The Wind in the Willows Part 10

Our Prison System The Waterways of Old England Horse-dealing, and how to deal Property, its rights and its duties Back to the Land A Typical English Squire SONG.

by Toad (Composed by himself)OTHER COMPOSITIONS by Toad will be sung in the course of the evening by the... COMPOSER The idea pleased him mightily, and he worked very hard and got all the letters finished by noon, at which hour it was reported to him that there was a small and rather bedraggled weasel at the door, inquiring timidly whether he could be of any service to the gentlemen. Toad swaggered out and found it was one of the prisoners of the previous evening, very respectful and anxious to please. He patted him on the head, shoved the bundle of invitations into his paw, and told him to cut along quick and deliver them as fast as he could, and if he liked to come back again in the evening perhaps there might be a s.h.i.+lling for him, or, again, perhaps there mightn't; and the poor weasel seemed really quite grateful, and hurried off eagerly to do his mission.

When the other animals came back to luncheon, very boisterous and breezy after a morning on the river, the Mole, whose conscience had been p.r.i.c.king him, looked doubtfully at Toad, expecting to find him sulky or depressed. Instead, he was so uppish and inflated that the Mole began to suspect something; while the Rat and the Badger exchanged significant glances.

As soon as the meal was over, Toad thrust his paws deep into his trouser-pockets, remarked casually, 'Well, look after yourselves, you fellows! Ask for anything you want!' and was swaggering off in the direction of the garden where he wanted to think out an idea or two for his coming speeches, when the Rat caught him by the arm.

Toad rather suspected what he was after, and did his best to get away; but when the Badger took him firmly by the other arm he began to see that the game was up. The two animals conducted him between them into the small smoking-room that opened out of the entrance-hall, shut the door, and put him into a chair. Then they both stood in front of him, while Toad sat silent and regarded them with much suspicion and ill-humour.

'Now, look here, Toad,' said the Rat. 'It's about this Banquet, and very sorry I am to have to speak to you like this. But we want you to understand clearly once and for all, that there are going to be no speeches and no songs. Try and grasp the fact that on this occasion we're not arguing with you; we're just telling you.'

Toad saw that he was trapped. They understood him, they saw through him, they had got ahead of him. His pleasant dream was shattered.

'Mayn't I sing them just one little song?' he pleaded piteously.

'No, not one little song,' replied the Rat firmly, though his heart bled as he noticed the trembling lip of the poor disappointed Toad. 'It's no good, Toady; you know well that your songs are all conceit and boasting and vanity; and your speeches are all self-praise and-and-well, and gross exaggeration and-and-'

'And gas,' put in the Badger, in his common way.

'It's for your own good, Toady,' went on the Rat. 'You know you must turn over a new leaf sooner or later, and now seems a splendid time to begin; a sort of turning-point in your career. Please don't think that saying all this doesn't hurt me more that it hurts you.'

Toad remained a long while plunged in thought. At last he raised his head, and the traces of strong emotion were visible on his features. 'You have conquered, my friends,' he said in broken accents. 'It was, to be sure, but a small thing that I asked-merely leave to blossom and expand for yet one more evening, to let myself go and hear the tumultuous applause that always seems to me-somehow-to bring out my best qualities. However, you are right, I know, and I am wrong. Henceforth I will be a very different Toad. My friends, you shall never have occasion to blush for me again. But, O dear, O dear, this is a hard world!'

And, pressing his handkerchief to his face, he left the room with faltering footsteps.

'Badger,' said the Rat, 'I feel like a brute; I wonder what you feel like?'

'O, I know, I know,' said the Badger gloomily. 'But the thing had to be done. This good fellow has got to live here, and hold his own, and be respected. Would you have him a common laughing-stock, mocked and jeered at by stoats and weasels?'

'Of course not,' said the Rat. 'And, talking of weasels, it's lucky we came upon that little weasel, just as he was setting out with Toad's invitations. I suspected something from what you told me, and had a look at one or two; they were simply disgraceful. I confiscated the lot, and the good Mole is now sitting in the blue boudoir, boudoir,cg filling up plain, simple invitation cards.' filling up plain, simple invitation cards.'

