The Mad Hatter Tea Party

The Mad Hatter Tea Party is a famous scene in Lewis Carroll's book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, which was first published in 1865. The scene represents the limitlessness of fantasy and its freedom from reason.

An illustration of The Mad Tea Party by artist John Tenniel

Lewis never actually uses the term Mad Hatter Tea Party. Nevertheless it is by this that it is popularly known. (Lewis never even calls The Hatter The Mad Hatter although the Cheshire Cat does warn Alice that The Hatter is quite mad!)

Ever since the Queen of Hearts sentenced The Hatter to death for murdering time, the March Hare (who is every bit as mad as The Hatter) has been behaving as though it’s teatime all the time.

In this famous scene, Alice has tea with The Hatter and the March Hare in the March Hare’s garden. The two Wonderland creatures make cutting remarks at Alice, ask riddles that have no answers and recite poetry that doesn’t make any sense.

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Here’s an excerpt from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. It demonstrates some of the quirky dialogue that takes place between Alice, the March Hare and the Hatter at the Mad Hatter Tea Party:

The table was a large one, but the three were all crowded together at one corner of it:

`No room! No room!' they cried out when they saw Alice coming.

`There's plenty of room!' said Alice indignantly, and she sat down in a large arm-chair at one end of the table.

`Have some wine,' the March Hare said in an encouraging tone.

Alice looked all round the table, but there was nothing on it but tea. `I don't see any wine,' she remarked.

`There isn't any,' said the March Hare.

`Then it wasn't very civil of you to offer it,' said Alice angrily.

`It wasn't very civil of you to sit down without being invited,' said the March Hare.

`I didn't know it was your table,' said Alice; `it's laid for a great many more than three.'

`Your hair wants cutting,' said the Hatter. He had been looking at Alice for some time with great curiosity, and this was his first speech.

`You should learn not to make personal remarks,' Alice said with some severity; `it's very rude.'

The Hatter opened his eyes very wide on hearing this; but all he said was, `Why is a raven like a writing-desk?'

`Come, we shall have some fun now!' thought Alice. `I'm glad they've begun asking riddles.--I believe I can guess that,' she added aloud.

(The Mad Hatter Tea Party scene continues...)

`The Dormouse is asleep again,' said the Hatter, and he poured a little hot tea upon its nose.

The Dormouse shook its head impatiently, and said, without opening its eyes, `Of course, of course; just what I was going to remark myself.'

`Have you guessed the riddle yet?' the Hatter said, turning to Alice again.

`No, I give it up,' Alice replied: `what's the answer?'

`I haven't the slightest idea,' said the Hatter.

`Nor I,' said the March Hare.

Alice sighed wearily. `I think you might do something better with the time,' she said, `than waste it in asking riddles that have no answers.’

(End of excerpt)

CLICK HERE to read more Lewis Carroll quotes from the Alice books

You wouldn’t get away with such nonsense in any other genre. And by nonsense I don’t mean silliness or foolishness but the absence of sense. Nothing at the Mad Hatter Tea Party makes any sense and that’s exactly what fantasy is supposed to be ;-).

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