Alice in Adaptation: Disney’s Re-Imaginations of Lewis Carroll’s Victorian Girl-Child

Abstract

Since the publication of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, it has proven to be an inexhaustible source for adapters. The character is still much beloved nearly 150 after Carroll’s original Alice. According to many critics, Carroll’s Alice broke with the tradition of the girl-child. This thesis explores the concept of the girl-child in relation to Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. Subsequently, it compares its findings to two of the most influential adaptations, namely the 1951 animation and the 2010 live-action film by Tim Burton, both of which were produced by Disney. Each adaptation has failed to represent the Alice from Carroll’s novel as the antithesis of the Victorian girl-child.