At last the hour for the banquet began to draw near, and Toad, who on leaving the others had retired to his bedroom, was still sitting there, melancholy and thoughtful. His brow resting on his paw, he pondered long and deeply. Gradually his countenance cleared, and he began to smile long, slow smiles. Then he took to giggling in a shy, self-conscious manner. At last he got up, locked the door, drew the curtains across the windows, collected all the chairs in the room and arranged them in a semicircle, and took up his position in front of them, swelling visibly. Then he bowed, coughed twice, and, letting himself go, with uplifted voice he sang, to the enraptured audience that his imagination so clearly saw.

Toad's Last Little Song!The Toad-came-home!

There was panic in the parlour and howling in the hall, There was crying in the cow-shed and shrieking in the stall, When the Toad-came-home!

When the Toad-came-home!

There was smas.h.i.+ng in of window and cras.h.i.+ng in of door, There was chivvying of weasels that fainted on the floor, When the Toad-came-home!

Bang! go the drums!

The trumpeters are tooting and the soldiers are saluting,And the cannon they are shooting and the motor-cars are hooting, As the-Hero-comes!

Shout-Hoo-ray!

And let each one of the crowd try and shout it very loud, In honour of an animal of whom you're justly proud, For it's Toad's-great-day!

He sang this very loud, with great unctionch and expression; and when he had done, he sang it all over again. and expression; and when he had done, he sang it all over again.

Then he heaved a deep sigh; a long, long, long sigh.

Then he dipped his hairbrush in the water-jug, parted his hair in the middle, and plastered it down very straight and sleek on each side of his face; and, unlocking the door, went quietly down the stairs to greet his guests, who he knew must be a.s.sembling in the drawing-room.

All the animals cheered when he entered, and crowded round to congratulate him and say nice things about his courage, and his cleverness, and his fighting qualities; but Toad only smiled faintly and murmured, 'Not at all!' Or, sometimes, for a change, 'On the contrary!' Otter, who was standing on the hearth-rug, describing to an admiring circle of friends exactly how he would have managed things had he been there, came forward with a shout, threw his arm round Toad's neck, and tried to take him round the room in triumphal progress; but Toad, in a mild way, was rather snubby to him, remarking gently, as he disengaged himself, 'Badger's was the mastermind; the Mole and Water Rat bore the brunt of the fighting; I merely served in the ranks and did little or nothing.' The animals were evidently puzzled and taken aback by this unexpected att.i.tude of his; and Toad felt, as he moved from one guest to the other, making his modest responses, that he was an object of absorbing interest to every one.

The Badger had ordered everything of the best, and the banquet was a great success. There was much talking and laughter and chaff among the animals, but through it all Toad, who of course was in the chair, looked down his nose and murmured pleasant nothings to the animals on either side of him. At intervals he stole a glance at the Badger and the Rat, and always when he looked they were staring at each other with their mouths open; and this gave him the greatest satisfaction. Some of the younger and livelier animals, as the evening wore on, got whispering to each other that things were not so amusing as they used to be in the good old days; and there were some knockings on the table and cries of 'Toad! Speech! Speech from Toad! Song! Mr. Toad's Song!' But Toad only shook his head gently, raised one paw in mild protest, and, by pressing delicacies on his guests, by topical small-talk, and by earnest inquiries after members of their families not yet old enough to appear at social functions, managed to convey to them that this dinner was being run on strictly conventional lines.

He was indeed an altered Toad!

After this climax, the four animals continued to lead their lives, so rudely broken in upon by civil war, in great joy and contentment, undisturbed by further risings or invasions. Toad, after due consultation with his friends, selected a handsome gold chain and locket set with pearls, which he dispatched to the gaoler's daughter with a letter that even the Badger admitted to be modest, grateful, and appreciative; and the engine-driver, in his turn, was properly thanked and compensated for all his pains and trouble. Under severe compulsion from the Badger, even the barge-woman was, with some trouble, sought out and the value of her horse discreetly made good to her; though Toad kicked terribly at this, holding himself to be an instrument of Fate, sent to punish fat women with mottled arms who couldn't tell a real gentleman when they saw one. The amount involved, it was true, was not very burdensome, the gipsy's valuation being admitted by local a.s.sessors to be approximately correct.

