Why am I passionate about this?
The best novels captivate readers, they bewitch them, mesmerize them by their vision. Like whirlpools, their pull is irresistible: they are immersive, and their creativity is contagious – and all of these novels have made me and many others want to write, or compose, or paint, or make films, or even to dress differently. As a Professor of Literature, most of my own creative energy has been focused on writing about and teaching these books in the most imaginative ways I can, to introduce their dazzling inventiveness to new generations of readers and learners. That is both a privilege and a passion – and with books such as these, it is also a pleasure.
Nick's book list on inspiring creativity
Why did Nick love this book?
Carroll – like Tolkien, an Oxford don – combined whimsical nonsense with arch satire in this lasting surreal fantasy of Alice, the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, and the Queen of Hearts, all beautifully illustrated by John Tenniel.
The language dances through puns and parodies to create a shimmering dreamworld of preposterous distortions, crazy perspectives, and crazier characters. It is probably the most inspirational book of the period.
The first film version appeared in 1903, and there have been scores of movies since then – Walt Disney admitted that no story in literature fascinated him more – as well as dozens of books and comics alluding to or adapting the novel, plays, and musicals, paintings and even a stained glass window in an English church, rock songs and street fashion, computer games and theme-parks, and recipes (again!).
1 author picked Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.
'But I don't want to go among mad people,' Alice remarked.
'Oh, you can't help that,' said the Cat. 'We're all mad here.'
The 'Alice' books are two of the most translated, most quoted, and best-known books in the world, but what exactly are they? Apparently delightful, innocent fantasies for children, they are also complex textures of mathematical, linguistic, and philosophical jokes. Alice's encounters with the White Rabbit, the Cheshire-Cat, the King and Queen of Hearts, the Mad Hatter, Tweedledum and Tweedledee and many other extraordinary characters have made them masterpieces of carefree nonsense, yet they
also appeal to adults…