MetaFilter posts tagged with RoaldDahl

Eleanor Cameron vs. Roald Dahl

ocherdraco — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:38:52 -0800

From October 1972 to October 1973 a controversy over Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory simmered in the pages of The Horn Book. It began with an article, "McLuhan, Youth, and Literature", by Eleanor Cameron, author of the Mushroom Planet series for children and of The Green and Burning Tree: On the Writing and Enjoyment of Children's Books. Spread out over the October, December, and February issues, it tied the ideas of Marshall McLuhan (The Medium is the Massage) to the confection of Charlie, calling it "one of the most tasteless books ever written for children":

"The more I think about Charlie and the character of Willy Wonka and his factory, the more I am reminded of McLuhan’s coolness, the basic nature of his observations, and the kinds of things that excite him. Certainly there are several interesting parallels between the point of view of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and McLuhan’s 'theatrical view of experience as a production or stunt,' as well as his enthusiastic conviction that every ill of mankind can easily be solved by subservience to the senses."

What followed was a knock-down, drag-out, letter-writing brouhaha, refereed by Horn Book editor Paul Heins, with librarians, parents, teachers, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Roald Dahl himself joining in, and it was one of the main causes of the book's revision that year. The whole saga: October 6, 1972: Roald Dahl hears of the impending publication of Cameron's article, and writes to Paul Heins. Eleanor Cameron's article appears, in three parts: October, December, and February. February 1973: An anonymous reader protests the first part of Cameron's article; Paul Heins is aghast. The Horn Book prints Dahl's response. The first raft of letters include a report of "spirited fifth and sixth graders respond[ing] with considerable heat and light" to the idea of "the death of the book." April 1973: Paul Heins points out that much of the controversy is at critical cross purposes and provides "an attempt to clarify the situation — to sort out the different kinds of premises on which the various arguments are based." Eleanor Cameron returns, and writes not only about the sad situation of the Oompa-Loompas' "role as conveniences and devices to be used for Wonka’s purposes," but also of the unsatisfying nature of Charlie's fate. More letters; this time with Ursula K. Le Guin throwing herself in Cameron's camp. June and August 1973: The letters continue:

"By no means are children incapable of making strong literary judgments. They do it all the time and it’s about time we began to listen to them. They have chosen Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and, like it or not, they will keep him no matter what adult literary arbiters have to say."
"Eleanor Cameron’s reply to Dahl was perfect and important. Her point that people, who are concerned about children’s literature and reading, 'must think about a book as well as have feelings about it' if we are to consider what they say as criticism, is too often glossed over in children’s literature courses."

October 1973: The last word, from Doris Bass, at Dahl's publisher Knopf, on the revisions to Charlie that were partly inspired by the Horn Book imbroglio.

And All The Time You Could Feel Your Heart Beating Along The Wounds

turgid dahlia — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:36:52 -0800

Roald Dahl (1916-1990) is probably best known as one of the principal architects of the 20th century children’s fairy tale, with such sly, savage and addictive masterpieces as The Enormous Crocodile, The Witches, The BFG, and personal favourite The Twits. But if puberty saw you leaving him behind on your shelves with Enid Blyton and Judy Blume, you are doing yourself a profound disservice, for Dahl is also one of the few true masters of the modern short story. Some are grotesque, some are heart-wrenching, some thrilling, others hilarious (1, 2, 3), and all of them compelling and beautifully crafted. Be sure not to miss his two volumes of autobiography. Oh, and did you know he wrote a James Bond film?

Over 2000 classic short stories

Kattullus — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 09:32:36 -0800

Over 2000 classic short stories from American Literature as well as an option to sign up for a short story of the day rss feed. Among the authors on offer are Kate Chopin, Saki, O. Henry, Louisa May Alcott, Ambrose Bierce, H. P. Lovecraft, Jack London, James Joyce, Willa Cather, Guy de Maupassant, Charles Dickens, Herman Hesse, Mark Twain, Oscar Wilde, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Franz Kafka, Honoré de Balzac, Edith Warton, P. G. Wodehouse, Virginia Woolf, Langston Hughes, Leo Tolstoy, Aldous Huxley, Roald Dahl, Henry James, Katherine Mansfield and I could keep going for a while. The point is, there's over 2000 short stories in there.

interrobang — Wed, 04 Sep 2002 11:54:08 -0800

The writing isn't the only great thing about Roald Dahl's books. There's also his fantastic illustrator, the perfectly-matched Quentin Blake. He's best known for illustrating such Dahl books as Matilda, The BFG, and The Witches. A comprehensive bibliography can be found here, his books in print can be ordered here, and, if you can afford it, buy some prints.