The World of Roald Dahl
The World of Roald Dahl! Meet the Characters and Find Out About the Man Himself
Articles
The Grand High Witch
2010-03-08 07:45:00
The Grand High Witch is described as being "without mercy", "the most evil woman in creation" and "the most evil and appalling woman in the world": one who utterly detests children, disdaining the oblivion of one child per week for each of the eighty-five witches in England as "no use", and indifferent as to whether or not adults are turned into mice and destroyed in the process. She is impatient, volatile, aggressive, and tyrannical, caring nothing as to how her demands are carried out provided they are obeyed and leave no trace of witches being involved. While furious at those who contradict or offer nothing constructive to her plans, she displays a favourable, if terse, attitude towards those witches - particularly "the ancient ones"- who have served her well over the years and eliminat
2010-03-08 07:45:00
The Grand High Witch is described as being "without mercy", "the most evil woman in creation" and "the most evil and appalling woman in the world": one who utterly detests children, disdaining the oblivion of one child per week for each of the eighty-five witches in England as "no use", and indifferent as to whether or not adults are turned into mice and destroyed in the process. She is impatient, volatile, aggressive, and tyrannical, caring nothing as to how her demands are carried out provided they are obeyed and leave no trace of witches being involved. While furious at those who contradict or offer nothing constructive to her plans, she displays a favourable, if terse, attitude towards those witches - particularly "the ancient ones"- who have served her well over the years and eliminat
Grandpa Joe
2010-03-03 15:57:00
Grandpa Joe was one of Charlie's four bed-ridden grandparents. He tells Charlie (and the reader) the story of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory and the mystery of the secret workers. When Charlie found the Golden Ticket, Grandpa Joe leapt out of bed for joy. Charlie took Grandpa Joe to accompany him on the factory tour. Later, Grandpa Joe accompanied Charlie, Willy Wonka, and all members of Charlie's family in the Great Glass Elevator and played a crucial role in the rescue of the Commuter Capsule from the Vermicious Knids. An original backstory to Grandpa Joe's past was added to Tim Burton's film adaptation of the book. In both the book and the 1971 film, Joe merely knows of Willy Wonka, while in Burton's 2005 film, it is said that Joe actually worked for Wonka for five years, beginning when Wonka opened his first candy shop, until the day he fired all his workers from his factory and then he tells this to Wonka, he is welcomed back. Mike Teavee's father is also hinted to be a fellow e
2010-03-03 15:57:00
Grandpa Joe was one of Charlie's four bed-ridden grandparents. He tells Charlie (and the reader) the story of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory and the mystery of the secret workers. When Charlie found the Golden Ticket, Grandpa Joe leapt out of bed for joy. Charlie took Grandpa Joe to accompany him on the factory tour. Later, Grandpa Joe accompanied Charlie, Willy Wonka, and all members of Charlie's family in the Great Glass Elevator and played a crucial role in the rescue of the Commuter Capsule from the Vermicious Knids. An original backstory to Grandpa Joe's past was added to Tim Burton's film adaptation of the book. In both the book and the 1971 film, Joe merely knows of Willy Wonka, while in Burton's 2005 film, it is said that Joe actually worked for Wonka for five years, beginning when Wonka opened his first candy shop, until the day he fired all his workers from his factory and then he tells this to Wonka, he is welcomed back. Mike Teavee's father is also hinted to be a fellow e
Boy: Tales of Childhood
2010-02-11 05:00:00
'Throughout my young days at school and just afterwards a number of things happened to me that I have never forgotten ....' Boy is a funny, insightful and at times grotesque glimpse into the early life of Roald Dahl. We discover his experiences of the English public school system, the idyllic paradise of summer holidays in Norway, the pleasures (and pains) of the sweetshop, and how it is that he avoided being a Boazer. This is the unadulterated childhood - sad and funny, macabre and delightful - that inspired our most-loved children's writer. Click here to buy a copy of 'Boy'
2010-02-11 05:00:00
