Tuesday 17 September 2013

The Cheshire Cat

The Cheshire Cat, an illustration by JVL in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland,
Artists' Choice Editions, 2009

The Text:

  The Cat only grinned when it saw Alice.  It looked good-
natured, she thought:  still it had VERY long claws and a great
many teeth, so she felt that it ought to be treated with respect.
  `Cheshire Puss,' she began, rather timidly, as she did not at
all know whether it would like the name:  however, it only
grinned a little wider.  `Come, it's pleased so far,' thought
Alice, and she went on.  `Would you tell me, please, which way I
ought to go from here?'
  `That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,' said
the Cat.
  `I don't much care where--' said Alice.
  `Then it doesn't matter which way you go,' said the Cat.
  `--so long as I get SOMEWHERE,' Alice added as an explanation.
  `Oh, you're sure to do that,' said the Cat, `if you only walk
long enough.'


The Cheshire Cat disappearing, an illustration by JVL in Lewis Carroll's 
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Artists' Choice Editions, 2009

The Text:
 ... I wish you wouldn't keep
appearing and vanishing so suddenly:  you make one quite giddy.'
  `All right,' said the Cat; and this time it vanished quite
slowly, beginning with the end of the tail, and ending with the
grin, which remained some time after the rest of it had gone.
  `Well!  I've often seen a cat without a grin,' thought Alice;
`but a grin without a cat!  It's the most curious thing I ever
say in my life!'



No comments:

Post a Comment