Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - 2
The illustrations for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland were handled by Lucia Barton, the same artist who had done the artwork for The Little Prince. Once just a girl who loved drawing, she had now become a professional illustrator making quite a name for herself.
"If it's a novel by Author Homerus, I have to be the one to illustrate it! No, please let me do it!"
Of course, the moment she heard it was a fairy tale I'd written, she came running and produced some splendid illustrations. The result was that my plagiarized Alice's Adventures in Wonderland came remarkably close to perfection. In terms of completion as a "plagiarized work," Alice might even surpass all the novels I'd plagiarized up to now.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
And so, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was officially published. Author Homerus's second fairy tale. There were some suspicions that it wouldn't match the quality of his previous works because it was co-authored with a student.
Such doubts soon vanished. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was the most fantastical fairy tale imaginable.
. . .
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a fairy tale about dreams. No, it is a dream itself. Like a dream that flows disjointedly, Alice falls, grows big, shrinks small, crosses through spaces, and meets strange people. Everything is chaotic, with intuition as the only guide. Rationality has no place in the world of dreams, yet everything flows more naturally than reason itself. Just like a cleverly crafted pun.
If The Little Prince was a fairy tale for adults, then Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was a fairy tale adults couldn't comprehend. Because the world of dreams is ultimately pure and brimming with energy—the world of a child.
And because it was incomprehensible, it was fun. Sudden events that seized your breath at whim, wildly exaggerated and unique characters, language play woven into every sentence. It was a delightful joke in itself. The thrill of understanding one context made you slap your forehead, and every line brought a leaking smile. The funniest fairy tale. A witty, cheerful story.
Those most profoundly moved by this fairy tale were the people immersed in the world of "art." Especially the critics who loved to nitpick others' works—they were the first to raise their voices.
Critics tended to favor works open to interpretation, and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland overflowed with such potential. The fact that its slightly lacking prose had been bolstered by borrowing the genius touch of Rolls Camel proved effective too. In the end, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland earned high praise from critics as the work second only to Don Quixote.
Artists from other fields—musicians, painters, stage magicians—fell into this strange fairy tale called Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It was a dream itself, and dreams were the source of inspiration. Anyone in the cultural arts couldn't help but feel a great spark from this fairy tale.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland soon became the dominating trend in the art world. Countless artists depicted Alice and the strange land through their own mediums.
"Oh dear, nanny. At my age, wearing this apron dress… won't it make me look a bit childish?"
"Oh? What are you saying~. Who else could pull off a blue apron dress like Miss Riddle? You're still young, so if not now, when will you wear something like this?"
In high society, too, blue apron dresses symbolizing "Alice" became a trend among young women. Because they didn't suit anyone past a certain age, these apron dresses established themselves as essential attire for girls making their debut in society.
"Author Homerus really is a god! But who's this Rolls Camel listed as co-author?"
"I hear she's Homerus's student. They say most of the sentences and dialogue in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland were written by this Rolls Camel."
"Even her students are so talented…."
"She must be an excellent educator too!"
And so, Rolls Camel debuted perfectly as an author and as "Homerus's" student. Wealthy patrons lined up to sponsor the new writer. Some even approached the other students at the literature academy in advance. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland influenced every layer of society that much.
"Congratulations in advance on becoming a great author, Student Rolls Camel."
"I-is it really okay for someone like me to receive such lavish praise…? T-the truth is, the story itself was all created by Author Homerus…."
"But the one who turned that story into splendid prose was you, Student Rolls Camel. You can have confidence in that."
"H-heh heh…."
I planned to fan the flames of this trend. Because the Alice series—Alice's Adventures in Wonderland—didn't end here.
"More importantly, let's talk about the writing."
"Y-yes, yes?!"
"We need to work on the next Alice story."
"T-the next one…?"
Just like last time, I pulled a thick stack of manuscript from my bag. The very first page bore an elegant cursive title.
Through the Looking-Glass
"Let's write about Alice's new dream."
"Y-yes, yes, y-yes yes yes!"
. . .
Through the Looking-Glass, the sequel to the Alice series, was a fairy tale just as full of paradoxes and puzzles as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The main difference was that while Alice's Adventures in Wonderland had no particular direction—it doesn't matter where you go—Through the Looking-Glass had a sense of progression: moving forward.
"P-promotion… i-it's Haren Kingdom-style chess, right…?"
"Oh, doesn't the Empire have this kind of board game?"
"Th-the Empire does have chess, but… Empire chess doesn't have p-promotions…."
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was a world based on playing cards, while Through the Looking-Glass was themed around chess. Alice enters the world beyond the mirror and becomes a queen by reaching the end of the chessboard. Chess promotion.
But the chess in this world had slightly different rules—no promotions, and more varied sub-rules.
"Ah, b-but there are plenty of people who enjoy Haren Kingdom-style chess too… and board game rules aren't always perfectly followed anyway, so i-it should be f-fine!"
"Is that so?"
"Y-yes! And the story of a girl becoming queen is great in itself! Hehe…."
"You can do this one like last time too, right?"
"O-of course! It might take a bit longer…. But since I've done it once, I can do even better!"
Rolls Camel said that and dove back into writing. This one would probably require a lot of paper and pens too.
"Oh, and please put extra care into 'Jabberwocky.'"
"O-of course!"
Jabberwocky. This nonsense poem by Lewis Carroll was hailed as one of the greatest in English literature. Impossible to fully understand due to its perfect puns and neologisms, yet it stimulated poetic imagination in its own right.
Naturally, my translation of Jabberwocky into this world's language wasn't anything that grand. I could only hope Rolls Camel would transform my silly poem into something elegant.
No need to worry too much. Even as fairy tales alone, the Alice series is a great masterpiece. Even if it's a bit lacking, that'll advance literature on its own.
The Alice series. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass were symbols in themselves. Symbols of fantasy, dreams, and the strange—something primal.
If psychologist Carl Jung cataloged the symbols of dreams, Lewis Carroll created them. All dreamlike, fantastical art owed a debt to him. Thus, the Alice series spawned countless reinterpretations. The most famous film version even blended Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass into one work. In fan creations, the two were often remixed without distinction. For instance, the Red Queen, Jabberwocky, Humpty Dumpty—all from Through the Looking-Glass. But in my previous life, many just thought they were from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
In this world, it'll be seen that way even more. Since they're published back-to-back without a time gap….
And so, not long after Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was published…
Through the Looking-Glass hit the shelves.
. . .
Strange rumors began circulating in the Empire.
"Gasp."