'Throughout my young days at school and just afterwards a number of things happened to me that I have never forgotten ....' Boy is a funny, insightful and at times grotesque glimpse into the early life of Roald Dahl. We discover his experiences of the English public school system, the idyllic paradise of summer holidays in Norway, the pleasures (and pains) of the sweetshop, and how it is that he avoided being a Boazer. This is the unadulterated childhood - sad and funny, macabre and delightful - that inspired our most-loved children's writer. Click here to buy a copy of 'Boy'
Dahl's Childrens Fiction
2010-02-06 07:58:00
Dahl's children's works are usually told from the point of view of a child. They typically involve adult villains or villainesses who hate and mistreat children, and feature at least one "good" adult to counteract the villain(s). These stock characters are possibly a reference to the abuse that Dahl stated that he experienced in the boarding schools he attended. They usually contain a lot of black humour and grotesque scenarios, including gruesome violence. The Witches, George's Marvellous Medicine and Matilda are examples of this formula. The BFG follows it in a more analogous way with the good giant (the BFG or "Big Friendly Giant") representing the "good adult" archetype and the other giants being the "bad adults". This formula is also somewhat evident in Dahl's film script for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Class-conscious themes – ranging from the thinly veiled to the blatant – also surface in works such as Fantastic Mr Fox and Danny, the Champion of the World. Dahl also features i
2010-02-06 07:58:00
Dahl's children's works are usually told from the point of view of a child. They typically involve adult villains or villainesses who hate and mistreat children, and feature at least one "good" adult to counteract the villain(s). These stock characters are possibly a reference to the abuse that Dahl stated that he experienced in the boarding schools he attended. They usually contain a lot of black humour and grotesque scenarios, including gruesome violence. The Witches, George's Marvellous Medicine and Matilda are examples of this formula. The BFG follows it in a more analogous way with the good giant (the BFG or "Big Friendly Giant") representing the "good adult" archetype and the other giants being the "bad adults". This formula is also somewhat evident in Dahl's film script for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Class-conscious themes – ranging from the thinly veiled to the blatant – also surface in works such as Fantastic Mr Fox and Danny, the Champion of the World. Dahl also features i
Tales Of The Unexpected
2010-01-11 10:44:00
Take a pinch of unease. Stir it into a large dollop of the macabre, add a generous helping of dark and stylish wit, garnish with the bizarre and what do you have? Roald Dahl at his brilliant, hypnotizing best, cooking up some of the most unusual stories ever told. Here in one volume are Tales of the Unexpected and More Tales of the Unexpected, making this a superb compendium of vengeance, surprise and dark delight. To buy a copy click the following link Completely Unexpected Tales:
2010-01-11 10:44:00
Take a pinch of unease. Stir it into a large dollop of the macabre, add a generous helping of dark and stylish wit, garnish with the bizarre and what do you have? Roald Dahl at his brilliant, hypnotizing best, cooking up some of the most unusual stories ever told. Here in one volume are Tales of the Unexpected and More Tales of the Unexpected, making this a superb compendium of vengeance, surprise and dark delight. To buy a copy click the following link Completely Unexpected Tales:
The Twits
2010-01-04 06:39:00
The Twits is a humorous children's book written by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake. It was written in 1979, and first published in 1980. Mr. and Mrs. Twit are two ugly, smelly, nasty, stupid people who spend their lives playing nasty tricks on each other. They also enjoy being cruel to animals, which they do by luring birds to glue-smothered trees so they can be baked into bird pie, and tormenting their pet monkeys, Muggle-Wump and his family, by getting them to stand upside down, one on top of the other. They hate children, and Mrs. Twit often carries a walking stick in her right hand that she uses to hit children and animals. One day, the arrival of the Roly-Poly Bird from Africa allows the monkeys and the surviving birds to get the revenge they have craved for years. They glue the carpet and furniture to the living room ceiling while the Twits are out. On the Twits' return, two ravens swoop over and drop glue from paintbrushes held in their claws onto the Twits' heads.
