Thursday February 5, 2009 | 5 comments
“It’s always tea-time, and we’ve no time to wash the things between whiles.”
~ The Mad Hatter from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Since childhood, my favorite part of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has remained the mad tea party. I loved the Mad Hatter’s remarks about time, the March Hare’s buttering of his pocket watch, and the Dormouse’s sleepy indifference to everything the other two did to him.
As far as the tea party itself goes, no one seems to be doing much tea drinking. They move from place setting to place setting, more out of obligation to the notion of tea time than in any delight in it. In any case, Lewis Carroll doesn’t spare much of his time describing the setting, relying instead on the reader’s familiarity with such events.
By the time I started reading the book, I had yet to experience my first tea party. Like many young people, my early notions of tea parties were based entirely on Disney’s interpretation of the scene. It was at this point that I most wanted to insert myself into the movie. I adored the brightly colored tea cups and wacky teapots, although even as a child I had a hard time swallowing how casually they treated those objects.
Now that I’ve been to tea parties in real life, my understanding of them has changed. For one thing, I’ve never been to a tea party with insane hosts. While the refreshments have been delicious, no one has pulled a cake out of their hat. Sometimes, we simply drink tea.
Despite all of this, I still want to attend a mad tea party. The point (although I suspect they lack one) would not be the consumption of tea. Instead, it would focus on bringing tea lovers together in celebration of a celebration. Tea might be spilled. Cakes, while not produced from hats, might be eaten. And hopefully, by the end, we’d have figured how a raven is like a writing design.
MAIN IMAGE: IMAGE 1: IMAGE 2
Soooo, mad tea party at your place?
=)
Sounds like a great idea Emma. I’m ready for a “mad tea party”. I think this could be a wonderful business venture – providing an opportunity to escape the real life pressures and celebrate being together with friends and the pleasure of tea drinking.
Emma, you’ve inspired me! I may plan a “mad tea party” out here in Austin–I think it would definitely appeal to my friends.
Another fantastic “tea party” took place in Frances Hodgson Burnett’s novel “a Little Princess.” Sara witnessed the attic’s transformation overnight via “the Magic” -
“In the grate there was a glowing, blazing fire; on the hob was a little brass kettle hissing and boiling; spread upon the floor was a thick, warm crimson rug; before the fire a folding-chair, unfolded, and with cushions on it; by the chair a small folding-table, unfolded, covered with a white cloth, and upon it spread small covered dishes, a cup, a saucer, a teapot; on the bed were new warm coverings and a satin-covered down quilt; at the foot a curious wadded silk robe, a pair of quilted slippers, and some books. The room of her dream seemed changed into fairyland — and it was flooded with warm light, for a bright lamp stood on the table covered with a rosy shade…”
Sad that, in this country at least, it usually takes until adulthood before we get introduced to real tea. Hopefully we have begun to change that.
A mad tea party sounds like a lot of fun.