this book to translate it. I want to add, that it was funny to read the original and compare it with the translation of several writers, as there is a fabulous play on words in Alice, which each translator interprets in their own way. This amazing story will be interesting not only for a child, but for an adult too. "As with an iceberg, in sight of the product is only a small part of the meaning. In the depths of obscurity and mystery lies something more, to know that can only an expert of the Cheshire cat’s smile... " :)
ОтветитьУдалитьThanx for your high appraisal, Talgat. This year Alice slipped by noiselessly, unnoticed. Marvelling at the inability of these students to see her miracle…
ОтветитьУдалитьThat's weird... They don't feel like reading... With my students it always comes down to the same thing: they can't see the author's message in a text even if it is ON THE SURFACE! The question that is on is WHY?!
ОтветитьУдалитьThe reason is simple, I think. Absence of reading habit (serious literature, I mean), and, as a result, the inability to see what seems obvious to us. I ‘m talking of the vast majority of students, of course, there’re few rare capable species, threatened with extinction. For the same reason Alice’s magic is wasted on them.
ОтветитьУдалитьI’ve always been sure that you can’t dislike Alice if you understand it. Only those poor who don’t , remain indifferent to her charm. Do you think I’m wrong?
I'd like to argue with you) What do everyone understand by "the author's message"? Is it right to look for "what did the author want to say"? HOW can we know what he meant saying this or that? From my point of view perception of the literature is TOTALLY subjective. Reading is a kind of creativity, and each of us can find in the same book the message that no one alse could before - and, perhaps, the one that the autor had never meant. And that, what may be on the surface for you, may be not so obvious for your students. And thay must not every time feel what you feel reading this or that book, or think what you think.
ОтветитьУдалитьWhat about Alice - well, this is something so absurd, so incredible, so unimaginable, that it's just impossible to feel it the same way even for two people, and even for one person, because everytime you reread it, you find something else, what slipped away from you before...) And of course no one can dislike Alice - because it is impossible to resist the charm of her world. And I think, it is impossible to undersand it - as well as not to understand...)
You’re actually arguing with one of the commentators, not me. TOTALLY subjective views are what I expect from you. Yet, there’re texts which make us close, turn into a family breathing in unison. Heaven forbid that we should extract messages from Carroll’s text. I was talking about cold detachment this course treated Alice with. There were condescending smiles, too. I used to hear enthusiastic impressions or applause. These are better suited to Alice, don’t you think?
ОтветитьУдалитьTo Lu: thanks for commenting but I'm not trying to push this... If that's the way you feel about it... Hmm, is it OK if I put it into other words? THEY DO NOT SEE OR FEEL ANYTHING, JUST DON'T CARE! Baffled? I'm not...
ОтветитьУдалитьTo Irina: You are right, of course) may be we should be more emotional) But I really don't think that that's because we do not like Alice or didnt' read it. Believe me, being aware of your love to it, all our course(at least those who I know) reread the book and even those, who hasn't read it before, finally did it.)) And as I has already said, it's impossible not to be fascinated by this world)
ОтветитьУдалитьTo Talgat: no, I'm not baffled. I see what you mean. But I think you shouldn't be upset. Those, who want to get something from you and your classes, will manage it. and believe me, there will be such people, though the number of them may be not so great as you want)
It gets curiouser and curiouser! Except one word - "should", unacceptable, when talking about falling down a Rabbit hole. I couldn't write him with a small letter. )))
ОтветитьУдалитьFor me, Alice is a sweet melody of my childhood. I was crazy about that cartoon. Than I have read a book in Russia, later in the original. I always wanted to visit such unreal place, as Wonderland. It makes me happy to read this book and to dream about it. Today I'm fond of Tim Burtons film about Alice. What an exiting Hatter!!! What a wonderfull Rabit!!! I enjoy watching this film again and again! I think it to be a great work! Every time I fall in this imaging world, like Alice in a Rabbit hole. How interesting it is to be a grown-up person and still smiling and wondering as a child. It gives me a chance to feel better the world around me. (Nastya 402a)
ОтветитьУдалитьI guess this Sweet melody of childhood makes 2 of us. Though I > love 1999 screen adaptation, with Whoopi Goldberg as Chesire Cat and Vartin Short as Hatter. ))))
УдалитьAlice, Alice, you must look at what you have done!...)))
