Comments on: kenneth grahame | the wind in the willows

By: George Collingwood

George Collingwood — Fri, 17 May 2013 23:30:07 +0000

I always liked the Wind in the Willows. I loved it as a child. But the older I get the less inclined I feel to re-read it. I think it’s appeal lay in the sense that any threat to the tranquil life of the river would be short-lived and relatively easy for Badger and Co to subdue. I never felt that the idea of restlessness was at the center of the book but the spiritual aspects appeal to me. I wish the wild wood had been more frightening and filled with more menace.

By: MaryAnn Grzych

MaryAnn Grzych — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 23:18:23 +0000

Thanks for sharing. This book was not one of my daughter’s favorites as a child or an adult, though she does see more merit in it as an adult. The Velveteen Rabbit, however, appealed to her both as a child and is one of her favorites as an adult (and recently retired teacher).
I know your children had the unique pleasure of hearing those stories read by an expert. I was always enthralled when you read in class at The Clearing. I swear I could listen to you read a phone book and enjoy it. Keep the emails coming. I don’t always get to them right away, but never delete without reading and often save to a folder entitled “Norb’s File.”

By: Don

Don — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 15:50:47 +0000

Thanks for the great post, Norb. Great minds must think alike – back on the 19th, I did a post on a Bert Jansch song based on Wind in the Willows called “Rabbit Run.”

Don

By: Ralph Murre

Ralph Murre — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 22:03:15 +0000

The Wind in the Willows has long been a favorite tale of mine, but of no small child that I’ve ever known. It set me to thinking about the telling of tales for adults via talking animals, and I come to the conclusion that it is mostly in Northern Europeans and their North American descendents in the last couple of centuries that it has gone out of fashion. In many cultures throughout the world and throughout history, it seems to be and to have been the norm. What we call “magic realism” is simply another way to tell a story or teach a lesson, I think. Author Jim Harrison borrows from the American Indian in giving bears and ravens equal footing with humans. Gust. Klenke spoke of an owl who sat on his shoulder and told him to avoid his usual walk the day an entire overhanging cliff-face collapsed onto the trail. Jikiwe has convinced me to respect the underwater panther.
Speak on, Old Coyote.

By: lowell b. komie

lowell b. komie — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 18:45:17 +0000

Thanks Norb…..a lovely introduction to a fascinating world……Lowell

By: Jean Casey

Jean Casey — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 23:57:46 +0000

Bless your good heart for this winner!

By: Marty

Marty — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 21:46:05 +0000

Norb,

I never read Wind in the Willows, but when I was at WFMT, I listened to and was completely captivated by the BBC dramatization.

Regarding the caption of your preface, I prefer to think of myself as sometimes childlike rather than childish.

Best,

Marty