Alice In Wonderland Speech Analysis

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a novel written by Lewis Carroll in 1865. It tells the story of Alice falling through a rabbit hole into fantasy world.
The Chapter I was given starts with her being a guest at a “mad” tea party along the March Hare, the Hatter and Dormouse. While the Dormouse frequently falls asleep and is woken up by the March Hare, Alice is given many riddles and stories. She becomes insulted and later on leaves the tea party.
Speech acts are utterances which have a performative function in language and communication. They are classified in five categories of speech acts:
1. Assertives: state what the speaker believes to be the case or not.
2. Directives: are used to get someone else to do something.
3. Commissives:

The first one analyses the literal meaning of the world, the second what the speaker tries to convey with the words and the third its actual effect. If they fulfil the felicity conditions, which are preparatory (if it is not fulfilled, the act has not been carried out), sincerity (the person performing the act must have appropriate beliefs or feelings) and essential conditions (define the act being carried out), the performance of speech acts s successful.
Looking at the example of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland it is not immediately obvious what is true or not, which is why we need to have a closer look at it.
The chapter starts with her approaching a table. Although both, the Hatcher and the Dormouse, tell Alice there is no room for her she still sits there and replies “There is plenty of room!” (line 7). It is clearly that both did not wanted her to sit with them at this table. Therefore, they did not say the truth and lied with the intention of wanting Alice to sit somewhere else or going away. Due to her being stubborn and not listening to what the they said, the speech act does not fulfil the essential condition and is consequently not successful. The act is being carried out and the intentions do not fit the