Probably the most interesting and curious character in world literature is the Cheshire Cat. This hero amazes with his ability to appear and disappear at the most unpredictable moments, leaving behind only a smile. No less interesting are the quotes from the Cheshire Cat, which amaze with their unusual logic and make you think about many questions. But this character appeared much earlier than the author wrote him into the book. And it’s quite interesting where the author got the idea for it.
Why is the cat smiling?
The Cheshire Cat was created by Lewis Carroll for the book Alice in Wonderland. It is noteworthy that in the first version of the story this character was absent and appeared only in 1865. Most likely, its appearance is due to the expression “the smile of the Cheshire Cat”, popular at that time. And this saying has two common versions of its origin. The author of the book himself was born and raised in Cheshire, and it was there that it was fashionable to paint lions above the entrance to taverns. But since no one saw these predators, they were given the appearance of toothy and smiling cats.
The second version is as follows: cheese wheels in the shape of smiling cats were produced in Cheshire and were popular throughout England. But what does the smile of the Cheshire Cat mean? There is still ongoing debate on this issue. Some philologists believe that this is still connected with cheese. Others dispute, saying that at that time even cats laughed at the “high” title that the county of Cheshire, which was a provincial province with a small size, ascribed to itself.
The Endangered Cat (Cheshire)
In addition to the smile, there is another equally interesting skill of this character - to dissolve and materialize in the air at will, but where did the author get this idea? At one time there was a legend about the Congleton cat: one fine day the abbess's favorite disappeared, but a few days later the nun heard a familiar scratching sound.
Opening the door, she saw her beloved cat, who at that very moment disappeared into thin air. Since then, this ghost has been seen by many visitors to the abbey. Lewis Carroll himself was known for his penchant for mysticism and was probably impressed by this story, which he embodied in his character.
Cheshire Cat Country
Surely it would not be a lie to call Wonderland the kingdom of the Cheshire Cat. After all, from the first meeting in the Duchess’s kitchen, this character accompanied Alice. Moreover, he was her mentor and helped her get out of difficult and absurd situations, despite the fact that his dialogues with Alice did not always bring her pleasure, and sometimes were quite annoying. The philosophical questions that the Cheshire Cat loved to ask confused Alice, but, after thinking a little, she found a way out of situations thanks to them. His expressions have long been disassembled into quotes, which are used to emphasize the absurdity of situations.
Character character
When reading the book, most readers got the impression that this character is quite friendly and nice. And indeed it is. The Cheshire Cat has some inexplicable charm despite the fact that he prefers a solitary life. He is optimistic, cheerful and will always come to the rescue in difficult times.
But at the same time, the cat is selfish and never admits his guilt due to stubbornness. He is extremely irritable and impulsive, due to which he can commit unseemly acts that he will regret in his soul, but will not admit to it. He is vain and a little crafty, although he himself cannot stand lies. His attitude towards himself is especially interesting, because the Cat considers himself crazy only because he is surrounded by crazy people. In general, this is the most contrasting and inimitable character in world literature.
Culture and the Cheshire Cat
This hero has long acquired a cult reputation, and his image is used by many authors in their works, for example, Jeff Noona, Andrzej Sapkowski, Jasper Fforde, Frank Beddor. The Cheshire Cat has gained enormous popularity in such an art form as anime. There are also a large number of comics with his participation. Recently, tattoos depicting the Cheshire cat have gained popularity.
But still, the most interesting images of the character were embodied in the adventures of Alice. The popular Disney cartoon, released in 1951, introduces this cat as an intellectual with a mischievous personality who is sometimes classified as one of Disney's villains. In a computer game about Alice's adventures in a Wonderland spoiled by nightmares called Alice Madness Returns, this hero appeared before us in the form of a thin cat with tattoos, but continues to act as a travel guide and, with his quotes, makes the main character think about the events.
