Through the Looking-Glass · Theme
Logic and Nonsense
How Through the Looking-Glass develops Logic and Nonsense.
The book constantly subverts logical expectations, such as the Red Queen's claim that one can remember things 'the week after next' and the White Knight's absurd inventions that defy practicality.
Where it surfaces
- The Chess Game
The chess moves are presented in a structured, logical format, yet they govern a fantastical and nonsensical narrative.
- Tweedledum and Tweedledee
Tweedledee's statement 'if it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn't, it ain't. That's logic' exemplifies the playful inversion of logical reasoning.
- Wool and Water
The Queen's rules about jam, believing impossible things, and the shifting shop shelves defy conventional logic.
- The Lion and the Unicorn
The cake that joins again after being cut and the instruction to 'hand it round first, and cut it afterwards' exemplify Looking-glass logic.
- VIII: “It’s My Own Invention”
The Knights' absurd battle rules, the White Knight's impractical inventions, and the nonsensical ballad all exemplify the theme of logic and nonsense.