{"id":6322,"date":"2010-07-17T18:06:01","date_gmt":"2010-07-17T22:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/?p=6322"},"modified":"2019-03-29T23:47:10","modified_gmt":"2019-03-30T03:47:10","slug":"feathers-water-looking-glass-and-an-imaginary-pig","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/2010\/07\/feathers-water-looking-glass-and-an-imaginary-pig\/","title":{"rendered":"Feathers, Water, Looking Glass and an Imaginary Pig"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I was in first grade, I read Alice Through the Looking Glass<\/a> by Lewis Carroll<\/a> and was confused by the passage where Alice was rowing a boat with a sheep in it. I wasn’t disturbed by the fact that she was in the boat with the sheep, or that the sheep spoke and knitted. Who among us can say she hasn’t rowed with talking livestock? Last time I rowed a boat with a pig in it, not only did we have a lively conversation but the pig made me bacon, natch<\/a>. No, what was bothersome to me about the dialogue<\/a> was the use of the word “feather.”<\/p>\n

“Feather!” cried the Sheep, as she took up another pair of needles.<\/em><\/p>\n

This didn’t sound like a remark that needed any answer: so Alice said nothing, but pulled away. There was something very queer about the water, she thought, as every now and then the oars got fast in it, and would hardly come out again.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“Feather! Feather!” the Sheep cried again, taking more needles. “You’ll be catching a crab directly.”<\/em><\/p>\n

“A dear little crab!” thought Alice. “I should like that.”<\/em><\/p>\n

“Didn’t you hear me say ‘Feather’?” the Sheep cried angrily, taking up quite a bunch of needles.<\/em><\/p>\n

“Indeed I did,” said Alice: “you’ve said it very often — and very loud. Please where <\/em>are<\/em> the crabs?<\/em>”<\/p>\n

“In the water, of course!” said the Sheep, sticking some of the needles into her hair, as her hands were full. “Feather, I say!”<\/em><\/p>\n

“<\/em>Why do you say “Feather” so often?” Alice asked at last, rather vexed. “I’m not a bird!”<\/em><\/p>\n

“You are,” said the Sheep: “you’re a little goose.”<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Clearly, Alice was equally puzzled so I didn’t feel too bad. It wasn’t till I was in college when I dated a guy who rowed crew that I realized feathering is part of a rower’s stroke<\/a>. And right now I’m laughing so hard I’m crying because mere seconds ago, MrB told me that “catching a crab<\/a>” is a term for a bad stroke due to poor feathering. Like Alice, I thought the sheep was talking about crustaceans … till this very moment!<\/p>\n

Anyway, feathers still make me think of Alice and the sheep. The characters instantly came to mind when I saw the fabric used in the Louis Vuitton dress Rachel Bilson wore to the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala<\/a> back in May.<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>