We saw another remarkable Cheshire Cat in the film adaptation of Alice's adventures from Tim Burton. Although he was a computer character, he was still remembered for his half-screen smile and tireless zeal to give useful advice. This hero had elegance, calmness and impressiveness, as well as the ability to hide cowardice under a seductive smile. His ability to get out of ridiculous situations was demonstrated at the moment when the Hatter accused the cat of running away when the Red Queen seized the throne. But thanks to his talents and skills, Cheshire was rehabilitated among his friends and made amends.
There are a lot of Cheshire cats in the paintings from me...
Continuing the topic about Lewis Carroll, I will tell you where he came from, this most smiling cat in the world.
From a Lewis Carroll fairy tale, you say. And, of course, you can't go wrong. A mysterious and completely unusual smile for cats has become a trademark of the fairy tale “Alice in Wonderland.” But the Cheshire Cat existed even before Carroll invented the inquisitive and sensible Alice and Wonderland with its eccentric citizens.
In the original version of the tale (1864), there was no Cheshire cat. It appeared in 1865.
The cheshire cat in the 1866 edition of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, illustrated by John Tenniel.
from here: http://readerbreeder.tumblr.com/
The main feature of the Cheshire Cat is that, when it pleases, it disappears into thin air and leaves behind only a sardonic smile. The expression “smiles like a Cheshire cat” was very popular in England at that time. There are at least two options to explain where this expression came from.
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First: in Cheshire, where the storyteller Carroll was born, an unknown painter painted grinning cats over the doors of taverns. Actually, these should have been lions or leopards, but cats were apparently closer to the Cheshire soul.
from here: http://www.alice-in-wonderland.net/pictures/cheshire-cat-pictures.html
Second: the appearance of smiling cats was given to Cheshire cheeses; their history goes back a little to nine centuries. By the way, every year in February an interesting competition is held in Chester - the cheese rolling championship. Cheese is rolled ahead of the annual Food and Drink gastronomic festival. The residents of Chester faithfully support the Cheshire, Steelton and Lancashire teams, who in turn must faithfully overcome all obstacles. It all starts at 11 am. The Dean of Chester Cathedral gives the go-ahead for the race to begin, and the wheel of Cheshire cheese is rolled around Chester Gate, built in the 14th century on the site of a Roman rampart, and rolled towards the gate at Bridge Street Bridge.
from here: http://www.ebbemunk.dk/alice/alice13.html
From The Book of Fictional Creatures you can learn that in English there is an expression “grin like a Cheshire cat,” which means “to grin sardonically like a Cheshire cat.” Various explanations are given for the expression. One thing reminds us again of white Cheshire cheese.
By Anna Richards, SR., 1895 (After Tenniel), from here: http://www.liveinternet.ru/users/4149282/post169965366/
The second has to do with the Cheshire county - English jokers claimed that “even cats laughed at the high rank of a small county.” The third version says that during the reign of Richard the Third, an honest forester, Caterling, lived in Cheshire, who caught poachers and grinned sardonically at the same time.
from here: http://www.magicofdisneyart.co.uk/
But the Cheshire Cat from Wonderland adopted the ability to disappear from the ghost of the Congleton Cat. During his life, this cat was the favorite of the caretaker of the abbey, but one fine day he did not return home after another walk... A few days later, the woman heard scratching at the door; Her beloved cat was sitting on the threshold, however, a moment later he disappeared, as if he had evaporated into thin air. The ghost of a white cat has been seen by hundreds of people over the years. He appeared every evening, and was seen by the caretaker, her friends, and visitors to the Cheshire Abbey. Carroll was apparently inspired by this story and used the image of the Congleton Ghost to create his smiling Cheshire Cat.
Oksana Zaika, from here: http://www.liveinternet.ru/users/treasure50/post124940239/
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The image of a grinning cat, who can dissolve into thin air, leaving behind only a smile, and who occupies Alice not only with conversations, but also sometimes with un-cat-like philosophical speculations, also appears in works based on Carroll’s fairy tale. The Cheshire cat can be seen in the Disney cartoon about Alice in Wonderland. The cat became one of the characters in the video game based on the Disney cartoon. In the computer game American McGee's Alice there is a very colorful looking Cheshire Cat, he plays the role of Alice's guide and companion in a virtual wonderland.
