Publication details
Carrollova Alenka : kraj divů nejen pro děti
| Title in English | Carroll's Alice : Wonderland not only for children |
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| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2019 |
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| Description | A lecture presenting Alice in English and in Czech as a text that goes far beyond the limits of children's literature. Both volumes of Alice now belong to the most cited works of world literature, fascinating linguists, experts in semantics, math, physics, psychology, philosophy. What was the reception of Alice in the time of its first publication in Victorian England? And what was it in Czechia several decades later? The lecture shows that the scene was not fully prepared for Alice even after forty years, and also that one of the two oldest Czech version was actually tranlsated from German. It shows examples of what sort of play and allusions Carroll incorporated in the text, including the refined chess-based frame of the second volume and various hints aimed at adult readers. Forthemore, it points out what interpretations were later found in the texts, and what was lost in tranlsations. Is today's Alice a text for children, or rather for adults? And is the situation of the Czech Alice equal to that of her English counterpart? The personality of the author - including some speculations around him - and the translators is also discussed. |