Distorting mirror

File:Boys image in a distorting mirror.jpg

A distorting mirror, funhouse mirror or carnival mirror is a popular attraction at carnivals and fairs.{{cite web|url=http://www.carnivalmirror.com/|title=What is a Carnival Mirror?|accessdate=4 September 2009|date=August 19, 2009}} Instead of a normal plane mirror that reflects a perfect mirror image, distorting mirrors are curved mirrors, often using convex and concave sections to achieve the distorted effect.{{cite book|last1=Rossing|first1=Thomas D.|last2=Chiaverina|first2=Christopher J.|title=Light science: physics and the visual arts|publisher=Springer|date=September 24, 1999|pages=53|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jpH1_dCT_UcC&dq=carnival+mirror&pg=PA53|accessdate=2011-09-14|isbn=978-0-387-98827-6}} Because of their distorting properties, they are sometimes featured in fiction as a literary device, such as in Hans Christian Andersen's 1844 fairy tale The Snow Queen.{{cite book|last1=Westfahl|first1=Gary|title=The Greenwood encyclopedia of science fiction and fantasy: themes, works, and wonders|volume=2|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=2005|pages=529|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3JXnz9x9sO4C&dq=carnival+mirror&pg=PA529|accessdate=2011-09-14|isbn=978-0-313-32952-4}}