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The fairy tale “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland” is liked not only by children, but also by adults. The work belongs to the English writer and mathematician Lewis Carroll, whose real name is Charles Lutwidge Dodgson.
Unlike most authors, Carroll did not build any schemes or storylines; the story about the journey began by itself. One day the author was traveling along the river in the company of his friend Henry Lidell and his three daughters, among whom was Alice Lidell. A ten-year-old girl asked the writer to tell some interesting story. It was then that the image of the main character of the fairy tale, the traveler Alice, was born. The story impressed the listeners so much that the girls asked to record it. The next day, Lewis Carroll began writing a literary work.
Thanks to the original plot and non-standard form of presentation, the journey of the main character Alice is of interest to linguists, logicians, mathematicians and philosophers. The first critical reviews were negative, and only decades later the readership recognized that it was in the “madness” of the book that its real value lay. The famous fairy tale about Alice is replete with philosophical sayings, knowing which you can always give your interlocutor valuable advice.
Everything is as always - what a disgrace!
Good at least as always, not worse!)
I have already seen hat makers. The March Hare, in my opinion, is much more interesting. Besides, it’s May now—perhaps he’s already come to his senses a little.
At least I sincerely hope so...
Don't be sad. Sooner or later everything will become clear, everything will fall into place and line up in a single beautiful pattern, like lace. It will become clear why everything was needed, because everything will be right.
You just need to wait a little.
I don't see how he can ever finish if he has no intention of starting.
And it’s unlikely that he’ll ever get around to starting.
Now, for example, I was desperate for two hours... with jam and sweet buns.
Everyone would be so desperate)
You can't do what you can't do.
And if you imagine for a moment what is possible?
Who needs a head without shoulders?
And shoulders without a head are somehow not very good.
Don't grunt. Express your thoughts in a different way!
More humane, if possible.
It's getting weirder and weirder! More and more wonderful! More and more curious! It’s getting weirder and weirder, everything’s miraculous and miraculous!
Cheshire Cat Quotes
Every adventure has to start somewhere... it's corny, but even here it's true...
True true.
I'm not crazy, my reality is just different from yours.
Just as he’s not like everyone else, he’s immediately crazy. Maybe they're all crazy, not me.
No matter how you look, you must look in the right direction.
Where is this right direction?
The fact is that while you are small, you can see what is invisible to you when you are big.
Don't rush to grow up.
I love psychos: only they understand the world around us, only with them I can find a common language.
No, I’m not crazy myself, I just adore them.
Those who choose the difficult path are called fools.
In life, many things happen the other way around.
Confidence and recklessness are two sides of the same coin.
If you believe even the craziest thoughts, they can become reality.
Watch, learn, act.
Learn first, and only then act.
Sometimes the reflection in the mirror is more real than the object itself.
The mirror won't lie.
At times, in her madness, I see glimpses of real talent.
This is how real talent most often manifests itself.
Stupid does not mean ignorant.
Please take this into account.
You don't need to understand me. Be sure to love and feed on time.
Sometimes you can still iron.
Threats, promises and good intentions - none of these are actions.
But faith is sometimes stronger than any action, although in its essence it is complete inaction.
You have two choices: one will lead you to happiness, the other will lead you to madness. My advice to you is don’t stumble.
Do you want to become happy?
Hatter Quotes
Anyone who is sane would hardly dream of me.
Draw your own conclusion...
Nowadays everyone travels by rail, but hat transportation is much more reliable and pleasant.
The less you know, the easier it is to control you.
A lot of knowledge will not allow others to manipulate you.
Sometimes I admire you from top to bottom, sometimes vice versa.
Beautiful, no matter how you look at it.
Why are you helping me?
- Do you need a reason to help a very nice girl in a very wet dress?
A smart person will understand that he needs help, without any requests.
