E349S February 28: Lobsters and Windhovers

Franz Ferdinand

Here is a lively cover of the Lobster Quadrille by Franz Ferdinand, a Scottish post-punk revival band. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxeHzWWGuh0

As Alice continues along her adventures in Wonderland, she faces a vast array of trials and tribulations. Ranging from encounters with the hookah-smoking caterpillar to the ridiculous Croquet game with the Red Queen, Alice encounters abnormal instances, contrasted from her supposed Victorian era lifestyle. Prior to meeting the Gryphon and the Mock Turtle, Alice had "no idea what a delightful thing a Lobster-Quadrille [was]."[1]  The Gryphon and the Mock Turtle display the Lobster-Quadrille, a nonsensical take of the quadrille, for young Alice. 

Everybody Do the Lobster-Quadrille!

World of Dance defines the quadrille as "a historic dance performed by four couples in a square formation, a precursor to traditional square dancing."[2] 

Alice's Encounter with the Mock-Turtle and Gryphon

Given the historical context of time period, Alice as well as the rest of the "Liddell children had been taught the dance by a private tutor."[3] Alice is exposed to irregularities which parallel reality, specifically the quadrille in this chapter. An underlying theme of redefining normalcy is seen here because the Gryphon and Mock Turtle alter a classic dance to their own liking. Because similar yet differing aspects are found between reality and fantasy, Alice is caught between a rock and a hard place, confused by the uniqueness and lack of normalcy found in wonderland. In a deeper sense, Carroll utilizes this idea of normalcy to force readers to question the regularity and lack of individualism in our own lives and realities. Even Carroll himself states "[he] never dance[s], unless [he is] allowed to do it in [his] own particular way."[4]  This idea of dancing bridges the the gap between reality and individualism, given normalcy and comparison are subjective to each individual alone. 

The Windhover's Majestic Glory

Gerard Manley Hopkin's poem "The Windhover" proves to be a true testament to the glorified image of the Son of God, to Christ the King. The subtitle, "To Christ our Lord," was added "six years later as a dedication and/or a way of addressing the entire poem to Christ" (Bump 409). Provided most of the metaphors are directed toward Christ, there is an"undercurrent of imagery of Christ the King," especially seen in the splitting of "'king' and 'dom" because 'dom" is a shortened form of the term "'dominos' or 'Lord," and thus an echo of the dedication to Christ" (Bump 410). Hopkins utilizes the Windhover as a symbolic representation of the all-powerful and celestial Christ figure, thus giving way Christ reigning over mankind, chivalrous and and strong just like the soaring Windhover, which is glorified as king. Just as Hopkins exemplifies the beauty and magnificence of the Windhover, he also recognizes the beauty of creation in his poem,"Pied Beauty". 

"Glory be to God for Dappled Things"

"Pied Beauty" opens with an offering, "Glory be to God for dappled things--/For skies of couple-colour," and "The Windhover" does just the same, dedicating the vivid imagery of the Windhover to Christ our Lord.[5] "Pied Beauty" praises God's creations, beginning with characteristics of things in the world, and ending with a final affirmation of God's will and establishment of nature as his own. In "The Windhover," Hopkins praises Christ the King, describing the awe and immense celestial power associated with such through the personification of the Windhover. Both emphasize the beauty of nature in direct relation to the grandeur and divinity of God and Christ both.

Works Cited

1. Lewis Carroll, The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition, (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2000), 100.

2. "All About Dance: Quadrille," August 30, 2009, http://worldfordance.blogspot.com/2007/10/quadrille.html.

3. Carroll, The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition, 100.

4. Carroll, The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition, 100.

5. Gerard Manley Hopkins, The Major Works Including all the Poems and Selected Prose (New York: Oxford University Press, 2002), 132.