DIGILEC Revista Internacional de Lenguas y Culturas
Digilec 13 - Reseñas (2026), pp. 5-8
Fecha de recepción: 31/03/2026
Fecha de aceptación: 15/05/2026
Fecha de publicación: 31/07/2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17979/digilec.2026.13.14031
e-ISSN: 2386-6691
BOOK REVIEW: SIGUE SIENDO LA HORA DEL TÉ: EL PAÍS DE
LAS MARAVILLAS EN LA CULTURA POPULAR
RESEÑA DE LIBRO: SIGUE SIENDO LA HORA DEL TÉ: EL PAÍS DE
LAS MARAVILLAS EN LA CULTURA POPULAR
Diana GARCÍA SOTO
Universidade da Coruña
Author: Andrea Valeiras Fernández
Collection: Encuentros: Culturas y
Literatura
Publisher: Publicacions de la
Universitat de València
Place of publication: Valencia
Page count: 216
Year: 2024
ISBN: 978-84-1118-403-8
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Andrea Valeiras’ Sigue siendo la hora del té: El País de las Maravillas en la
cultura popular, published in 2024 by the Universitat de València, provides a detailed
account of the immense variety of representations of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
(1865) and its characters spanning across the publication of Lewis Carroll’s novel up to
the present day. The monograph presents a thorough study of almost every
reinterpretation of the timeless classic, from cinema to fan-art.
Structured into ten chapters, Valeiras’ work begins with a metatextual and
historical introduction to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Chapters 1-4, pp. 17-67)
followed by the analyses of its adaptations to theatre and opera (Chapter 5, pp. 69-78),
cinema (Chapter 6, pp. 79-124), other audiovisual models (Chapter 7, pp. 125-140) and
merchandising (Chapter 8, pp. 141-154). It also provides the reader with the cultural
reception of the oeuvre (Chapter 9, pp. 155-186) as well as with a final reflection on its
endurance in literary history (Chapter 10, pp. 187-192).
The focal point of this review lies in how Valeiras examines Alice’s identity and
presence across a range of diverse media formats. Furthermore, aspects regarding the
cultural translation (Chapter 2.2, pp. 24-33) and reception (Chapter 9, pp. 155-186) of
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland will be commented on.
The second chapter, entitled “Los muchos mundos de Alicia” (Chapter 2, pp. 21-
40) is particularly noteworthy in elucidating the reasons for the work’s long-standing
popularity. In the second section of the chapter, “Después de la edición original
adaptaciones y domesticaciones” (Chapter 2.2, pp. 24-33), Valeiras comprises a series of
cultural translations and adaptations of specific aspects and elements of Carroll's novel,
including weights and measures, flora and fauna, and even the language of the
protagonist. For instance, Alice attempts to speak French in the original work, whereas in
the French translation, she uses a different language to address the mouse. Translating the
work into more than 170 languages, including minority languages, reflects the cultural
purposes of these adjustments, which are primarily to facilitate the reader’s immersion in
Wonderland, but also to align Alice’s identity more closely with that of her audience. In
the case of languages that coexist with English in the same territory, the translations have
undergone minimal changes, as it is assumed that readers understand the original
language. In contrast, other translations, such as those into Swahili, or Pitjantjatjara,
exhibit more substantial alterations. These include the subversion of the characters’
ethnicity to make a reference to colonialism, the assimilation of their attire to the
geographical context in which they find themselves and the transformation of the species
of the characters accompanying Alice, such as the white rabbit becoming a turtle or a
kangaroo.