Bunny Quotes
Everything would be fine, but here is the Duchess, Duchess! She'll be furious if I'm late! That's exactly where she'll come!
Oh, if only She was late, and not me.
And this Duchess! My little head was gone, and my skin was gone, and so was my antennae! Write it's gone! She orders me to be executed, she has no mercy!
I'm most sorry for the skin.
You are a disturbing element. An unnecessary creature. If you do what you want, you bring a lot of problems.
But that doesn't mean you shouldn't do what you want.
Other hero quotes
How do you think anyone would want a child who doesn't think? Even a joke should have some kind of thought, but a child, you must admit, is not a joke at all!
Everyone must think, even the little ones.
The best way to explain is to do it yourself!
It will be much faster this way.
Who you are?
- I am the Blue Caterpillar.
- What are you doing here?
- Sitting. I smoke. I'm waiting for changes.
Should I drink something else, maybe change will come faster?!
Who will you save when you are the size of a hamster!
Growth is not the main thing.
That’s right - she’s gone crazy, crazy, crazy!.. I’ll tell you a secret: crazy people are smarter than everyone else.
The way it is.
Well done to us! You do it right! Always get out of your sore head and onto your healthy one!
The main thing is not the other way around.
The book “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland” certainly has a very interesting and fascinating plot, which the directors could not ignore. The last film to date was filmed in 2010. In addition to the acting of the characters, it includes animation; the film was shot in 3D format.
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In our rational world, sometimes a little bit of madness and fairy tales are so lacking. And there is no one who knows this better than the Cheshire Cat.
website collected 25 of the wisest and at the same time craziest thoughts of this “guide” to magical worlds. Quotes are collected from the book “Alice in Wonderland” by L. Carroll, the film of the same name by Tim Burton and the computer game American McGee’s Alice.
- - Taking anything seriously in this world is a fatal mistake.
- Is life serious?
- Oh yes, life is serious! But not very... - I'm not crazy, my reality is just different from yours.
- No matter how you look, you must look in the right direction.
- - But I don’t really want to end up with crazy people.
- Well, you can’t change anything here - we’re all crazy here: both you and me. - The fact is that while you are small, you can see what is invisible to you when you are big.
- - In our world, everything is possible.
- Correction: in yours. In mine, everything is according to my rules.
- When someone's head is in the clouds, someone's heart gets wet.
- I love psychos: only they understand the world around us, only with them I can find a common language.
- When the road is a mystery, try walking at random. Ride with the wind.
- Those who choose the difficult path are called fools.
- Confidence and recklessness are two sides of the same coin.
- Watch, learn, act.
- Sometimes the reflection in the mirror is more real than the object itself.
- At times, in her madness, I see glimpses of real talent.
- Unintelligent does not mean ignorant.
- When miracles become delirium, reason turns into madness.
- - How should I understand you?
- You don't need to understand me. Be sure to love and feed on time. - It doesn't matter why the significant became insignificant. It has become, and that’s it.
- Guess the riddle: when does a croquet mallet look like a stun gun? The answer is obvious: whenever you want.
- - What are those sounds over there? - asked Alice.
“Oh, these are miracles,” explained the Cheshire Cat indifferently.
- And what are they doing there? - the girl asked.
“As it should be,” the cat yawned. - They happen. - Threats, promises and good intentions - none of these are actions.
- You have two choices: one will lead you to happiness, the other will lead you to madness. My advice to you is don’t stumble.
- - Tell me, please, where should I go from here?
-Where do you want to go? - answered the Cat.
“I don’t care...” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter where you go,” said the Cat.
“If only I could get somewhere,” Alice explained.
“You’ll definitely end up somewhere,” said the Cat. - You just need to walk long enough. - Some people don't see a way out even if they find one. Others simply don't look.
- Talking about bloodshed at the table spoils my appetite.
- Collect everything you find useful. Except indifference and ignorance. And then maybe you will survive.
- Those who say that there is nothing better to calm the nerves than a cup of tea have not actually tried real tea. It's like an injection of adrenaline straight to the heart.
