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Through the Looking Glass, Sir John Tenniel, 1871
Looking Glass Day
Nov 4
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
"It's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then."
Are you having a Looking Glass Day? Year? Are the slithy toves and mome raths getting you down? If you feel as if you've fallen down a rabbit hole where "everything that is, isn't, and everything that isn't is," or if it seems as if you've pushed through a looking glass into a world of confusion where everything is backwards and all logic is reversed, you are not alone! The date of the official Looking Glass Day is derived from hints in the text of Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking Glass." Both Alice and Humpty Dumpty make reference to events which mark the date as the day before Guy Fawkes Night and six months after the date of Alice's first adventure in Wonderland! In the story, Alice climbs up on the fireplace mantel and poke at the wall-hung mirror behind the fireplace to discover that she is able to step through it to an alternative world! Alice continues her adventures in this mirror world of twisted logic and confusion as one of the characters participating unwillingly in an obfuscated virtual chess game as a pawn. Hmmm ... stave off the madness with this 3 or 4 couple reel which contains of course, mirror reels! 💙 🤍 💗 💙 🐈⬛ 🪞♟️
Through the Looking Glass
Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (1871) is the sequel to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. The story follows Alice as she steps through a mirror in her home and enters a fantastical, chess-inspired world where everything is reversed. She encounters numerous characters, including the Red Queen, White Queen, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and the enigmatic Humpty Dumpty. As Alice navigates this strange land, she moves through a series of increasingly peculiar situations, resembling the moves of a pawn on a chessboard, ultimately becoming a queen herself. The novel culminates with Alice waking from what seems to be a dream, blurring the line between reality and imagination.
Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass is renowned for its intricate wordplay, puzzles, and themes of duality and opposition. The mirror world reflects not just visual reversals but also societal and linguistic inversions, questioning established norms. Characters like Humpty Dumpty embody Carroll's playful approach to language, challenging logic and conventional definitions, suggesting that words and meanings are flexible and subjective.
The story is also structured like a chess game, reflecting Carroll’s interest in logic and strategy. Alice’s progression on the chessboard can symbolize a journey of personal growth and self-discovery, highlighting her transformation from a pawn to a queen. The book’s puzzles, such as riddles and nonsensical dialogues, encourage readers to think critically and embrace ambiguity. Through these layers, Carroll invites readers to question reality, challenging them to discern between sense and nonsense in the world around them.
For more about this classic story, click Sir John Tenniel's famous illustration below!
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!