ОтветитьУдалитьNow i know that If i ever do see a rabbit and follow him, like Alice, i may find myself in Wonderland!)))("Любое приключение должно с чего-либо начаться… банально, но даже здесь это правда…"Чеширский кот)
It is really an interesting, wonderful and famous book! It has been translated in 80 languages, adapted for theater, TV, and today it is one of the most quoted works in English literature.It can be enjoyed at lots of different levels. Alice in Wonderland is a humorous fantasy novel about a child's dream world with strange people and animals.There is a lot of action and excitement, book contains drawings to make it fun to read.
Of course when a child I wanted to be in her place too! But i could only see Wonderland through Alice's perspective and listens to her inner-monologues.
Its interesting to point out that now i understand why some people don't like the book! The reason is that they don't understand it!They say it has no sense!(Если в мире все бессмысленно, — сказала Алиса, — что мешает выдумать какой-нибудь смысл?))) The book was written not only for children! The book is very didactic. You can see how little girl Alice becomes very wise and clever. Just pay attention at her words,thoughts and reasoning!Pay attention at that fact that she criticizes the world!Now i understand that all characters in Wonderland symbolize people and their qualities and actions in real word!(Во всем есть своя мораль, нужно только уметь ее найти!)
This book is a masterpiece because you can keep going back to it.By the way,using quotes from the book won't let you down!
- Начни с начала, - важно ответил Король, - продолжай, пока не дойдешь до конца. Как дойдешь - кончай!»
The book must be read in childhood and reread when you are grown-up.
Когда-то в детстве я уже читала приключения Алисы, смотрела мультики об этой удивительной девочке, но цепь событий смутно помнила, только какие-то особо выделяющиеся для детского ума фрагменты, например Чеширский Кот, большая синяя гусеница, крашеные розы. Однако, перечитав два произведения заново, своим более-менее созревшим восприятием я заметила то, чего не замечала ранее. Такое ощущение, что в детстве я читала не слишком вдумчиво. А может, наоборот. Суть в том, что я не замечала игры слов, всё моё внимание акцентировалось лишь на событиях, куда Алиса пошла на этот раз или «Вау, Алиса выросла настолько большой, что еле поместилась в доме». А сейчас моё внимание больше привлекла игра слов, например: оса - осина, бабочка - БА! БОЧКА, стрекозы – с три козы. И оба произведения просто изобилуют подобным, я лишь взяла примеры из одной сцены.
ОтветитьУдалить«Алиса в стране Чудес» как и «Алиса в Зазеркалье» читать очень интересно, особенно если есть свободное время и никуда торопиться не надо, ибо междудельно прочитав кусочек там, кусочек здесь – вряд ли сложится цельная картина и точное понимание содержания. Признаться, даже после первого осознанного прочтения, Алиса для меня остаётся не до конца разгаданной. И я едва ли тешу себя надеждой, что пойму всё со второго или даже третьего раза. Мне кажется, перечитывая произведения каждый раз, снова и снова будут всплывать какие-то детали, какие-то послания между строк, которые ты сперва не заметил, но которые так хотел донести автор.
Вряд ли я смогу постичь историю Алисы так же глубоко, как постигли её Вы, но я не отчаиваюсь! Потому что кое-что я для себя уже поняла: не стоит так же поспешно и слепо делать выводы, как Червонный Король. Не стоит тут же кричать «Украдена!» на простую фразу «Она не моя». Конечно, ту шляпу Болванщик держал для продажи, но, может, ему её папа подарил.
P.S. И, конечно, нужно быть немножечко mad (в хорошем смысле), чтобы пережить все эти приключения вместе с Алисой. Иначе мы так и не окажемся в Стране Чудес!
Why are you sure I do comprehend it? I just love it! All the things you enumerated and many more!
УдалитьAnd I like your style! "шляпу Болванщик держал для продажи, но, может, ему её папа подарил")))))))))
Come back to Alice to wonder about yourself, how you change, Alina. It's fun!