[Roughwork: to be revised]
to Peter Pan in Neverland, and spun a tale of her noble self
being mistreated and misunderstood by all the evil people
she met, thus Peter started calling Snow White in the Land
of the Bliksems
She told him how her sister Alice refused to take her side
in the innumerable conflicts in which the Duchess always
found herself embroiled, much to her chagrin and deep
mortification.
Peter Pan kindly advised the Duchess to defend herself
and her truth, and not allow others to bring her down.
Then one day the Duchess decided to sally forth in all her
state and visit Peter Pan in Neverland.
And what a falling-out was there!
The Duchess had changed so much that Peter Pan did not
recognise the sister he once knew – her total disregard for
Peter’s requests and feelings, anger at his guidance and
the constant stream of insults she levied against him, and
her childish temper tantrums, revealed her to be living in
her own nightmarish version of Wonderland where the
Cheshire Cat was her biggest enemy, the Queen of Hearts
had destroyed her wedding dress, where her sister Alice
had rendered no assistance when her carriage had
broken down…
Peter Pan discovered that the Duchess saw him as her
mortal enemy because he refused to cower before her
false claims to grandeur based on her temper and self-
importance – whereas at home she orders everybody
around, Peter Pan stood up to her and refused to give
in to her absurd demands for obeisance and respect.
Although Peter Pan wanted to confront the Duchess right
there in Neverland, he decided to keep the peace and took
her to see the sights in Neverland and held his tongue and
quietly wondered by himself what could have happened to
the Duchess to change her into such an absurd, angry, spite-
ful, bitter person...
The Duchess went home, quite dissatisfied with Peter Pan’s
lack of adoration and dumbfounded by his rational insistence
on good behaviour.
In Neverland Peter Pan decided that the Duchess needed help
to get out of the nightmarish Wonderland-hell she created by
looking with darkened eyes upon a dreary landscape and
making enemies everywhere she goes.
With the best of intentions Peter wrote a letter in which he
described her words, tone of voice, insults and tantrums
and explained that she revealed such a negative disposition
that it was the cause of all the problems in her life.
Peter presented his helpful analysis of the Duchess as
a criticism of the whole family, trying to make her under-
stand that being born into such a family was part of the
reason for her problems.
Peter criticised her dad Conan the Barbarian, mother
Queen of Hearts, eldest brother Attila the Hun, sister
Alice and youngest brother Tom Thumb – and her
long-suffering grandmother, Cinderella.
The Duchess received the letter and was very shocked by
and angry at the large scope of the analysis which showed
her a true reflection of the nightmare world she had been
describing to Peter Pan for so many years, and which she
thought she herself would always be exempt from.
The Duchess realized that she gossiped and spread rumours
about everybody in Wonderland with impunity and made them
all into blackguards, mental midgets and failures, while she
presented herself as Snow White amongst the evil goblins;
and she had thought she would always appear to advantage
in Peter Pan’s eyes.
But when Peter Pan met her in person and experienced how
she scolded, insulted and acted irrationally, he realised that
what she has been describing was her own inner vision and
irrational perspective on the normal Wonderland he knew
so long ago.
The Duchess realised that should Peter ever tell Alice what
demeaning stories the Duchess had been telling him about
Alice, the Duchess would be unmasked as the arch-enemy
of Alice and Wonderland in its entirety.
So the Duchess informed Peter that she would not tolerate
his lack of respect and attack on her person, that he was
lying about her visit to Neverland, and she would never
talk to him again.
Undeterred Peter sent his critical analysis to Alice.
It was one of the most astounding letters Alice had ever
read - amazed that the Duchess had so little ability to
be logical and hide her shortcomings under a mask of
rational respect, and saddened by the fact that she had
made a fool of herself and behaved in her usual dis-
respectful, aggressive way.
Although feeling offended by Peter’s criticism of her own
self, she had to agree that she had earned his disdain by her
own foolish behaviour, and his account of the Duchess was
absolutely true – and eventually Peter Pan and Alice compared
notes about Wonderland and Neverland, and the Duchess
with her strange disposition and attitude to the world.
Alice reflected that the Duchess had been steadily changing
since Peter Pan had left Wonderland to live in Neverland, and
that the contrast between her personality years ago and at the
present time woud have been very striking in his eyes.
The Duchess, of course, imperiously ordered Alice to break
off all contact with Peter Pan, calling him a mendacious back-
stabber and threatening Alice with lifelong hostilities should
a friendship between Alice and Peter Pan come into being.
Thus the worthy Duchess was trying to hide the criticisms,
insults and complaints she had shared with Peter for
so many years.
Alice ignored her prescriptions and engaged in conversation
with Peter, and now she has an ally in trying to get along with
the Duchess who still charges forth and makes enemies and
throws tantrums – and Peter Pan, safely living in Neverland,
gives her great advice, and now Alice is no longer isolated
under the oppressive reign of the Terrible Duchess,
the Scourge of Wonderland…
[13 February 2020]
She told him how her sister Alice refused to take her side
in the innumerable conflicts in which the Duchess always
found herself embroiled, much to her chagrin and deep
mortification.
