The Wind in the Willows

The Wind in the Willows is a classic of children's literature written in 1908 by Kenneth Grahame. The story is alternately slow-moving and fast-paced, focusing on three animal characters in a bucolic version of England. The book is notable for its mixture of mysticism, adventure, morality and camaraderie. It gives as much pleasure to adult readers as to children, although for rather different reasons.

The book made Grahame's fortune, enabling him to retire from his hated (though respectable and well-paid) bank job and move to the country. He spent his time by the River Thames doing much as the animal characters in his book do, namely (in one of the most famous phrases from the book) "simply messing about in boats".

It can also be viewed as a commentary on class dynamics in British society. Roughly speaking, the "River-Bankers" represent the upper classes, while the "Wild Wooders" represent the lower.

Characters

Mole – a mild-mannered, home-loving animal, and the first character the reader is introduced to. Originally overawed by the hustle and bustle of riverside life, he eventually adapts to it.
Ratty (the Water Rat) – relaxed and friendly, he loves the river and takes Mole under his wing.
Mr. Toad – the richest character and owner of Toad Hall. Although good-natured, Toad is impulsive and self-satisfied. He goes through obsessions with crazes, such as punting, houseboating, horse-drawn caravans, each of which in turn he bores of and drops. Eventually he discovers motor-cars, and after a series of accidents is imprisoned for theft, dangerous driving and impertinence to the rural police. Several chapters of the book chronicle his escape, disguised as a washer-woman. His friends eventually reform him and win back Toad Hall, which has been usurped by the weasels and stoats in his absence.
Badger – A kindly but solitary figure who 'simply hates society'. He can be seen as the wise hermit, embodying common sense.

Other Characters

Otter – a friend of Ratty
Portly – son of Otter
The Magistrate
The Court Clerk
The Gaoler
The Gaoler's Daughter
The Engine Driver
The Barge Woman
The Gypsy
The Chief Weasel
The god Pan – makes a single, otherwise anomalous, appearance
The Wayfarer; a vagabond water vole (water rat), who also makes a single appearance
Inhabitants of "the Wild Wood"
- Weasels, stoats and foxes and so on: described by Ratty to Mole as: They're all right in a way--I'm very good friends with them--pass the time of day when we meet, and all that--but they break out sometimes, there's no denying it, and then--well, you can't really trust them, and that's the fact.
- The squirrels: in Ratty's opinion "are all right".
- The rabbits: Ratty thinks some of 'em are all right, but "rabbits are a mixed lot".

Illustrated editions

The book was originally published without illustrations. Over the years, many illustrated versions have appeared. The most popular are probably E. H. Shepard's, originally published in 1931. They are believed to be authorized, as Grahame was pleased with the initial sketches, but he did not live to see the completed work. This information was obtained from the E.H. Shepard illustrated edition, published by Charles Scribner's Sons in the USA. Please see the introduction of that edition for full details on how the illustrations were created.

The Folio Society edition published in 2006 features 85 illustrations, 35 in colour, by Charles van Sandwyk.

Adaptations

William Horwood created several sequels to The Wind in the Willows:

The Willows in Winter
Toad Triumphant
The Willows and Beyond
The Willows at Christmas

There have been a number of stage adaptations, including:

Toad of Toad Hall by A. A. Milne, produced in 1929.
The Wind In The Willows by Alan Bennett (who also appeared as Mole) in 1991.
Mr. Toad's Mad Adventures by Vera Morris.

There are several film and television versions of The Wind in the Willows, notably including:

a 1949 animated version by Walt Disney, one-half of The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
a 1983 animated film version with stop-motion puppets, The Wind in the Willows by Cosgrove Hall. The film was followed by an ongoing television series, The Wind in the Willows done in the same style - possibly the most faithful adaptation
a 1996 animated version with an all-star cast led by Michael Palin and Alan Bennett as Ratty and Mole; followed by an adaptation of The Willows in Winter
a 1996 live-action version written and directed by Terry Jones

Kenneth Williams also did a version of the book for radio.

Jan Needle's Wild Wood was published in 1981 with illustrations by William Rushton (ISBN 023397346X). It is a re-telling of the story of The Wind in the Willows from the point of view of the working-class inhabitants of the Wild Wood. For them, money is short and employment hard to find. They have a very different perspective on the wealthy, easy, careless lifestyle of Toad and his friends. Some of the smallest incidents in the original story are given a new significance in this one - the narrator of Wild Wood loses his much-needed job as Toad's chauffeur when Badger, Mole and Rat decide to stop Toad's driving. The climax of the book comes when Toad goes to prison: the stoats and weasels take over Toad Hall and turn it into a socialist collective called Brotherhood Hall. This re-writing should be seen in the light of the dramatic changes to British society with the coming to power of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1979.

Trivia

The first album by psychedelic rock group Pink Floyd was called The Piper at the Gates of Dawn after Chapter 7 of The Wind in the Willows. The songs on the album, written largely by Syd Barrett, are not directly related to the contents of the book.
Irish singer-song writer Van Morrison's 1997-album The Healing Game contains the song Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, named after the chapter with the same name in The Wind In The Willows.
Being in some ways a commentary on class dynamics in British society, the novel can be compared to George Orwell's "Animal Farm".
Mr. Toad was voted #38 among the 100 Best Characters in Fiction Since 1900.

Other uses of that title

The Wind in the Willows is also a song written by Alan Bell and performed by many artists, including Blackmore's Night.

References

External links

The Wind in the Willows at the River and Rowing Museum, Henley-on-Thames
Illustrations from the Folio Society edition (2006)

1908 novels | British children's literature | River Thames | Disney Channel shows

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