- If the Cheshire Cat smiles, it means someone needs it.
- -Where can I find someone normal?
“Nowhere,” answered the Cat, “there are no normal people.” After all, everyone is so different and dissimilar. And this, in my opinion, is normal.
A cat that exhibits unusual abilities for an animal is able to talk, smile and slowly dissolve in space, so that in the end there remains only one smile that hangs in the air. Can also teleport. He entertains the main character, Alice, with conversations, and at times bores her with philosophical speculations.
History of creation and image
In the original version of the fairy tale about Alice, there was no Cheshire Cat. The hero first appears in 1865. The image of the Cheshire Cat grows from the English proverb “grin like a Cheshire cat” meaning “to grin sardonically.” There are two versions of where this expression came from and why it influenced the formation of Carroll’s image of the Cat.
Carroll comes from Cheshire, where tavern doors had pictures of smiling cats on them. In theory, these painted animals were supposed to be noble lions and leopards, grinning their mouths. But in the English county, few people were lucky enough to see a real lion, so these images looked more like ordinary domestic cats with a facial expression uncharacteristic for felines. And this image was familiar to the writer from childhood.
Another explanation connects the origin of the image of the Cheshire Cat with the famous cheeses that were made in Cheshire. It is believed that these cheeses were shaped to resemble the head of a smiling cat.
A computer game was released based on the films, where you can play as the Cheshire Cat. There the hero has the ability to hide things and, conversely, to make what is hidden visible.
In Burton's first film, the Cheshire Cat is present with Alice at the Mad Tea Party, where the Hatter and the March Hare tell the heroine about the "bloody witch" the Red Queen, who has unleashed terror in Wonderland. Later, the Cheshire Cat saves the Hatter, who is about to be beheaded.
The Cat replaces the Hatter on the chopping block and disappears from under the falling ax at the last moment, after which it appears again - in the form of only one head hanging in the air. In the finale, the Cheshire Cat removes the crown from the head of the defeated Red Queen and gives it to the White Queen.
In 2013-2014, the American TV channel ABC aired the series Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, a spin-off of the series "". There the character looks like an ominous black cat with red eyes, but takes a neutral position. Cat is voiced by actor Keith David.
- The image of the Cheshire Cat has spread widely in culture, particularly in literature. Writers “borrowed” and played with it in their own way. For example, the author of the fantasy saga “The Witcher” has a story “Golden Afternoon”, where the narration is told from the perspective of the Cheshire Cat, and the Cat himself is depicted as a cat god and lord of cats.
- The image of the Cheshire Cat also appears in the book “Automatic Alice” by Jeff Noon, which explains how the hero manages to disappear and reappear.
- The character appears in the novels of the British writer Jasper Fforde. There, the Cheshire Cat serves as a librarian in the Great Library of Bookworld.
- Some authors make the Cheshire Cat a negative character. This is how the hero appears in the series of books “Through the Looking Glass Wars” by Frank Beddor. There, the Cat is a brutal killer who looks like a terrible cat-like humanoid, but can take the form of a black kitten. The character has nine lives, but the killer cat loses eight of them by the end of the first book.
- Another brutal version of the Cheshire Cat - covered in tattoos, skinny and bony - appears in the video games American McGee's Alice and Alice: Madness Returns. There the character appears as a guide and companion to the game character - Alice. The Cheshire Cat is depicted as a sadistic maniac with enormous claws that look like razors in the Zenescope comics.
- in the series of novels “The Chronicles of Amber”, among the huge number of existing worlds, he describes the universe of Carroll’s Wonderland, where, among other inhabitants, the Cheshire Cat appears. There the hero becomes a specialist in magical knowledge.
Quotes
“What do I need madmen for? - said Alice.
“There’s nothing you can do,” the Cat objected. - We are all out of our minds here - both you and me.
- How do you know that I'm out of my mind? - asked Alice.
“Of course, not in his own way,” answered the Cat. “Otherwise, how would you end up here?”