Mock Turtle

Mock Turtle
Mock Turtle
Alice character
Alice par John Tenniel 34.png
The Gryphon and the Mock Turtle, illustrated by John Tenniel
First appearance Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Created by Lewis Carroll
Information
Species Turtle/Sea Turtle/Terrapin Turtle
Gender Male
Significant other(s) Gryphon
Nationality Wonderland

The Mock Turtle is a fictional character devised by Lewis Carroll from his popular book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Its name is taken from a dish that was popular in the Victorian period, mock turtle soup.

Contents

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Then the Queen left off, quite out of breath, and said to Alice, "Have you seen the Mock Turtle yet?"
"No," said Alice. "I don't even know what a Mock Turtle is."
"It's the thing Mock Turtle Soup is made from," said the Queen.

(Alice in Wonderland, chapter 9)

Carroll enjoyed such puns on Victorian fashions and etiquette, and showed this frequently. The description and drawing by John Tenniel gives comedic value to the Mock Turtle, as he is clearly an assemblage of creatures, therefore not a real turtle as his name rightly suggests.

The Mock Turtle is a very melancholy character, it is thought because he used to be a real turtle. He tells Alice his history of going to school in the sea, but cannot understand the school system that Alice describes to him- least of all the poetry she recites. Ironically, she cannot understand it either. This is a pun on the two meanings of "school", referring in the turtle's usage to a school of fish or marine animals, and by Alice to an institute of learning (see school). He says teacher was an old Sea Turtle called Tortoise and when Alice asks him why he was called Tortoise if he was a Turtle the Mock Turtle answers "We called him tortoise because he taught us!".

Origins

To say that the Mock Turtle's name is a pun on the name of the soup is incomplete. The Tenniel illustration of the Mock Turtle specifically depicts it as a collection of creatures that make up the ingredients of mock turtle soup; they are not random. The pun is not only of the name, but of the nature of the soup itself.

Traditionally, mock turtle soup takes the parts of a calf that were not frequently used and often discarded, including the head, hooves, and tail; and uses the non-muscular meat to imitate turtle meat. Tenniel's illustration shows the Mock Turtle with the body of a turtle, and the head, hooves, and tail of a calf. The complicated pun, then, is both word-play and picture-play.

Cultural references

The Mock Turtle makes an appearance in the computer game American McGee's Alice, having the head of a bull and the body of a turtle. In the beginning, Alice has to help the Mock Turtle find his shell, which was stolen by the Duchess. There is also a Mock Turtle in The Elder Scrolls Legends: Battlespire. "The Mock Turtle" was the name of a costumed criminal obsessed with Alice in Wonderland and other fantasies in the Astro City universe (as a possible reference to DC comics' similarly Wonderland-obsessed villain, the Mad Hatter).

Steely Dan recorded a demo entitled "The Mock Turtle Song"; this song was never recorded for a studio album but has been released on compilations and the band has played it live. The lyrics were directly taken from a song in the section in the book ("The Lobster Quadrille").[citation needed] Jazz fusion band Bruford recorded a song entitled "Fainting in Coils", which is included as the fifth track of the band's 1979 release One of a Kind. The song includes narration by band founder Bill Bruford consisting of a 74-word excerpt from "The Mock Turtle's Story." In this excerpt, the Mock Turtle tells Alice about some of things he studied in school, which among other things included "...Drawling, Stretching, and Fainting in Coils.

Film & Television Incarnations

  1. Alice in Wonderland (1999) (TV) Played by Gene Wilder
  2. Alice in Wonderland (1986) (TV) Played by Roy Skelton
  3. Alice in Wonderland (1985) (TV) Played by Ringo Starr
  4. Dreamchild (1985) Played by Alan Bennett
  5. "Great Performances: Alice in Wonderland" (1983) (TV Episode) Played by Donald O'Connor
  6. Alicja (1982) Played by Jack Wild
  7. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1972) with Fiona Fullerton & Michael Hordern
  8. "The Wednesday Play: Alice in Wonderland" (1966) (TV Episode) Played by John Gielgud
  9. "The Wednesday Play: Alice" (1965) (TV Episode) Played by Norman Scace
  10. Alice in Wonderland (1955) (TV) Played by Burr Tillstrom
  11. "Hallmark Hall of Fame: Alice in Wonderland" (1955) (TV Episode) Played by Burr Tillstrom
  12. Alice in Wonderland (1933) Played by Cary Grant
  13. Alice in Wonderland Played by Gus Alexander
  14. Alice in Wonderland (1951) Was almost put in but deleted. However, did appear in Disney produced Jello commercials based around Alice in 1957.
The Mock Turtle from a Disney commercial
  1. Alice in Wonderland (2010) Does not appear, but a portrait of him can be seen clearly in the Hatter's room to the left of the Knave when he breaks in.
The Portrait of the Mock Turtle as it appears in the 2010 film

References

v · d · eLewis Carroll's Alice
Source texts
Authors
Illustrators
Characters
Alice's Adventures
in Wonderland
Through the
Looking-Glass
Poems
Related topics
Adaptations
Sequels
Retellings
  • Alice's Adventures in Wonderland retold in words of one syllable (1905)
  • Alice in Verse: The Lost Rhymes of Wonderland (2010)
Parodies
  • The Westminster Alice (1902)
  • Clara in Blunderland (1902)
  • Lost in Blunderland (1903)
  • John Bull's Adventures in the Fiscal Wonderland (1904)
  • Alice in Blunderland: An Iridescent Dream (1904)
Imitations
Reimagining
Film
  • Wikipedia book Book:Alice in Wonderland
  • Category Category:Alice in Wonderland
  • Portal Portal:Children's literature

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • mock turtle — A soup made of calf s head or other meat in lieu of turtle meat • • • Main Entry: ↑turtle …   Useful english dictionary

  • Mock turtle soup — is an English soup that was created in the mid 18th century as a cheaper imitation of green turtle soup.[1] It often uses brains and organ meats such as calf s head or a calf s foot[2 …   Wikipedia

  • Mock turtle soup — Mock Mock, a. Imitating reality, but not real; false; counterfeit; assumed; sham. [1913 Webster] That superior greatness and mock majesty. Spectator. [1913 Webster] {Mock bishop s weed} (Bot.), a genus of slender umbelliferous herbs… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • mock turtle soup — ► NOUN ▪ imitation turtle soup made from a calf s head …   English terms dictionary

  • mock turtle soup — n. a soup made from calf s head, veal, etc., spiced so as to taste like green turtle soup …   English World dictionary

  • Mock Turtle — Mock Tur|tle, the a character in the book ↑Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, who is a strange and sad creature who often cries …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • mock turtle soup — noun soup made from a calf s head or other meat in imitation of green turtle soup • Hypernyms: ↑soup * * * ˌmock turtle ˈsoup 7 [mock turtle soup] noun uncountable a type of soup made from the head of a young cow, whic …   Useful english dictionary

  • mock turtle soup — noun Date: 1783 a soup made of meat (as calf s head or veal), wine, and spices in imitation of green turtle soup …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • mock turtle soup — a rich, clear soup prepared to resemble green turtle soup, made with a calf s head or other meat, seasonings, and often with wine. [1775 85] * * * …   Universalium

  • mock turtle soup — n. soup made from meat (veal or calf s head) with wine and seasoned to taste like green turtle soup …   English contemporary dictionary

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