Does The Wind in the Willows <\i>need an annotated edition?
Suggesting that Grahame's prose, "encrusted with the patina of age
and affect," has become an obstacle to full appreciation of the
work, Lerer offers the text with running disquisitions in the
margins on now-archaic words and phrases, Edwardian social mores
and a rich array of literary references from Aesop to Gilbert and
Sullivan. Occasionally he goes over the top - making, for instance,
frequent references alongside Toad's supposed mental breakdown to
passages from Kraft-Ebing's writings on clinical insanity - and, as
in his controversial Children's Literature, a Reader's History from
Aesop to Harry Potter <\i>(2008), displays a narcissistic
streak: "This new edition brings The Wind in the
Willows<\i>...into the ambit of contemporary scholarship and
criticism on children's literature..." Still, the commentary will
make enlightening reading for parents or other adults who think
that there's nothing in the story for them - and a closing essay on
(among other topics) the links between Ernest Shepard's art for
this and for Winnie the Pooh <\i>makes an intriguing
lagniappe. (selective resource list) (Literary analysis.
Adult/professional) <\i> (Kirkus Reviews)
“The boastful, unstable Toad, the hospitable Water Rat, the shy,
wise, childlike Badger, and the Mole with his pleasant habit of
brave boyish impulse,” noted "Vanity Fair" nearly a century ago, “
are types of that deeper humanity which sways us all.” Written by
Kenneth Grahame as bedtime stories for his son, "The Wind in the
Willows" continues to delight readers today.
Basing his fanciful animal characters on human archetypes, Grahame
imparts a gentle, playful wisdom in his timeless tales. Few readers
will be able to resist an invitation to join the Wild Wooders at
Toad Hall, enjoy a quick splash in the river with Rat and Badger,
or take a swerving ride with Toad in a “borrowed” motor-car. This
Modern Library Paperback Classic is set from the first illustrated
American edition of 1913.
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