Customer Reviews

Alice in Thunderland: A Feminist Fairytale (Fairytales for Feminists)

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In this satirical glimpse of a fairytale world known as Thunderland, Alice--a young woman from the land of Harmony--comes upon this strange land one day. She was out fishing, but fell asleep, and her boat was swept away. Here she meets "femblies," who warn her about asking too many questions, and who constantly remind her of her place. This is all a foreign concept to Alice, who is from a land of equality. She soon learns that in Thunderland, women are subservient, while the men call the shots.

Like our Alice in Wonderland, this particular Alice feels as though she has stepped into an alternate universe.

She is curious, though, and follows along the various pathways presented to her.

After awhile, though, she begins to fear that she will never find her way home again, and nostalgically longs for a return to a more harmonious existence.

But she pluckily carries on, moving from one adventure to another.

Along the way, she learns that too much "thought" can lead to feathers instead of brains. "Feather brained," perhaps? The various ways that events are parodied remind us of the story upon which this one is based. "Curiouser and curiouser" is another staunch declaration one will hear from this "Alice."

In the end, we sense that Alice will find her way home, but the process of meeting the residents of Thunderland will inform her life for a long while. Like many adventures in life, like in fairytales, there is a lesson to be learned. What Alice does with these pearls of wisdom is anyone's guess.