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The Wind in the Willows
The Wind in the Willows is a children's novel by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. It tells the story of Mole, Ratty and Badger as they try to help Mr. Toad after he becomes obsessed with motorcars and gets into trouble. It also contains short stories about them that are disconnected from the main narrative. The novel was based on bedtime stories that Grahame told his son Alastair. It has been adapted numerous times for both stage and screen.
The Wind in the Willows received negative reviews upon its initial publication, but it has since become a classic of British literature. It was listed at No. 16 in the BBC's survey The Big Read and has been adapted multiple times in different media.
In 1899, Kenneth Grahame (age 40) married Elspeth Thomson, the daughter of Robert William Thomson. The next year, their only child, a son Alastair was born premature. Nicknamed "Mouse", he was blind in one eye and had health problems throughout his life. When Alastair was about four years old, his father told him bedtime stories, some of which were about a toad, and on his frequent boating holidays without his family, Grahame wrote further tales of Toad, Mole, Ratty and Badger in letters to Alastair.
In 1908 Grahame retired early from his position as Secretary of the Bank of England. The family moved to an old farmhouse in Blewbury, Berkshire. There Grahame used the bedtime stories he had told Alastair as a basis for the manuscript of The Wind in the Willows.
The novel's characters are anthropomorphized animals. With the arrival of spring and fine weather outside, the good-natured Mole loses patience with spring cleaning, exclaiming, "Hang spring cleaning!" He leaves his underground home and comes up at the bank of the river, which he has never seen before. Here he meets Water Rat, a water vole, who takes Mole for a ride in his row boat. They get along well and spend many more days boating. "Ratty" teaches Mole the ways of the river, and the two friends live together in Ratty's riverside home.
One summer day, Rat and Mole disembark near the grand Toad Hall and pay a visit to Toad. Toad is wealthy, jovial, friendly and kindhearted, but sometimes arrogant and rash; he regularly becomes obsessed with fads, only to abandon them abruptly. His current craze is his horse-drawn caravan. When a passing automobile scares his horse and causes the caravan to overturn into a ditch, Toad's craze for caravan travel is immediately replaced by an obsession with motorcars.
Mole goes to the Wild Wood on a snowy winter's day, hoping to meet the elusive but wise and virtuous Badger. Mole becomes lost in the woods, succumbs to fright and hides among the sheltering roots of a tree. Rat finds him as snow begins to fall in earnest. As they attempt to find their way home, Mole barks his shin on the bootscraper on Badger's doorstep. Badger welcomes Rat and Mole into his large, cosy underground home, providing them with hot food, dry clothes and reassuring conversation. Badger learns from his visitors that Toad has crashed seven cars, has been in hospital three times, and has been issued numerous fines resulting in great expense.
With the arrival of spring, the three of them place Toad under house arrest with themselves as guards. However, Toad pretends to be sick. Tricking Ratty into leaving, Toad escapes.
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The Wind in the Willows
The Wind in the Willows is a children's novel by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. It tells the story of Mole, Ratty and Badger as they try to help Mr. Toad after he becomes obsessed with motorcars and gets into trouble. It also contains short stories about them that are disconnected from the main narrative. The novel was based on bedtime stories that Grahame told his son Alastair. It has been adapted numerous times for both stage and screen.
The Wind in the Willows received negative reviews upon its initial publication, but it has since become a classic of British literature. It was listed at No. 16 in the BBC's survey The Big Read and has been adapted multiple times in different media.
In 1899, Kenneth Grahame (age 40) married Elspeth Thomson, the daughter of Robert William Thomson. The next year, their only child, a son Alastair was born premature. Nicknamed "Mouse", he was blind in one eye and had health problems throughout his life. When Alastair was about four years old, his father told him bedtime stories, some of which were about a toad, and on his frequent boating holidays without his family, Grahame wrote further tales of Toad, Mole, Ratty and Badger in letters to Alastair.
In 1908 Grahame retired early from his position as Secretary of the Bank of England. The family moved to an old farmhouse in Blewbury, Berkshire. There Grahame used the bedtime stories he had told Alastair as a basis for the manuscript of The Wind in the Willows.
The novel's characters are anthropomorphized animals. With the arrival of spring and fine weather outside, the good-natured Mole loses patience with spring cleaning, exclaiming, "Hang spring cleaning!" He leaves his underground home and comes up at the bank of the river, which he has never seen before. Here he meets Water Rat, a water vole, who takes Mole for a ride in his row boat. They get along well and spend many more days boating. "Ratty" teaches Mole the ways of the river, and the two friends live together in Ratty's riverside home.
One summer day, Rat and Mole disembark near the grand Toad Hall and pay a visit to Toad. Toad is wealthy, jovial, friendly and kindhearted, but sometimes arrogant and rash; he regularly becomes obsessed with fads, only to abandon them abruptly. His current craze is his horse-drawn caravan. When a passing automobile scares his horse and causes the caravan to overturn into a ditch, Toad's craze for caravan travel is immediately replaced by an obsession with motorcars.
Mole goes to the Wild Wood on a snowy winter's day, hoping to meet the elusive but wise and virtuous Badger. Mole becomes lost in the woods, succumbs to fright and hides among the sheltering roots of a tree. Rat finds him as snow begins to fall in earnest. As they attempt to find their way home, Mole barks his shin on the bootscraper on Badger's doorstep. Badger welcomes Rat and Mole into his large, cosy underground home, providing them with hot food, dry clothes and reassuring conversation. Badger learns from his visitors that Toad has crashed seven cars, has been in hospital three times, and has been issued numerous fines resulting in great expense.
With the arrival of spring, the three of them place Toad under house arrest with themselves as guards. However, Toad pretends to be sick. Tricking Ratty into leaving, Toad escapes.