I. Down the Rabbit Hole

When we first encouner Alice in her adventures \'Under Ground\', she is engaged in her own literary critique of the bound tome her sister is reading. \'where is the use of a book, thought Alice, without pictures or conversations?\' The same sentiment is expressed when Alice moves into print, only \'where\' becomes \'what.\' Following on this contemplation as a promise, the manuscript contains 37 illustrations and many more conversations. While these illustrations depict a girl with long, curly hair, there is an expression that draws to mind photographs fo the young Alice Liddell. Many of the illustrations also contain blueprints for Tenniel\'s future iconic versions, such as the elongated Alice who takes up a full side of the page in the manuscript version. The transition from orality to literacy (to again invoke Ong) is embedded in these illustrations.
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