The Looking Glass Wars

How does the author reimagine the setting, story, and characters of Alice in Wonderland? What are some similarities and differences between Beddor’s adaptation and the original story? How does Beddor use both literary and historical allusions (to Carroll’s original story and real-life historical figures) to construct the setting, character, and plot? Why do you think Beddor chose to do so?

Teaching Suggestion: It may be helpful to connect this prompt to the pre-reading questions on the novel’s literary and historical context. Students may be prompted to review their pre-reading knowledge about Lewis Carrol and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland before considering this prompt. Students may then analyze how the author incorporates that context into the novel via allusion and evaluate the effect of the author’s choices.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students who struggle with abstract thinking may be helped by beginning with a discussion of allusion, which may help contextualize the goal of the discussion prompt. An additional  review of pre-reading notes will help students recall their knowledge before applying it to the text. Students may identify places in the text where they noticed significant  similarities or allusions to Carroll’s work  and other places where the author incorporated historical context.