Thursday, January 3, 2019

Gardens of Good and Evil: Part 3 - Alice in Wonderland

Image altered from Pexels.com
Welcome back. See part 1 and part 2 of this series here.

I don’t consider myself to be obsessive even with things I geek-out over. However, my love for all things Batman, Winnie the Pooh, Betty Boop, and Gardens does sometimes border on the line of obsessive. I mean, I have an entire Pinterest Board dedicated to images of gardens. The crazy thing is, I’m highly allergic to nature; still, I’ve never let that stop me from adoring it. I guess that’s why I’ve always been drawn to stories featuring gardens, whether magical or malevolent. I like being able to have the garden experience without all the sneezing and watery eyes. And, of course, I’ve found ways to sneak nature and gardens into my own writing. In this series, I’ll be writing about some of the most influential or creative stories featuring gardens that I’ve come across.

Today I’ll be talking about a beloved children’s story that has spawned many reimaginings, films, and more. For me, Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol is all about looking at things in different ways.

Goodreads.com
Stories like Alice in Wonderland are important to the development of thriving societies. Really, I’m not joking. These are the kinds of stories that reach children at a young age and teach them how to look at things differently, or even better, see beyond the surface (stereotypes) and see things and people for what they really are- special and unique.

To me, reading Alice in Wonderland was an incognito way of learning problem-solving skills. Alice goes through a lot in that story, and even though a lot of it is silly nonsense, Alice quickly learns to be on her guard and not expect everything to be as it was back in her world. I think it’s a story about travel and how to do it well. A well-traveled person appreciates their home but thrives in other lands, making friends through respect and the application of flexible "street smarts".

Gardens in this story represent gateways and opportunity. Alice finds the White Rabbit in a garden and later shrinks herself to enter another garden because she recognizes that that’s the best way for her to get where and what she wants most of all. I’m actually working on a story, have been for about two years, about a garden that’s a gateway of sorts (it’s also a library). No, this story has nothing to do with Alice in Wonderland and anyone who hasn’t read this article will never know the connection, but I do.
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COMMENTS

nicola L Osguthorpe

2 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
 
I also love the magical element of the gardens Alice explores in this book. I enjoyed your post Toi.
 
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Tricia Drammeh via Google+

3 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
 
 
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Alexandra Butcher

4 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
 
I once played the executioner, and an aardvark in the play of Alice in Wonderland. I think it was an aardvark...

Great story anyway.
 
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Alexandra Butcher via Google+

4 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Check out this post
 
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Robert Nacke via Google+

4 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
Erika M Szabo originally shared this
 
Today. Toi Thomas is talking about a beloved children’s story, Alice in Wonderland at #OurAuthorGang
 
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Erika M Szabo

4 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Makes me want to read it again! Great post :)
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It's still a fun story.

P. J. Mann via Google+

4 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
 
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Ruth de Jauregui via Google+

4 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Toinette Thomas shares another garden in literature -- the famous gardens of Alice in Wonderland. Stop by #OurAuthorGang to revisit this classic and read Toi's take on it!
 
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Ruth de Jauregui

4 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
 
A great post! I love Alice in Wonderland. It's fun and interesting for a kid and has plenty of dark shadows to interest an adult. Thank you, Toi!
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Joe Bonadonna

4 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Another great post, Toi! Haven't read Alice in Wonderland in Decades. Time to take my copy down from the shelf.
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Yes, reread it a few years ago. Still, good.

Joe Bonadonna via Google+

4 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Today on #OurAuthorGang, author Toinette Thomas gives us another interesting installment of her Gardens of Good and Evil, in which she discusses Alice in Wonderland.
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Chris Weigand

4 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
 
I don't think I have ever read Alice in Wonderland, so your interpretations of the story are intriguing and I may have to go back and read it.
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I find that I see things in stories that others may not, so keep that in mind. Still, it's worth reading.

Chris Weigand via Google+

4 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Alice in Wonderland, gardens. Who knew. Journey with Toi into this fascinating world.
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Toi Thomas via Google+

4 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Today, I discuss Alice in Wonderland and how it influened me. #OurAuthorGang
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Stephanie Collins via Google+

4 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
Erika M Szabo originally shared this
 
Today. Toi Thomas is talking about a beloved children’s story, Alice in Wonderland at #OurAuthorGang
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Eva Pasco

4 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Toi, may your "garden" flourish creatively and intuitively in your story.
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Thank you very much.

Erika M Szabo via Google+

4 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Today. Toi Thomas is talking about a beloved children’s story, Alice in Wonderland at #OurAuthorGang
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Thanks for sharing.

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