Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Author : Lewis Carroll
Performed By : Fiona Shaw
Publisher : Select Music & Distribution
Runtime : 2 hours 25 minutes
Categories : Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Magic
Classics
Classics
Classic Literature
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Alice's adventures, funny, inventive and disturbing, have fascinated and delighted children and adults alike since their publication. The fantasy worlds in which she finds herself introduce her to characters as varied and well known as the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts and the Cheshire Cat...
There are at least two ways of reading this classic children's tale. One may either regard it as an innocently inventive and diverting piece for readers of all ages - or one may choose to bring to bear on it the full weight of academic analysis, be it literary, mathematical, philosophical or psychoanalytical.
The book was first published in 1865 and 1871, and has been hugely popular ever since. Unlike most Victorian children's books (including Carroll's own Sylvie and Bruno), it is refreshingly unmoralistic and brilliantly imaginative. Perhaps one might see it as a pioneering work in the rich tradition of British children's writing which includes (for example) The Wind in the Willows, the Pooh books and the animal tales of Beatrix Potter. But Alice is in many respects more demanding and disturbing - even children unaware of symbolic interpretation may well be haunted or discomfited by the dream worlds Carroll has created, worlds where it is not quite enough to say that nonsense prevails since there is almost always a kind of perverse or inverted logic at work.
In Alice's Adventures in Wonderland the child heroine dreams the experiences which constitute the story, and (of course) wakes at the end to tell her sister what has happened. The dream world of Wonderland is peopled largely by creatures which speak, feel and behave much like caricatured human beings: the White Rabbit, for instance, is clearly neurotically obsessed by time and terrified of authority, while the playing-card King and Queen of Hearts bicker like an ill-matched, long-married couple. Anger, violence and the threat of violence are real enough within the dreamworld - the dormouse is scalded and dunked at the Mad Hatter's Tea Party -while irritation and disillusionment seem more common than contentment - witness the doleful narrative of the Mock Turtle. At times, Alice seems to be in real danger, whether from flying saucepans in the Duchess' kitchen or from the attentions of a gigantic puppy, but at last she is able to break free from the suffocating power of her fantasy by exclaiming, after she has regained her normal size, 'Why, you're nothing but a pack of cards!'
Child listeners will surely be delighted by the picaresque variety of the story, but adults may wonder about some possible deeper or unifying interpretation. Freudian readings are legion, but it may be more interesting to see the adventure as a disturbing challenge to our conventional notions of reality Carroll repeatedly asks questions about the nature of time or the meaning of names, poses mathematical paradoxes and semantic quibbles - and the effect of this is to promote an acute unease, a fundamental, perhaps existential, uncertainty about meaning and purpose. Martin Gardner (editor of The Annotated Alice) suggests that 'the last level of metaphor in the Alice books is this: that life, viewed rationally and without illusion, appears to be a nonsense tale told by a mathematician.'
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End Times: The Book of Revelation, The
Author : Introduction by Tim LaHaye
Performed By : Introduction by Tim LaHaye; Book of Revelation by Dramatic Cast
Publisher : Zondervan
Runtime : 2 hours
Categories : Christianity
Dramatizations
Our Price : $14.99 $8.99
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Could Jesus return in your lifetime—perhaps even today? What will be happening on our planet when he comes? The book of Revelation paints a portrait of the end times that is at once fascinating, horrifying, and full of hope for those who trust in Christ.
Arguably the most mysterious and colorful book of the Bible, Revelation has captivated millions with its images of apocalyptic horsemen, demonic monsters, angelic battles, and visions of a new heaven and a new earth . . . and of the risen Jesus, revealed in both his humanity and the splendor of his divinity. As our world hurtles toward increasingly troubled and dangerous times, more than ever this ancient book speaks into our lives with words of warning and comfort.
Beautifully orchestrated and engineered using the most advanced recording technology, The End Times dramatizes the unfolding imagery of Revelation. Featuring an introduction by Tim LaHaye, author of the runaway best-selling Left Behind Series, this is more than a book of the Bible you listen to. It’s an experience that helps you enter into God’s Word . . . so God’s Word can enter into you.
Features:
-The complete book of Revelation taken from Zondervan’s acclaimed, Audie Award®-winning NIV Audio Bible Dramatized New Testament
-New International Version—today’s most read, most trusted translation
-Introduction by Tim LaHaye—founder of the Pre-Trib Research Center and award-winning author of over 40 books including the best-selling Left Behind series
-Multiple-voice dramatization brings the Bible to life with world-class narration and colorful, 1-to-the-text character renderings
-Fully orchestrated background with sound effects provides maximum enhancement of the text reading
-Digital engineering from start to finish delivers the ultimate in clarity and listening enjoyment
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