Description
Book SynopsisMany commentaries have been devoted to Lewis Carroll's masterpiece, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The interpretations range from Freudian analysis to speculations about the real-life people who may have inspired the animal characters. In this unique approach to interpreting Alice, the fruit of ten years of research, Dr. Bernard M. Patten shows that Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll, fused his passion for logic, mathematics, and games with his love of words and nonsense stories to produce a multifaceted, intricately structured work of literature. Patten provides a chapter-by-chapter skeleton key to Alice, which meticulously demonstrates how its various episodes reveal Dodgson's profound knowledge of the rules of clear thinking, informal and formal logic, symbolic logic, and human nature. As Patten makes clear, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, far from being just an entertaining children's book, is more complex and deeply reflective of Dodgson's character than it may seem. By making an effort to understand its deeper layers, both children and adults may profit from this masterful tale by learning to think better and, along the way, having fun.
Trade Review"Brian Jenkins once again brings sound judgment and scholarship to perhaps the most difficult issue we will face--the likelihood that terrorists might obtain and use a nuclear weapon. Jenkins shows us how we must confront our fears with thoughtful and diligent action. We can afford to do no less. A must read. " --George Tenet, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency "There are things that rightly terrify us in this world, and Jenkins names them carefully. But fear is also used to control us. Beyond manipulation, this saps our strength and our spirit, leaving us immobilized, not fully human at all. Learning to distinguish the two is the gift of this book." --Bishop Carolyn Tanner Irish, Episcopal Bishop of Utah "The book has a fascinating climax: you are the president, a nuclear explosion has just occurred in Manhattan... This is the one part of the book that I wish to be available to the president and his cabinet and advisors if such an event ever occurs--preferably before it occurs... I hope a copy of Jenkins' book will be in the office of every senior official." --Thomas C. Schelling, Nobel Laureate.
Table of ContentsIntroduction; Down the Rabbit Hole; The Pool of Tears; A Caucus Race and a Long Tale; The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill; Advice from a Caterpillar; Pig and Pepper; A Mad Tea Party; The Queen's Croquet Ground; The Mock Turtle's Story; The Lobster Quadrille; Who Stole the Tarts?; Alice's Evidence.
