My group has been assigned to study mediums for our project brief #4. We have decided to focus specifically on how the meaning of a stimulus alters through its presentation through various mediums. We have planned to capture one story/idea in our three fields of knowledge that we shall be addressing; Written word, Broadcast media and Internet/social media. This means that I, doing the “Written word” will write a short paragraph detailing a story or idea that will be shown through film for Broadcast media, and a still image composed of thumbnails for Internet/social media.

A good example for the various readings that can be produced through altering the medium in which a message or story is presented can be found in the age old tale, “Alice in Wonderland” (and yes, I do realize that I make a lot of references to Carroll’s work on my blog). “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” was first told by Lewis Carroll to the three Liddle children as he paddled up a river on a day trip. After months of listening to the children demand he write it down, Carroll (a maths major at the time) penned the tale which was later published, re-worked, given a sequel and has since become one of the most iconic tales in modern literature. There are numerous films that have attempted to portray the fantastical world Alice visits, ranging in production date from 1903  to 2012. The story has also inspired many parodies, songs, works of art, video games and even baby names in general.  The Pancake Parlour, a popular chain restaurant in Australia pays tribute to the story in it’s decor and offerings of food such as “Alice in Wonderland Fudge Surprise pancakes” and “The White Rabbit’s Lemon pancakes”.

The story has been consistently portrayed through almost every medium- from print in the     when it was written, to both animated and live action movies, theatre productions and much, much more.

While the details of Alice’s trip change with each adaptation (such as whether her journey down the rabbit hole was a dream or whether it really happened, as debated through many differing tellings of the tale), the basic motifs stay the same; a young girl finds herself in an unusual, confusing and majestical place. These adaptations through various mediums have kept Carroll’s story alive by circulating it’s themes into the social sphere of both readers and the wider community. The story is as notable today as it was when written, and has not dated as other classics such as “Jack and the Beanstalk” have because it allows for its content to be changed without ruining the concept altogether.

Reference: Textual diversity, Intertextuality and Parodies in Wonderland; Maria Cristina Schleder De Borba