Alice in Wonderland II -- chapter 1: ALL IN A GOLDEN AFTERNOON

1. Carroll is endlessly crafty.  What hidden references to the Liddell sisters ("Liddell" pronounced with first-syllable emphasis) do you find in the poem?  (Of the three girls mentioned in the opening poem, which is a fair account of the story's genesis on July 4, allegedly, Prima, Secunda, and Tertia, the second is Alice.)  Additionally, and I expect some of his metaphysical humor rubbed of on his friends, it is the girls who claimed, and rightfully so, "It is next time!"  Isn't it always "next time"?
2. Alice was Carroll's favorite.  I believe it's fair to say the preference came from a mutual affinity in personality: "...what is the use of a book without pictures or conversations?" seems to indicate Carroll's preference, especially as such a preference is justified across these and his other fantastical works.
3. The fantasy of Alice reaches beyond the rabbit hole.  How so, and to what significance (I'm thinking of this as further indication of traits and preferences of Carroll, rather than Alice)?
4. Perhaps surprisingly, death is a frequent visitor in Alice, and generally in the form of very dark humor.  Can you spot any in this first chapter (I've got 2)?  More importantly, and generally skipped, why the death jokes at all?
5. Remember the cat, Dinah (one of two cats of the Liddells'), and her kittens for later.
6. The garden through the little door (with the possible addition of the key) is, as far as I'm concerned, one of the most important metaphors in the book.  T.S. Eliot interpreted the garden as "a metaphor for events that might have been, had one opened certain doors" (The Annotated Alice, p16, note7).  I have reason to believe, which I will be expound upon when we read Looking Glass (particularly in the forest with no names) that this is more of an allusion to Eden; though in this case, I think the two interpretations are easily reconciled.  Thoughts?
7. "Alice had begun to think that very few things indeed were really impossible."  This, in context of the garden, I think, is a very optimistic statement.  But what are the implications that the impossible--and this particular impossibility regarding the garden--is only superable in Wonderland (apply also to #3)?
8. WARNING: potential over-analysis -- Here is the first moment when I believe Carroll makes a personal appearance (the first of many) in the setting of the story, unbeknownst to Alice; these events evince a sort of meta-story only ever apparent (though never fully realized) between the lines.  This appearance (though can it be an "appearance" if we, whose eyes are Alice's eyes, don't "see" him?)  is particularly anonymous, and demonstrates a keen understanding of children and their attentions.  For many children, there is essentially nothing beyond their immediate focus.  The world could crumble and, if they were adequately drawn to another point, they would not notice.  So, then, where does the bottle come from and why?  How might, if at all (highly speculative, but I feel justified by my general understanding of the books), this relate to the garden?
9. "Nice little stories."
10. There are 12 changes of physical size that Alice undergoes throughout the books.  Is there something deeper than the fantasy of it?  Consider Alice Liddell's age and all the problems that go with it, at least as far as Carroll's concerned.
11. The fact that Alice still cannot get into the garden despite her new size indicates...  what?  Is there any way for her to control her circumstances, or is her impotence due solely to her mistake (see also #3 and #8)?
12. "...going out altogether, like a candle."
13. Alice :: Alas -- a pun?
14. (For future reference: Though I haven't yet read Finnegan's Wake, allegedly he alludes frequently to Alice.)
15. Is it Alice or Carroll who likes to be two people at once--or both, i.e. in the case of the book Alice and Carroll may arguably be the same person inasmuch as twins or even reflections are the same (consider also this appearance ALICE LIDDELL :: LEWIS CARROLL)?  (Doubles are another important series of allusions, like the death jokes, the garden, etcetera.)

In defense of apparent "reading-too-much-into-it": The definable layers in Carroll's writing--jokes, allusions, puzzles, etcetera--are all fine precedent to support the possibility of other more deeply speculative bits.