Western and Eastern Fantasies: Possible Worlds and Isekai in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Abstract

The study presents an analysis of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland regarding its possibilities considering the function of imagination, mainly drawing on the literature exploring possible world theories. Based on the assumption that a similar yet different world exists, Western and Eastern fantasies meet in one similar concept: isekai (Japanese, meaning ‘different world’ or ‘otherworld’). Isekai is a Japanese subgenre which can also be interpreted alongside possible world theories, and this article aims to show differences and similarities by interpreting Carroll’s work. It highlights the presence of alienation, fantasy, focusing on Alice’s process of becoming familiar with the new world and on her struggle to understand the phenomena of Wonderland. Moving away from the novel towards isekai, special attention is paid to the position of the reader and the protagonist