Peter Pan kindly advised the Duchess to defend herself
and her truth, and not allow others to bring her down.
Then one day the Duchess decided to sally forth in all her
state and visit Peter Pan in Neverland.
And what a falling-out was there!
The Duchess had changed so much that Peter Pan did not
recognise the sister he once knew – her total disregard for
Peter’s requests and feelings, anger at his guidance and
the constant stream of insults she levied against him, and
her childish temper tantrums, revealed her to be living in
her own nightmarish version of Wonderland where the
Cheshire Cat was her biggest enemy, the Queen of Hearts
had destroyed her wedding dress, where her sister Alice
had rendered no assistance when her carriage had
broken down…
Peter Pan discovered that the Duchess saw him as her
mortal enemy because he refused to cower before her
false claims to grandeur based on her temper and self-
importance – whereas at home she orders everybody
around, Peter Pan stood up to her and refused to give
in to her absurd demands for obeisance and respect.
Although Peter Pan wanted to confront the Duchess right
there in Neverland, he decided to keep the peace and took
her to see the sights in Neverland and held his tongue and
quietly wondered by himself what could have happened to
the Duchess to change her into such an absurd, angry, spite-
ful, bitter person...
The Duchess went home, quite dissatisfied with Peter Pan’s
lack of adoration and dumbfounded by his rational insistence
on good behaviour.
In Neverland Peter Pan decided that the Duchess needed help
to get out of the nightmarish Wonderland-hell she created by
looking with darkened eyes upon a dreary landscape and
making enemies everywhere she goes.
With the best of intentions Peter wrote a letter in which he
described her words, tone of voice, insults and tantrums
and explained that she revealed such a negative disposition
that it was the cause of all the problems in her life.
Peter presented his helpful analysis of the Duchess as
a criticism of the whole family, trying to make her under-
stand that being born into such a family was part of the
reason for her problems.
Peter criticised her dad Conan the Barbarian, mother
Queen of Hearts, eldest brother Attila the Hun, sister
Alice and youngest brother Tom Thumb – and her
long-suffering grandmother, Cinderella.
The Duchess received the letter and was very shocked by
and angry at the large scope of the analysis which showed
her a true reflection of the nightmare world she had been
describing to Peter Pan for so many years, and which she
thought she herself would always be exempt from.
The Duchess realized that she gossiped and spread rumours
about everybody in Wonderland with impunity and made them
all into blackguards, mental midgets and failures, while she
presented herself as Snow White amongst the evil goblins;
and she had thought she would always appear to advantage
in Peter Pan’s eyes.
But when Peter Pan met her in person and experienced how
she scolded, insulted and acted irrationally, he realised that
what she has been describing was her own inner vision and
irrational perspective on the normal Wonderland he knew
so long ago.
The Duchess realised that should Peter ever tell Alice what
demeaning stories the Duchess had been telling him about
Alice, the Duchess would be unmasked as the arch-enemy
of Alice and Wonderland in its entirety.
So the Duchess informed Peter that she would not tolerate
his lack of respect and attack on her person, that he was
lying about her visit to Neverland, and she would never
talk to him again.
Undeterred Peter sent his critical analysis to Alice.
It was one of the most astounding letters Alice had ever
read - amazed that the Duchess had so little ability to
be logical and hide her shortcomings under a mask of
rational respect, and saddened by the fact that she had
made a fool of herself and behaved in her usual dis-
respectful, aggressive way.
Although feeling offended by Peter’s criticism of her own
self, she had to agree that she had earned his disdain by her
own foolish behaviour, and his account of the Duchess was
absolutely true – and eventually Peter Pan and Alice compared
notes about Wonderland and Neverland, and the Duchess
with her strange disposition and attitude to the world.
Alice reflected that the Duchess had been steadily changing
since Peter Pan had left Wonderland to live in Neverland, and
that the contrast between her personality years ago and at the
present time woud have been very striking in his eyes.
The Duchess, of course, imperiously ordered Alice to break
off all contact with Peter Pan, calling him a mendacious back-
stabber and threatening Alice with lifelong hostilities should
a friendship between Alice and Peter Pan come into being.
Thus the worthy Duchess was trying to hide the criticisms,
insults and complaints she had shared with Peter for
so many years.
Alice ignored her prescriptions and engaged in conversation
with Peter, and now she has an ally in trying to get along with
the Duchess who still charges forth and makes enemies and
throws tantrums – and Peter Pan, safely living in Neverland,
gives her great advice, and now Alice is no longer isolated
under the oppressive reign of the Terrible Duchess,
the Scourge of Wonderland…
[13 February 2020]