Sometimes, in the course of long summer evenings, the friends would take a stroll together in the Wild Wood, now successfully tamed so far as they were concerned; and it was pleasing to see how respectfully they were greeted by the inhabitants, and how the mother-weasels would bring their young ones to the mouths of their holes, and say, pointing, 'Look, baby! There goes the great Mr. Toad! And that's the gallant Water Rat, a terrible fighter, walking along o' him! And yonder comes the famous Mr. Mole, of whom you so often have heard your father tell!' But when their infants were fractious and quite beyond control, they would quiet them by telling how, if they didn't hush them and not fret them, the terrible grey Badger would up and get them. This was a base libelci on Badger, who, though he cared little about Society, was rather fond of children; but it never failed to have its full effect. on Badger, who, though he cared little about Society, was rather fond of children; but it never failed to have its full effect.

ENDNOTES.

1 (p. 27) (p. 27) the magnificent motor-car: the magnificent motor-car: In 1904, when Grahame began telling his son, Alastair, the stories of Toad, the automobile was a recent invention. A Daimler motor syndicate opened in London in 1893, and in 1897 Motor Mills in Coventry began producing cars for sale. Grahame possibly identified the motor-car with social changes he feared: the loss of agrarian life and the rise of a materialistic middle cla.s.s. Edward VII, Queen Victoria's eldest son, who reigned from 1901 to 1910, popularized the motor-car when he became the first member of the royal family to ride in one. People with money soon followed suit. Toad's view of the motor-car-"The poetry of motion! The In 1904, when Grahame began telling his son, Alastair, the stories of Toad, the automobile was a recent invention. A Daimler motor syndicate opened in London in 1893, and in 1897 Motor Mills in Coventry began producing cars for sale. Grahame possibly identified the motor-car with social changes he feared: the loss of agrarian life and the rise of a materialistic middle cla.s.s. Edward VII, Queen Victoria's eldest son, who reigned from 1901 to 1910, popularized the motor-car when he became the first member of the royal family to ride in one. People with money soon followed suit. Toad's view of the motor-car-"The poetry of motion! The real real way to travel! The only way to travel!" (p. 28)-which Grahame satirizes, was typical of the time. way to travel! The only way to travel!" (p. 28)-which Grahame satirizes, was typical of the time.

2 (p. 61) (p. 61) Garibaldi, and the infant Samuel, and Queen Victoria, and other heroes of modern Italy: Garibaldi, and the infant Samuel, and Queen Victoria, and other heroes of modern Italy: Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807-1882) liberated and unified modern Italy. Samuel was a preeminent Jewish leader-judge, prophet, soldier, and seer-in the eleventh century B.C.; information about his life is found in the Bible's first book of Samuel (also known as the first book of Kings). Queen Victoria ruled England from 1837 to 1901. Peter Green notes in his biography of Kenneth Grahame (pp. 163-164; see "For Further Reading") that these idiosyncratic features of Mole End derive from the "old-fas.h.i.+oned Ligurian home" Grahame stayed in during the spring of 1905 while on holiday at Ala.s.sio on the Italian Riviera. The statues also suggest Mole's dubious artistic taste. Through his friends.h.i.+p with Rat, Mole grows to have a greater appreciation for art and the imagination. Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807-1882) liberated and unified modern Italy. Samuel was a preeminent Jewish leader-judge, prophet, soldier, and seer-in the eleventh century B.C.; information about his life is found in the Bible's first book of Samuel (also known as the first book of Kings). Queen Victoria ruled England from 1837 to 1901. Peter Green notes in his biography of Kenneth Grahame (pp. 163-164; see "For Further Reading") that these idiosyncratic features of Mole End derive from the "old-fas.h.i.+oned Ligurian home" Grahame stayed in during the spring of 1905 while on holiday at Ala.s.sio on the Italian Riviera. The statues also suggest Mole's dubious artistic taste. Through his friends.h.i.+p with Rat, Mole grows to have a greater appreciation for art and the imagination.