In the context of educational adaptations, the playful element inherent in the
narrative of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is employed to enhance
learning. Examples of such works include Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Retold in
Words of One Syllable (J.C Gorham, 1905), Gladys in Grammarland (Audrey Mayhew,
1897), and Alice Through the Needle’s Eye: A Third Adventure for Lewis Carroll’s Alice
(Gilbert Adair, 1984), which are reinterpretations of the original work intended for
children with the aim of teaching reading comprehension as well as proper grammar
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usage. However, it should be noted that not all works that follow a didactic narrative
thread are targeted towards children as there are others, such as Alice in Quantumland:
An Allegory of Quantum Physics (Robert Gilmore, 1994), that are, in comparison, much
more complex and aimed at an audience of mature readers. These derivative works
maintain a symbiotic relationship with the original narrative, of Alice, since Alice’s
Adventures in Wonderland serves as the progenitor for these didactic retellings while, the
adaptations in turn, contribute to the perpetuation of the 1865 work within the literary
canon by utilizing Carroll’s storyline.
The chapter devoted to stage adaptations of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,
“Alicia en el escenario: adaptaciones al teatro y la ópera” (Chapter 5, pp. 69-78), analyzes
how the dramatized style of Carroll 's narrative allows for its reconstruction into live
performances. The reason for this phenomenon is that “Alicia proceeds through
Wonderland as if she were a child actress wandering from set to set encountering various
groups of elaborately costumed characters as she travels (qtd. in Valeiras). This quasi-
performative conception of the main character contributes to the explanation of the
intricate relationship between the work as a literary piece and as a theatrical performance.
Moreover, Valeiras deciphers how silent interpretations, as ballet, were able to convey
the novel’s message through a common thread based on movement and musicality that
compensates for the loss of verbal language.
The author examines Alice’s identity in great depth in the most extensive chapter
of this volume, “Alice in Cinema” (Chapter 6, pp. 79-124). This chapter traces the
evolution of Alice’s transition to the screen from the earliest adaptations to later
reinterpretations in which both Wonderland and its protagonist are reshaped in response
to the evolving aesthetic and cultural context. Valeiras highlights how, in Hollywood
productions, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland gradually shifts away from a child-
oriented audience towards an adult one, while Walt Disney’s adaptations seek to merge
the illusory and the real through cartoon animation. Disney’s Wonderland universe
further expands by incorporating his iconic characters such as Mickey Mouse and Donald
Duck in parodic reinterpretations as Thru the Mirror (1936) and Donald in Mathmagic
Land (1959).
The section additionally explores how Alice’s identity develops from that of a
Victorian-era young girl at the time of her conception to a teenager navigating a dark
world, as depicted in Tim Burton’s film Through the Looking Glass (2016). The author
posits that Alice’s adaptability is evident in her ever-evolving appearances in the wide
range of her cinematic interpretations.
In the second-to-last chapter of this work “Influencia en la cultura popular”
(Chapter 9, pp. 155-186), Andrea Valeiras focuses essentially on documenting the impact
of Lewis Carroll’s work on popular culture. To this end, she disseminates a series of
theories derived from the narrative, including the notion that certain characters embody
mental disorders. This idea, despite being contested, underscores the novel’s contribution
to the conceptualization of a perception distortion syndrome. Additionally, the author
explores the argument regarding the association that many perceive between Alice’s
Adventures in Wonderland and drugs, as illustrated in songs and films, a supposition that
became intensified with the psychedelic aesthetic of Disney’s 1951 adaptation. Moreover,
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she alludes to the mathematical background, as, since Carroll was a mathematician, his
work is at times analyzed from a scientific lens due to its parallels with the mathematical
discoveries of the time.
Ultimately, the chapter concludes with an analysis of the impact the original book
has had on other elements of popular culture. Valeiras cites a plethora of works that are
considered to be retellings of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, either because they
continue the narrative of Alice’ or because they reimagine Wonderland in their own
terms. Furthermore, the author focuses on the impact of the novel’s aesthetic elements on
fashion and music, highlighting their role in reinterpreting and modernizing Alice and
Wonderland through music videos and haute couture garments.
In conclusion, through her monograph, Andrea Valeiras not only broadens our
knowledge and interest in Alice and her oniric world, but also successfully manages to
express why the ever-evolving identity of Alice is the key feature for Carroll’s enduring
legacy in the literary canon. Moreover, it promotes the idea that stories belonging to the
collective imaginary belong to the community and their reinterpretations.
