alice and drugs

01

PSYCHEDELIC INTERPRETATION

Scott Parker states:

"Because Alice flavors drug use and depiction, there is an urge to retroactively read drug imagery into the story"

Scott Parker

ALICE IN WONDERLAND

PSYCHOEDELIC APPROACH

02

ALICE'S PSYCHEDELIC ALTER EGO

The Psychedelic Interpretation has its roots in popular culture. It is so easy to read psychedelic and drug imagery into the story. The reason for the hippies’ obsession with Carroll can be more easily linked to the popularity of Jefferson Airplane’s ‘White Rabbit’

The song was enormously popular and inspired many other artists to explore the connection between Alice and recreational drug use, until Alice became the mascot of ‘60s and ‘70s drug culture.

Thomas Fensch wrote about the “Eat Me” cake in his 1968 article, “Lewis Caroll: The First Acidhead”

"When you take something that tastes like cherry tarts, custard, pineapple, roast turkey, toffee, and toast at the same time and makes you grow and shrink, baby, that’s tripping out"

Index

5. Alice in Music

1. Psychedelic Interpretation

6. Psychedelic new versions

2. Alice's psychoedelic alter ego

7. Cinematic Wonderland

3. Carroll and drugs

8. Alice in Wonderland syndrome

4. Reading the story as a trip

She meets a lot of characters that seem to be on drugs: the March Hare on amphetamines, the Mad Hatter uses sugar cubes laced with acid and the Caterpillar puffing down on a weed-filled pipe. If Lewis Carroll was indeed sober when creating his fantastical masterpiece, it really seems that the story reflects the trip caused by the use of magic mushrooms, LSD, or peyote.

Despite the psychedelic approaches, the story can still be enjoyed by innocent minds as a book that will help cultivate their imaginative and creative spirit, but through the mind of an adult, the story could be a product of the influence of psychedelic drugs and ALICE'S PSYCHEDELIC ALTER EGO WAS BORN.

03

DEBATE ABOUT CARROLL'S ABUSE OF DRUGS

According to Dr. Heather Worthington of Cardiff University, people are attributing the story to psychedelics because it was written during an age when it was largely used. Naturalists of the nineteenth century had discovered the psychedelic properties of certain mushrooms and opium use was at its greatest in England.

It was pointed out through his diaries that Carroll did enjoy the occasional glass of wine, and could possibly have ingested Laudanum, an opiate-infused drug. But there was no mention whatsoever of him using psychedelics, nor was there evidence that hallucinogens inspired any part of Alice’s adventures.

04

ALICE'S "trip"to WONDERLAND

reading the story as a trip or as a dream could be useful

Alice’s adventures seem very real to her, and even though Wonderland is often frightening or frustrating, she does have some valuable experiences that shape her identity. After all, it is not until after Alice’s experience with the mushroom that she learns to control her height, and regains her lost identity. And it is one of Carroll’s goals in the book to “distort from normal perception,” drawing our attention to “faulty assumptions”, also the plot of the story is “disjointed from reality,” And, as any hippie could tell you, that very effect was very much part of the appeal of drug use.

05

ALICE IN MUSIC

"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"/"I am the Walrus" (1967)

"Alice" (2002)

" Alice in Wonderland" (1963)

"Alice in Wonder Underground" (2007)

"Don't Come Around Here No More" (1985)

"Alice (Underground)” (2010)

"Sunshine" (2001)

"White Rabbit" (1967)

"When the men on the chessboard get up And tell you where to go And you've just had some kind of mushroom And your mind is moving low Go ask Alice, I think she'll know,,

06

ALICE IN WONDERLAND’S PSYCHEDELIC versions

Many artists created psychedelic versions of this children’s classic, like two anti-drug films: "Alice in Acidland" and "Curious Alice". The narrative in both films becomes the perfect metaphor for the dangers of experimentation with sex and drugs for teenagers.

“Curious Alice”1971

“Malice in Wonderland”1983

"Alice in Acidland" 1969

It was a public service announcement released to rally against drug use and abuse among young people. It was made by the National Institute of Mental Health to apparently warn eight to ten-year-olds about the dangers of drugs.

It's a colourful and twisted interpretation of the story that was criticised for promoting the exploitation of women. Others saw it as a representation of the sexual enslavement of women, because of the portraits of distorted famale's genitalia.

Alice falls into a rabbit hole of pool parties smoking weed, dropping acid and engaging in lesbian sex before losing her mind forever. Alice goes through a journey of sexual liberation and massive drugs abuse.

07

Cinematic Wonderlands

"You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes."

Morpheus in 'The Matrix' -1999

TIM BURTON'S MOVIE

THE DISNEY CARTOON

Some of the characters are real people and the disturbing atmosphere created by original special effects during the whole movie makes you feel like you are actually in a fantastic, strange and mad world. Alice is older than the cartoon's one and because of that is maybe easier that older people identify with her better than little children.

VS

The disney version follows the story told in the book better. It's a cartoon so it's more appealing and appropriate to the children audience as Lewis wanted and unlike the other movie, Alice is a really young girl. I woul say that the Disney version sticks better with the actual story of the book.

"One side will make you grow taller, and the other side will make you grow shorter "

08

"ALICE IN WONDERLAND SYNDROME"

(AIWS)

It is a disorder named in honor of the book, discovered in 1955 by British psychiatrist John Todd, it occurs with some migraines but it may not always be related to drugs, it appears to be caused by a hypersensitivity of the brain.

The patient in the study came to psychiatrists with a history of using alcohol, marijuana and LSD. During LSD trips he perceive objects and people out of proportion: things would look too big, too small, or farther or closer than they actually were. These perceptual distortions are the hallmark of the syndrome because Alice experiences very similar symptoms.

The strange thing about the case report is that the man was no longer taking LSD when he experienced these symptoms but they continued. After about a year, the perception distortions went away. Doctors suggested that LSD might have a temporary toxic effect on an area of the brain involved in visual perception. Carroll himself recorded experiences with migraines in his journals, and maybe they inspired Alice's size-related adventures..

A few days ago I was taking my dog for a walk along the Arno, when I noticed this:

Wonderland can be anywhere, you just have to look for it.

Thanks