The Making of the Alice Books: Lewis Carroll's Uses of Earlier Childrens' Literature

Reichertz (English, McGill U., Canada) proposes that Lewis Carroll's Alice books make use of a literary tradition that includes two conventions: first, traditional kinds of children's literature, such as moral and informational didacticism, nursery rhymes, and fairy tales; and second, general literary motifs and forms, such as the world turned upside down, the looking-glass book, and the dream vision, that had been assimilated into children's literature. He explores the possible influences of particular works, and appends numerous selections from the works, many of which are reproduced in their original published form. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.