Merlyn's Musings~: StoryBook Club goes Through the Looking Glass

"The time has come to speak of many things,
of shoes and ships and sealing wax....
Of cabbages and Kings,
and why the sea is boiling hot
and whether pigs have wings...."

But first let me light this joint.

Oh, excuse me. I was just getting ready to delve into Lewis Carrol's "Through the Looking Glass" and wanted a little extra help explaining the themes. I figure a little smoky inspiration would be appropriate as this story was truly whacked.

(sound of a flick of a lighter....wafting smoke billows and wisps lazily through the room)

There, that's better.....

I know that the author was writing for the benefit of entertaining children and trying to keep their attention, but frankly, it's like he just sat down and started scribbling blindly, sometimes making us laugh outloud and sometimes meandering like a lost old lady in Kmart. Some of the story was brilliant and some of it, well,
I just wanted to shake the author and say, "oh fer fuck's sake, get ON with it!"

Contrariwise, it was fun and creative.
But on the other hand it was presumptive, totally illogical and blathering.
In other words, we liked it.

A long time ago, I learned the Jabberwocky to recite and yet, the description to some of the words was finally revealed through the story tonight!

Humpty Dumpty (just before he turned into a mess on the floor) clued Alice and all of us, the following:

Brillig: 4 o'clock in the afternoon, when you begin broiling dinner.

Slithy: lithe & slimey

Gyre: to go round & round like a gyroscope

Gimble: to make holes like a gimlet

Wabe: the grass plot round a sundial

Mimsy: flimsy & miserable

Borogrove: a thin shabby looking bird with its feathers sticking out all round- something like a live mop.

And so on and so forth and like that....on and on....

It was a silly book. Entertaining and odd and one of the most frightening children's books that a child could probably read. The imagery, especially Tweedledum and Tweedledee, the Red Queen...and the Duchess....well, they were really quite disturbing to
all of us as wee ones.

How'ere, at our StoryBook Club meeting, we adventured into the land of lost forks in the road, lions and unicorns and weeping Mock Turtles with bold strides!

A chess match is the story of Alice through the Looking Glass and a rousing game of chess was played this evening for fun as well!

The food was great as usual! Kate hosted the evening this night and the table looked great!

Zucchini Bread, Humpty Dumpty's Demise Quiche, Watermelon, Salad, Veggies, Pesto Lasagna, Peach Cobbler, Checkerboard Finger Sandwiches,

Buffalo Wing Dip,Gentleman's Cherry Wine, Un-birthday Cake....

I'm sure I'm forgetting something....

maybe I should just walk backwards until I remember it...

Oh yes. Since this is an Adult club of Children Literature Lovers, someone booted up the Internet to regale us with a different version of the story. An Adult movie "Alice in Wonderland."
As Stephanie said (and posted on her Facebook status)
"Musical Porn is a bad idea."
WORD.
I think some of the 1970s film producers were also smoking the hooka with the caterpillar on that one....

But surely I digress :)

We've decided that next month, in honor of fall time and the coming winds that bring down the leaves, we are sure we will have a blustery day.