Jayson’s Reviews > Matilda > Status Update
Jayson
is 23% done
Notes:
(1) First of all, this has a ton of illustrations! At least compared to "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," which I recently finished.
- Probably because illustrations for the latter were done retroactively, and along with other books for visually-uniform new editions, so far less time would have been put into that compared to a new release.
(Continued in comments)
— Jan 29, 2025 09:30AM
Notes:
(1) First of all, this has a ton of illustrations! At least compared to "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," which I recently finished.
- Probably because illustrations for the latter were done retroactively, and along with other books for visually-uniform new editions, so far less time would have been put into that compared to a new release.
(Continued in comments)
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Jayson’s Previous Updates
Jayson
is 94% done
Notes:
(1) "The margarine wasn't at all bad. [Matilda] doubted whether she could have told the difference if she hadn't known."
- Evidently, Matilda suddenly realizes she's been sold a bill of goods by Big Butter.
- Dietary effects and chemical composition notwithstanding, elevating butter over margarine seems more about social status than anything.
(Continued in comments)
— Feb 07, 2025 09:30AM
Notes:
(1) "The margarine wasn't at all bad. [Matilda] doubted whether she could have told the difference if she hadn't known."
- Evidently, Matilda suddenly realizes she's been sold a bill of goods by Big Butter.
- Dietary effects and chemical composition notwithstanding, elevating butter over margarine seems more about social status than anything.
(Continued in comments)
Jayson
is 76% done
Notes:
(1) Matilda develops magic/telekinetic powers quite late in the book.
- It's interesting how Dahl held onto this as a kind of end reveal, tying her mental magic to her overall mental acumen. It implies that her advanced reading and math abilities were superpowers all along.
- Not exactly Harry Potter, though it does involve lightning imagery.
(Continued in comments)
— Feb 05, 2025 06:30PM
Notes:
(1) Matilda develops magic/telekinetic powers quite late in the book.
- It's interesting how Dahl held onto this as a kind of end reveal, tying her mental magic to her overall mental acumen. It implies that her advanced reading and math abilities were superpowers all along.
- Not exactly Harry Potter, though it does involve lightning imagery.
(Continued in comments)
Jayson
is 47% done
Notes:
(1) While this hasn't yet shown any inkling of fantasy nor the supernatural, it's nonetheless imbued with a great sense of improbability and wonder.
- Matilda being able to read and do advanced mathematics in her head is treated like having magical powers.
(2) This also uses a lot of Biblical language, which only adds to its sense of mystery.
(Continued in comments)
— Jan 31, 2025 02:35AM
Notes:
(1) While this hasn't yet shown any inkling of fantasy nor the supernatural, it's nonetheless imbued with a great sense of improbability and wonder.
- Matilda being able to read and do advanced mathematics in her head is treated like having magical powers.
(2) This also uses a lot of Biblical language, which only adds to its sense of mystery.
(Continued in comments)
Jayson
is starting
Notes:
(1) There are two versions of this eBook at my library, and as much as I detest the big Netflix logo defacing the cover, this is the original text, not the 2022 altered text that removes "offensive" language.
- Regardless of how you feel about the controversy, this is the version written by no one else but Roald Dahl, and so this is the only version I will ever read.
— Jan 25, 2025 07:00AM
Notes:
(1) There are two versions of this eBook at my library, and as much as I detest the big Netflix logo defacing the cover, this is the original text, not the 2022 altered text that removes "offensive" language.
- Regardless of how you feel about the controversy, this is the version written by no one else but Roald Dahl, and so this is the only version I will ever read.
(2) "[Her] parents looked upon Matilda in particular as nothing more than a scab. A scab is something you have to put up with until the time comes when you can pick it off and flick it away."
- This story definitely has a juvenile tone, which makes sense coming from a four year-old's perspective.
- Not necessarily potty humor, but more lowbrow in a Dav Pilkey sort of way.
- There's also talk of bunions and nose-picking shortly thereafter.
(3) As with "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," the correct and regular use of "nor" pleases me to no end.
(4) This is a very quaint-feeling book, at least to start. Before all the hijinks begin, it's all about Matilda's reading routine, which no doubt strikes a chord with its likely book-inclined readership.
- Not only are specific authors and names of books mentioned, it includes quite a long library book reading list, which I'm sure has been the focus of many a book club or reading challenge.
- It also goes into a fair bit of detail explaining libraries and how to use them.
- Television, on the other hand, is demonized as a kind of forced activity by her cruel and boorish parents.
(5) The language here is very distinctly British English. Much more so than "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" which was regionally ambiguous albeit still linguistically British.
- I don't know if Aylesbury is a real place, but the name just screams rural England.
- Pounds and pence are also explicitly mentioned, whereas "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" notably used dollars and cents.
(6) "[Matilda] was not quite tall enough to reach things around the kitchen, but she kept a small box in the outhouse which she brought in and stood on in order to get whatever she wanted."
- I can only presume the box serves the same purpose in the outhouse as it does in the kitchen.
- The outhouse, along with a nearby sawmill, just underscores this as a distinctly rural setting.
(7) "'No one ever got rich being honest,' the father said. 'Customers are there to be diddled.'"
- Yeah, I can only assume, this being a children's book, that "diddled" was far less perverse a term when this was written than it is nowadays.
- Alternatively, "diddled" could be less severe a term in Britain than in North America. The dictionary does describe it as "chiefly British."
(8) I've noticed that Dahl really likes to hyperbolize and reiterate character traits.
- The father here is an immoral and dishonest man, which is hammered home almost ad nauseam. We're made to believe he has no positive characteristics. That he destroys a library book, especially to the reading audience, is treated as sacrilege and irredeemable.
- Matilda, on the other hand, is all respect, patience and quiet pastimes. Her diminutive stature is brought up repeatedly and only underscores her total helplessness and thereby justifies her subsequent mischief.
(9) "'Filth,' Mr. Wormwood said. 'If it's by an American it's certain to be filth. That's all they write about.'"
- All I'll say is that "Fifty Shades of Grey" and its sequels were written by a Brit.