Alice in Wonderland, the character in Jane Eyre Gets Real who has the longest hair, sympathizes with the recent plight of #TessicaBrown. As you may know, Tessica is the #gorillagluegirl, who tried to keep her hairstyle intact with a dab of yes, Gorilla Glue. In bygone centuries keeping your hair on was no picnic, as these styles can attest: Continue reading Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
In an all-too literal world, Alice in Wonderland–appearing courtesy of #LewisCarroll in the novel Jane Eyre Gets Real–recommends the following old-fashioned diversions: The Cricket on the Hearth: A Fairy Tale of Home by Charles Dickens: an early Dickens novel where a chirping cricket acts as a young family’s guardian angel. Set during #Christmas, it was a Victorian sentimental favorite and was produced several times on the stage, both in England and Russia. Grimm’s Fairy Tales: Get a complete edition of the original stories (there should be over 200 tales), preferably in a leather-bound, gilt-edged edition. #Disney adaptations notwithstanding, these are … Continue reading Christmas Fairy Tales
Alice in Wonderland, created by Lewis Carroll and appearing in the novel Jane Eyre Gets Real, is no stranger to the madcap. Therefore, she was entranced to learn of a rare yellow #turtle spotted in West Bengal, #India earlier this week. A farmer working in his paddy fields saw the turtle and decided to bring it home, struck by its unusual coloring. It was handed over to scientists who declared they had never seen anything quite like it before. The turtle’s golden hue shared by curry, sunshine and daffodils, is probably a result of lack of pigment–he simply didn’t make … Continue reading R U As Unique As This Turtle?
Alice in Wonderland, a character in Annabelle Troy’s whimsical novel Jane Eyre Gets Real, loves roses. To combat the #coronavirus blues she is planning on holding a celebration tea on June 8th, the day #NewYorkCity is scheduled to come out of #lockdown. Not only will she serve everything on rose-patterned china, the menu too will be based on this classic flower. Keep in mind that roses in their natural state are edible–beware though of long-stemmed beauties from the florist’s, as they might have been treated with insecticides harmful to humans. Alice’s Rosy Menu: Rose Jelly on Crumpets–aka Rose Jam https://www.gourmeturca.com/rose-jam Organic … Continue reading Eat Your Rosebuds While Ye May
Warning: Spoiler Alerts—Swedes Gone Mad Alice in Wonderland, created by Lewis Carroll, is now a character in the novel Jane Eyre Gets Real. Like everyone else staying home during the #coronavirus pandemic, she’s catching up on her movies. Having missed #Midsommar the first go-round she watched it on #AmazonPrime last night. It was freaky even for her, a former denizen of Wonderland. Petite blonde actress #FlorencePugh (Amy in the recent Little Women remake) might play Alice one day. She has the right look for it. Meanwhile in Midsommar she revels in the lead role of Dani. Distraught by the recent deaths of … Continue reading Blame It On The Rune: Review of Midsommar
Did you know that February is Adopt A #Rabbit Month? So if you are not ready for the commitment of a child, or even a dog, a bunny might be a good place to start. Rabbits are intelligent and naturally hygienic–they can be taught to use a litter box; they are non-vocal (except when they purr), and they don’t need much physical space, not even a hutch. They are better off inside than outside and make for content apartment-dwellers. Moreover, they come in many varieties, all with great names such as Easter Cottontail, Flemish Giant, Jersey Wooly and Fuzzy Lop. … Continue reading Be A Heroine: Rescue A Rabbit
Alice, stranded in contemporary New York City where she’s a character in Jane Eyre Gets Real, has been catching up on episodes of #TheCrown. The often-strained relationship between #QueenElizabeth and her younger sister Princess Margaret has made Alice remember her own sister. In Lewis Carroll’s masterpiece, Alice’s older sister is mentioned only twice, at the very beginning and the very end, and is never given a name. Right before Alice falls into a rabbit hole the sister is depicted reading a book without illustrations; at the tale’s conclusion Alice, returned from Wonderland, confides in her sister that she has had some … Continue reading Alice in Wonderland’s Sister
The characters of Jane Eyre Gets Real by Annabelle Troy may be better known for their whimsy than their stamina. Below are the resolutions of the famous nine, which have proven to be a tall order: Hester Prynne: stop compulsively embroidering Alice in Wonderland: don’t follow strange rabbits Heidi: trade that dirndl for some North Face Emma Bovary: clip coupons Jane Eyre: don’t become engaged to already-married men Sherlock Holmes: no more mansplaining, even to Dr. Watson Mr. Darcy: never marry a bookish girl with an irritating mother & ineligible sisters David Copperfield: step up and be the hero of my own life … Continue reading Already Broken #NewYearResolutions
Alice in Wonderland, a character in Annabelle Troy’s droll novel Jane Eyre Gets Real, is known to love tea parties. Transported by magic out of Wonderland and into the heat of a NYC summer, Alice has learned to make iced tea instead. This treat was relatively unknown to the Victorians. Before refrigerators were invented people had to rely on ice houses, man-made structures built underground near freshwater lakes. By the end of the 19th century a lot of families did have “ice boxes”, which were made of wood and lined with zinc or tin. A man would make daily rounds of … Continue reading Alice’s #IcedTea Party
Alice in Wonderland, on the fateful day she followed the White Rabbit, was too lazy to make a daisy chain. However, as a character in Jane Eyre Gets Real, she enjoys watching films with flowery names in the heat of a New York summer. Below are some of her favorites: Inside Daisy Clover: Natalie Wood is a 1930’s wrong-side-of-the-tracks girl turned overnight movie star. She loathes Hollywood but loves an aspiring actor, played by the Brad Pitt of his day, Robert Redford. Violet and Daisy: offbeat indie with Saoirse Ronan and Alixis Bledel (pre-Handmaid’s Tale) as highly improbable yet oddly sympathetic teenage hitwomen. … Continue reading Flower Girls
Bon mots are like small candies eager to be enjoyed. If you’ve eaten up all of your Valentine’s Day chocolates, never mind–let these bon mots from the characters of Jane Eyre Gets Real sweeten your palate. Jane Eyre: Gloves are like swans; they mate for life. Dorian Gray: If you don’t like what you see in the mirror stop seeking your reflection. Mr. Darcy: Never tell a single woman you have a fortune unless you expect to marry her. Hester Prynne: Children born of adultery are twice as cunning. Heidi: Make fondue, not war. Sherlock Holmes: Perhaps Jack the Ripper was never caught because, unlike most … Continue reading Victorian Bon Mots
Sunderland, for those who do not know, is a coastal city in Northeast England. Lewis Carroll spent some time there, mostly at Whitburn; it is where he wrote Jabberwocky and The Walrus and the Carpenter, as well as deriving general inspiration for his future masterpiece Alice in Wonderland. At the time of Carroll’s visit, Sunderland was a thriving region known for its shipbuilding; now you are more likely to find litter on the beach and hen-dos on the streets. Nevertheless, Sunderland has been commemorated in several ways. In 1965 a group called The Shadows put out a single entitled Alice in Sunderland. You can listen to it … Continue reading Alice in Sunderland
Fiction Gets Real: Classic Literary Characters Transported To The Modern World 