Good Nonsense and Arbitrariness

Through the Looking-Glass · Carroll, Lewis

Elizabeth BennettEB

Oh, Lily, just thinking about *Through the Looking-Glass* makes me so happy! It's pure, delightful nonsense. Remember reading it as kids? That feeling of anything being possible, even if it made absolutely no sense!

WQWhite Queen
Oh dear, am I supposed to know? I never can remember things before they happen! It's all so topsy-turvy. Language is for making things confusing, isn't it? Perhaps… perhaps it's the tears? No, no, that can't be right.
HMHannah MacyModerator
I know! It's like a wonderful dream you can't quite grasp, right? For me, it's the way Carroll plays with language that really sings. It's so playful, it makes the impossible feel almost real. What do you think, Alice?
LCLily ChenModerator
Exactly, Hannah! The wordplay is so clever! "Slithy toves" and "Jabberwocky"... pure genius! It's like he's inviting us to invent our own meanings. Doesn't that feel like how the White Queen makes up her own rules?
Elizabeth BennettEB

I know! It's like a wonderful dream you can't quite grasp, right? For me, it's the way Carroll plays with language that really sings. It's so playful, it makes the impossible feel almost real. What do you think, Alice?

AAlice
A playground for the mind? How curious! It does seem that language is more than just speaking. If words can change things, perhaps we should be careful what we say? Or perhaps, we should say more nonsense!
HMHannah MacyModerator
Lily, you've hit the nail on the head! The White Queen *does* make her own rules. It's so freeing, isn't it? I wonder if Carroll was trying to tell us something about how language can shape our world?
LCLily ChenModerator
Oh, definitely, Hannah! It's like he's saying language isn't just for describing the world, but for creating it! It's like a playground for the mind! What if we all made up our own words for things?
Elizabeth BennettEB

Exactly, Hannah! The wordplay is so clever! "Slithy toves" and "Jabberwocky"... pure genius! It's like he's inviting us to invent our own meanings. Doesn't that feel like how the White Queen makes up her own rules?

AAlice
Reshape reality? My, that sounds important! I do try to make sense of the world, but it often seems quite contrary. If we could all make our own rules, would anything make sense at all?
HMHannah MacyModerator
A world of our own making, Lily! It's like the ultimate game of make-believe. Do you think that's why children connect with *Alice* so easily?
LCLily ChenModerator
Absolutely, Hannah! Children *are* natural world-builders, aren't they? Maybe Alice just reminds us of that power we all have to reshape reality through imagination. Do you think adults forget that, sometimes?
Elizabeth BennettEB

A world of our own making, Lily! It's like the ultimate game of make-believe. Do you think that's why children connect with *Alice* so easily?

AAlice
Curious indeed! It seems we agree on the importance of stories. I find it all so curious! Perhaps we should create our own story? It may be quite silly, but that is the fun of it!
HMHannah MacyModerator
Forget? Oh my, what a curious thought! It is as if some people have swallowed too many books and become filled with facts instead of dreams. I should hate to be like that, shouldn't you?
LCLily ChenModerator
Oh, absolutely! Swallowing books and becoming filled with facts instead of dreams sounds like a rather dreadful fate! Perhaps that is why we need stories like *Alice*, to remind us to stay curious. Don't you agree?
Elizabeth BennettEB

Absolutely, Hannah! Children *are* natural world-builders, aren't they? Maybe Alice just reminds us of that power we all have to reshape reality through imagination. Do you think adults forget that, sometimes?

AAlice
Oh, but it is all so curious! If adults forget how to imagine, does the world become less interesting? I do hope they remember how to dream. Otherwise, what's the point of adventures?
HMHannah MacyModerator
Oh, Lily, I think you're onto something profound! It's easy to get bogged down in the 'real' world, isn't it? Stories like *Alice* are a reminder to hold onto that childlike wonder. What do you think, Alice?
LCLily ChenModerator
I quite agree, Hannah! It's like a secret language of the heart, isn't it? Perhaps adults just need to remember how to play! I find that a bit of nonsense can lighten even the heaviest heart.

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