2010-01-04 06:39:00
The Twits is a humorous children's book written by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake. It was written in 1979, and first published in 1980. Mr. and Mrs. Twit are two ugly, smelly, nasty, stupid people who spend their lives playing nasty tricks on each other. They also enjoy being cruel to animals, which they do by luring birds to glue-smothered trees so they can be baked into bird pie, and tormenting their pet monkeys, Muggle-Wump and his family, by getting them to stand upside down, one on top of the other. They hate children, and Mrs. Twit often carries a walking stick in her right hand that she uses to hit children and animals. One day, the arrival of the Roly-Poly Bird from Africa allows the monkeys and the surviving birds to get the revenge they have craved for years. They glue the carpet and furniture to the living room ceiling while the Twits are out. On the Twits' return, two ravens swoop over and drop glue from paintbrushes held in their claws onto the Twits' heads.
Fantastic Mr Fox
2009-11-25 06:39:00
"Boggis and Bunce and Bean, One short, one fat, one lean. These horrible crooks, so different in looks, were nonetheless equally mean." Mr. Fox, Mrs. Fox, and all their fox babies live under a hill under a tree, along with Badger, Rabbit, Weasel, and all of their families. To make ends meet, every night, Mr. Fox steals a meal from one of the three crooked farmers--Boggis, a chicken farmer, Bunce, who has a little bit of everything but only eats duck liver, and Bean, who farms turkeys and apples and subsists solely on apple cider. With his keen sense of smell, and the farmers' distinctive diets, Mr. Fox has no problem evading them. After so much treatment, the greedy farmers band together to end Mr. Fox. They ambush him at the base of his hole in the hill, and while Mr. Fox survives, his tail does not. Thus begins an obsession on the part of the farmers. They first try to dig the foxes out, but they are outdug by eight sets of paws. Then, they move to starving them out. This is unfor
2009-11-25 06:39:00
"Boggis and Bunce and Bean, One short, one fat, one lean. These horrible crooks, so different in looks, were nonetheless equally mean." Mr. Fox, Mrs. Fox, and all their fox babies live under a hill under a tree, along with Badger, Rabbit, Weasel, and all of their families. To make ends meet, every night, Mr. Fox steals a meal from one of the three crooked farmers--Boggis, a chicken farmer, Bunce, who has a little bit of everything but only eats duck liver, and Bean, who farms turkeys and apples and subsists solely on apple cider. With his keen sense of smell, and the farmers' distinctive diets, Mr. Fox has no problem evading them. After so much treatment, the greedy farmers band together to end Mr. Fox. They ambush him at the base of his hole in the hill, and while Mr. Fox survives, his tail does not. Thus begins an obsession on the part of the farmers. They first try to dig the foxes out, but they are outdug by eight sets of paws. Then, they move to starving them out. This is unfor
Roald Dahl Museum
2009-11-25 05:48:00
Great Missenden is a village in the heart of the Buckinghamshire countryside, situated about 20 miles northwest of London. If you can, try to come by public transport. Below you will find lots of information to help you however you are planning to travel, but do remember we offer a 2 for 1 for those who come by train. If you are coming by car, see if you can car share with another family. By Train Great Missenden is served by a good train service from London Marylebone with two trains per hour. The journey takes 40 minutes and it is a very easy walk from the station to the Museum. See Chiltern Railways website for an up-to-date timetable and details of engineering works which may affect the line. By Car Car Parking As the Museum is part of the historic High Street, there is no parking at the Museum itself, although there is a pay and display car park off the Link Road less than 5 minutes walk away. Visitors at weekends only have been given kind permission by Chiltern Railways
2009-11-25 05:48:00
Great Missenden is a village in the heart of the Buckinghamshire countryside, situated about 20 miles northwest of London. If you can, try to come by public transport. Below you will find lots of information to help you however you are planning to travel, but do remember we offer a 2 for 1 for those who come by train. If you are coming by car, see if you can car share with another family. By Train Great Missenden is served by a good train service from London Marylebone with two trains per hour. The journey takes 40 minutes and it is a very easy walk from the station to the Museum. See Chiltern Railways website for an up-to-date timetable and details of engineering works which may affect the line. By Car Car Parking As the Museum is part of the historic High Street, there is no parking at the Museum itself, although there is a pay and display car park off the Link Road less than 5 minutes walk away. Visitors at weekends only have been given kind permission by Chiltern Railways