The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion
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The Wind in the Willows
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The Wind in the Willows - Ch 7-9
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I like to think that Badger does some reading before he gets too "busy" in his study. :-)
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Rosemarie wrote: "I wonder if the animals have newspapers. I can see Badger reading the newspaper in his chamber."An Rat also writes poetry, so maybe he has some books of his own.
Rosemarie wrote: "I wonder if the animals have newspapers. I can see Badger reading the newspaper in his chamber."What a delightful picture! I wonder why none of the illustrators I've looked at so far have him reading the paper. Now that you mention it, it seems so totally appropriate.
There is one by Moore where Toad's reading a map on his lawn. It's in one of those search collections. Here: http://chuchena.users.photofile.ru/ph...
Charles van Sandwyk
http://www.gallerieswest.ca/art-revie...
There's so much in this book beyond the content meant for children. And the various illustrations continue to delight me. Maybe we should start searching for children's books in the same vein, for future reads. Alice in Wonderland and Grimm's Fairy Tales come to mind.Badger holding the news:
https://michelinewalker.files.wordpre...
Rochelle wrote: "Maybe we should start searching for children's books in the same vein, for ..."I'm all for that - I love good children's literature. The Secret Garden, Anne of Green Gables, Alice, Pooh... The turn of the century stuff can be pretty moralistic, but it would be fun to discuss it.
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To add to the list of children’s lit worth group-reading, Puck o’ Pook’s Hill, recently mentioned by Everyman. And didn’t Stalky and Company get reccoed for a group read earlier this year?
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In any case this is a bit off topic, but we could certainly continue the discussion around future reading plans in the Croissants section.
I have to agree with earlier posts, somehow Badger appears in my imagination sitting in an armchair reading a newspaper.
Or falling asleep with the newspaper over his face!
Frances wrote: "I hate to be a wet blanket, and I'm certainly enjoying this reading and will try to participate in Moonfleet, but I think 2 childrens/YA books in a row is enough for a while. If there was interest ..."I didn't say 2 in a row.
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Only I am sure Badger would call it "resting his eyes".
Frances wrote: "Rochelle-I meant we're already reading 2 in a row with TWITW and Moonfleet."Oh, OK, I didn't know about Moonfleet.
Frances wrote: "Rochelle-I meant we're already reading 2 in a row with TWITW and Moonfleet."Do you consider Moonfleet a YA book? I'm only a chapter or two into it, but I haven't read it as that so far. Yes, the protagonist (so far) is a youth, but so is Kim, and that is definitely not a YA book (at least in my opinion).
Rosemarie wrote: "Abigail wrote: "Or falling asleep with the newspaper over his face!"Only I am sure Badger would call it "resting his eyes"."
When my wife comments on it, I call it thinking long thoughts.
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Frances wrote: "I've never read Moonfleet, but it was put out by Oxford's Children's Classics (which also publishes books like Tom Sawyer) and Wikipedia says it was "popular with children for many years" and it ap..."Interesting. Thanks. I wonder whether knowing that will subtly change my thinking about it as I read.
I just started reading Moonfleet, and I wouldn't call it a YA book at all. Yes, there is a young boy who is the protagonist, but other than that, nothing YA about it.And - no spoilers - it is quite good! Much more so than I thought it would be. I was a bit skeptical going into it, but it hooked me immediately.
I think that in the days Moonfleet was written there wasn’t such a firm distinction between literature for children and literature for adults. There is a certain simplicity in the language, as befits a story told from the point of view of a boy, but there’s no “talking down.” I miss that in present-day children’s and YA writing! One of the things I love about Treasure Island is that there are whole paragraphs I can’t penetrate because I am not familiar with technical terms about sailing, or sailor slang. That impenetrability gives me something to strive for and adds to feelings of mystery and suspense. I see the same in Moonfleet, perhaps to a lesser degree. Just goes to show that a good novel is a good novel, regardless of the age of the protagonist or reader.On a personal note, this group read is especially interesting to me because I am currently embarked on writing a novel about a twelve-year-old boy who becomes involved with smugglers, set about fifty years later than Moonfleet. Mine is also not intended only for children. Swimming energetically against the tide of fashion, as always.
Abigail wrote:a novel about a twelve-year-old boy who becomes involved with smugglers, set about fifty years later than Moonfleet..Swimming energetically against the tide of fashion.."Abigail -- well, consider Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch. It could fit within your description as you provide it -- "young boy, smugglers...." Not exactly a Jamaica Inn (Daphne du Maurier) type smuggling story, but still... Or, in this day and age, perhaps you are dealing with human trafficking themes.
Actually, my story is set in 1800 in Surrey, of all places. Not even coastal! But your suggestion is good: I should reread Jamaica Inn.
I'm playing catch up with Toad and friends today and just finished this section. Of course I remember (who could forget?) Toad's washerwoman disguise and escape. The drawings in this chapter made me take notice of the animal/human comparisons in size that were previously brought up in the threads. The drawing with Toad talking to the train engine driver shows Toad at half the height of the human. When Toad received the washerwoman's clothes, I was wondering at the sizing, but I suppose he could have fit OK if he was the height of a small woman? Anyway, I couldn't help but think of these little details!I don't remember chapter 7, Pipers at the Gates of Dawn, from my first reading at all. And from reading the introduction at the start of my book, I had it in my head when I got to this chapter that it "didn't seem to fit" with the rest of the book. I can see that, and perhaps why I didn't remember it as well as the rest of the book.
I loved chapter 9 about Sea Rat's adventures, although I did feel bad for Ratty. I wished he had gone out on a seafaring adventure, even if it was a short one, and then come back home to relate his adventures to Mole and Badger and friends. To think about how exciting it was for Mole to leave his comfortable safe home for the exciting world of the river, I wish that Ratty could have had the same experience on the sea.
Now to try and quickly catch up on 75 posts!
Karel wrote: "Abigail wrote: "...the kindness and the mystery and awe of Pan..."Oh, for the Greek ancient gods, of course it was PAN, thank you for clarifying that! When I read this chapter I didnt understand t..."
Yes, I needed this clarification too. I wasn't quite sure what was happening here or what they were seeing. Myy book doesn't have any illustrations of a faun or Pan, and my knowledge of Greek mythology is lacking.
Lori wrote: "Just one thing about Toad - yes, i know, we have to suspend our disbelief in these kind of stories, and although it was difficult, I was able to do it with Toad dressed up as the washerwoman. But, he's going home! Wouldn't that be the first place the police go to look for him?"Ha ha, that's what I thought, Lori! They know who Toad is, why would he simply go home?!
Rochelle wrote: "I never thought of that. She must have been green too.":)
The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910
Books mentioned in this topic
The Goldfinch (other topics)Jamaica Inn (other topics)
Authors mentioned in this topic
Donna Tartt (other topics)Daphne du Maurier (other topics)
And, of course, for the airplane flight to and from my destination. I enjoy looking at scenery and cityscapes wherever I go, especially if I visit places I have read about in books.