Mimesis in Alice in Wonderland
Essay on mimesis in Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass
A quest in search for the elements which consitute a new notion of mimesis in Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass
Mimésis ve světové literatuře/Klára Kolínská, Úterý 10:50 – 12:25
“Who in the world am I?” Ah, that’s the great puzzle.[1] This question, asked by Alice herself at the beginning of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, anticipates the theme of identity and the reflection of mimesis in the literary nonsense and the author develops the subjects to the utmost and deepest experience in the two texts. By setting his main character in the world which creates a contrast to the Victorian age, Carrol embarks on a journey to explore certain aspects of the role language plays in communication, 'logical' nonsense and most importantly, he explores a new approach to the mimetic tradition. Moreover, he comments upon the notion of language as a social and cultural tool and discusses its values in the relation to the Victorian society. The aim of this essay is to discuss the various aspects of these and their influence on literature in regard to the Victorian atmosphere and further demonstrate the essential role of Carroll's nonsensical writing and the language play in relation to the mimetic tradition, which has certainly undergone a core change in Carroll's texts. The two Alice books by Lewis Carrol serve as a manifesto of the author's disapproval of the Victorian society. This can be seen in the Duchess' statement: “Everything's got a moral, if only you can find it.”[2] In this statement Carroll, ironically, gives an account of the Victorian society governed by the flurry of important-sounding, yet empty and dull rules. He invites Alice and the reader to embark on a chaotic journey in Wonderland by which he evokes a notion of a world completely absurd and different to the Victorian one. As
A quest in search for the elements which consitute a new notion of mimesis in Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass
Mimésis ve světové literatuře/Klára Kolínská, Úterý 10:50 – 12:25
“Who in the world am I?” Ah, that’s the great puzzle.[1] This question, asked by Alice herself at the beginning of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, anticipates the theme of identity and the reflection of mimesis in the literary nonsense and the author develops the subjects to the utmost and deepest experience in the two texts. By setting his main character in the world which creates a contrast to the Victorian age, Carrol embarks on a journey to explore certain aspects of the role language plays in communication, 'logical' nonsense and most importantly, he explores a new approach to the mimetic tradition. Moreover, he comments upon the notion of language as a social and cultural tool and discusses its values in the relation to the Victorian society. The aim of this essay is to discuss the various aspects of these and their influence on literature in regard to the Victorian atmosphere and further demonstrate the essential role of Carroll's nonsensical writing and the language play in relation to the mimetic tradition, which has certainly undergone a core change in Carroll's texts. The two Alice books by Lewis Carrol serve as a manifesto of the author's disapproval of the Victorian society. This can be seen in the Duchess' statement: “Everything's got a moral, if only you can find it.”[2] In this statement Carroll, ironically, gives an account of the Victorian society governed by the flurry of important-sounding, yet empty and dull rules. He invites Alice and the reader to embark on a chaotic journey in Wonderland by which he evokes a notion of a world completely absurd and different to the Victorian one. As