The Looking Glass Wars

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What comes to mind when you hear the title Alice in Wonderland? What do you already know about the story?

Teaching Suggestion: It may be helpful to have students discuss this in small groups before a class discussion. It may be beneficial to have students identify what kind of media they associate with the story; for example, students may have been introduced to Alice through the 1951 Disney cartoon, the 2010 Tim Burton live-action film, Carroll’s original novel , or another adaptation. Through small group discussion, students may compare their experiences to their peers and consider the numerous  multimedia  adaptations this classic tale inspired, which can then transition into a class discussion on the story’s cultural impact and history.

• This article gives a thorough plot synopsis of Carroll’s original novel, along with a brief description of its inspiration and the novel’s cultural impact at the time of its publication and thereafter.
• The Project Gutenberg eBooks of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel, Alice Through the Looking-Glass, offers students a glimpse of the original story’s complete text.
• This Project Gutenberg eBook compiles John Tenniel’s original illustrations for Alice, offering students an opportunity to consider how the vignettes may have inspired the story elements in other Alice adaptations.

2. Who was Lewis Carroll?

Teaching Suggestion: Because this question is broad, it may be helpful to give students guided questions to consider. Students might predict the answer to questions such as the period  in which Lewis Carroll lived, which country he was from, and what he was notable for. Prompting students to speculate on Carroll’s inspiration for Alice can help transition into contextual discussion. Developing students’ knowledge of historical and authorial context will help them identify and analyze the novel’s allusions to real-life figures such as Charles Dodgson and the Liddell family.

• This list of FAQs from the Lewis Carroll Society of North America provides helpful information on Carroll’s background, pen name, notable works, and his connection with Alice Liddell, the speculated inspiration for Carroll’s novel. It may be helpful to excerpt selected FAQs , as not all questions on the page may be relevant.
• This photo of Carroll, taken from the digital Charles Lutwidge Dodgson Photography Collection at the University of Texas’s Harry Ransom Center, depicts Carroll in approximately 1872, around the same time that Alice Through the Looking-Glass was published.

Differentiation Suggestion: A series of guided questions or tasks may help students unfamiliar  with Lewis Carroll. Students can use the provided LCSNA FAQ page to search for answers to questions about Lewis Carroll’s real name, the time  in which he lived, his work outside of the literary sphere, and his inspiration for the Alice novels. More advanced students can  independently research similar but more open-ended questions. For example, they can investigate important  biographic details, information on Carroll’s other literary works, and his notable contributions to mathematics and photography.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

Everyone has their own identity, but it may change as you grow. How has your identity changed over your lifetime? Are there any significant  moments or events in your life that have changed your perspective of yourself or your world? Has someone ever questioned values or beliefs that are important to you? How did that make you feel?

Teaching Suggestion: Identity conflict is a central part of Alyss’s story as she finds herself displaced from her world and into a reality that ruptures her belief in herself. This prompt will help students connect to the novel’s themes of Belief as a Tool of Empowerment and the Importance of Emotional Balance before reading. Students will reflect on central aspects of their identities and how they would react if someone questioned their reality. This prompt has the potential to elicit sensitive subjects in response, however, so it may be beneficial to establish expectations and guidelines. For example, if you prefer students not to discuss gender or sexual identity, it may be helpful to request that students respond with how their values have changed over time.