Great Books

Great Books
To read or not to read?....that is a silly question!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

ALICE IN WONDERLAND

As an English teacher, I know I'm "supposed" to enjoy just about everything I read, but honestly, there is NOTHING I enjoy about Alice in Wonderland....yes, that includes the movie version with Johnny Depp.  It just is NOT an enjoyable story for me.  I love LOVE the Jabberwocky and think that poem is pure genius, but the story of Alice makes me want to go to sleep.....I finally read the whole thing and decided to quit basing my judgment on the story from the Disney version of the movie that I watched MANY years ago....guess what?  My dislike has grown rather than diminished.  It is just plain BORING.  Nothing really HAPPENS in the story.  Alice is only 7 and, granted, 7-year olds don't have the intellect I'm often looking for in stories, but even knowing that doesn't help this story.  This isn't an adventure....it's a boring walk through a pretty place with pretty descriptions.  Since I don't really enjoy the boring walk descriptive work of the Romantic poets, why would I like it any better with a 7-year old doing it?!

I've tried to at least find an appreciation for the story....I even decided to write my NaNoWriMo novel last November based on Alice in Wonderland.  My story idea came from a slip of the tongue by my husband when he called it ALEX in Wonderland.  I honestly thought it would be funny to write about a young man's (Alex's) adventure in Wonderland.  I read the book in preparation for writing my book, and....NOTHING.  Not only did the true story go nowhere for me, I was barely able to eke out 10,000 words out of the requisite 50,000 words for the month!!!! 

The only praise I can give for the book itself is...the ending.  Yeah.  That's it.  I like when it's O-V-E-R....Yes.  That includes the Johnny Depp move....sorry, Johnny....you can't be amazing in EVERYHING......

4 comments:

  1. I have also read stories in the past, that just didn't do anything for me. Even when reviewing the story for some "excitement", nothing. But when a discussion is started, and different opinions are added, somehow I looked at the "whole" of the story in a different way... Amazing, how influence, opinions, etc. can help open our minds... Kathleen M

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  2. I agree with you 100% on this! I haven't read the book, but the movie was horrible. It was so silly:) (and slightly scary!)

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  3. As a typical kid off the street who happens to be an english student, I am suppose to think lowly of literature works and dread over everything my teacher says, but, I happen to like this. I don't like it because I agree with you, its more of an enjoyment of seeing my instructors in agony before me Hahahaha just kidding(<---- excuse my informality =]), but I'll have to disagree with you on the movie. I like the movie version because I don't have to read it and it makes it funner. The visual effects as well as the horrible acting is pretty enjoyable. So as far as the literature goes, I think its pretty boring too I often fell asleep when reading the story even though it had pictures, I also sleep alot reading anything, but the movies are better becuase we get to see the creativeness of the directors and actually get to see something happening rather than read some words that eventually become "ZZZs".

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  4. I like Alice in Wonderland but thats probably because i saw it in 3D. I thought it was very cool and interesting the imagery was awesome and i really like the wild characters in the movie. I haven't read the book so i cant say much about it but i seen the movie with my wife and kid and we liked it pretty good.

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