In this poem, Carroll also takes a jab at spurious litigation (apparently criminal in this case, judging by the sentence), which may resonate with contemporary readers: ''.I'll take no denial We must have a trial: For really this morning I've nothing to do.''Īlthough the Mouse claims that the 'tale' will explain why he hates cats and dogs, the only villain in the poem is a dog there is no actual explanation for the Mouse's animosity toward cats. 'The Mouse's Tale' thus fits into Carroll's recurring themes of the insane trial (found also at the end of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, as well as in The Hunting of the Snark) and of predation (found throughout the Alice books and especially in the poems). In the tale, the Mouse (speaking of itself in the third person) explains how a cur called Fury plotted to condemn it to death by serving as both judge and jury. but why do you call it sad?' And she kept on puzzling about it while the Mouse was speaking, so that her idea of the tale was something like this:-' Content

Though no formal title for the poem is given in the novel, the chapter title refers to 'A Long Tale' and the Mouse introduces it by saying, 'Mine is a long and sad tale!'Īlice thinks the Mouse means its tail, which makes her imagine the poem in its twisted, tail-like shape:

' The Mouse's Tale' is a concrete poem by Lewis Carroll which appears in his novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

A twisted tale alice in wonderland