3 (p. 81) (p. 81) "Oddsbodikins!": "Oddsbodikins!": In having the sergeant speak this mild oath ("G.o.d's little body!"), Grahame provides a parody of writer William Harrison Ainsworth (1805-1882), whose "Newgate" novels (named for the infamous London prison) sensationalized the lives and exploits of criminals. In having the sergeant speak this mild oath ("G.o.d's little body!"), Grahame provides a parody of writer William Harrison Ainsworth (1805-1882), whose "Newgate" novels (named for the infamous London prison) sensationalized the lives and exploits of criminals.

4 (p. 84) (p. 84) a sudden clear call from an actual articulate voice: a sudden clear call from an actual articulate voice: Rat and Mole are progressively drawn to the articulate voice of nature, which culminates in their vision of Pan and the sound of his music. Grahame is indebted to the British romantic poets for this chapter's imagery and tone. Indeed, the chapter's structure recalls that of Wordsworth's sonnet "Composed by the Side of Grasmere Lake" (1806), which begins as evening turns to night, concerns the speaker's troubled spirit, and ends: "But list! a voice is near; / Great Pan himself low-whispering through the reeds, / 'Be thankful, thou; for, if unholy deeds / Ravage the world, tranquility is here!' " Rat and Mole are progressively drawn to the articulate voice of nature, which culminates in their vision of Pan and the sound of his music. Grahame is indebted to the British romantic poets for this chapter's imagery and tone. Indeed, the chapter's structure recalls that of Wordsworth's sonnet "Composed by the Side of Grasmere Lake" (1806), which begins as evening turns to night, concerns the speaker's troubled spirit, and ends: "But list! a voice is near; / Great Pan himself low-whispering through the reeds, / 'Be thankful, thou; for, if unholy deeds / Ravage the world, tranquility is here!' "

5 (p. 87) (p. 87) he looked in the very eyes of the Friend and Helper: he looked in the very eyes of the Friend and Helper: Grahame describes the nature G.o.d, Pan-half-man, half-goat-as a benevolent force, exemplifying the neo-pagan mysticism a.s.sociated with the nineteenth century. Compared with the depiction of Pan in ancient Greek mythology, his s.e.xuality is moderated here; his paternalism is accentuated; and he bestows on Rat and Mole the gift of forgetfulness, a talent that he did not have in antiquity and that is Grahame's invention. Grahame describes the nature G.o.d, Pan-half-man, half-goat-as a benevolent force, exemplifying the neo-pagan mysticism a.s.sociated with the nineteenth century. Compared with the depiction of Pan in ancient Greek mythology, his s.e.xuality is moderated here; his paternalism is accentuated; and he bestows on Rat and Mole the gift of forgetfulness, a talent that he did not have in antiquity and that is Grahame's invention.

6 (p. 91) (p. 91) "And hark to the wind playing in the reeds!": "And hark to the wind playing in the reeds!": One of Grahame's early t.i.tles for his book was "The Wind in the Reeds," which he abandoned because it echoed too closely the volume of poems by W B. Yeats ent.i.tled One of Grahame's early t.i.tles for his book was "The Wind in the Reeds," which he abandoned because it echoed too closely the volume of poems by W B. Yeats ent.i.tled The Wind Among the Reeds The Wind Among the Reeds (1899). Another t.i.tle he considered, among others, was "Mr. Mole and His Mates." The one he chose operates on two levels. "The Wind in the Willows" signifies literally the sound of the wind "whispering" through the "reed-stems" (p. 18), which Mole hears in chapter 1, and connotes a deeper meaning as the whispering becomes the music and message of Pan in chapter 7. (1899). Another t.i.tle he considered, among others, was "Mr. Mole and His Mates." The one he chose operates on two levels. "The Wind in the Willows" signifies literally the sound of the wind "whispering" through the "reed-stems" (p. 18), which Mole hears in chapter 1, and connotes a deeper meaning as the whispering becomes the music and message of Pan in chapter 7.

7 (p. 104) (p. 104) Wayfarers All: Wayfarers All: Like chapter 7, "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn," this chapter contains numerous echoes of the Romantic poets. John Keats's "Ode to Autumn" (1819), with its imagery of autumnal change and mutability, informs the opening of Grahame's chapter, with its "air of change and departure" (p. 104) . The chapter's structure recalls Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (1798). As the Wayfarer Rat holds Ratty spellbound with his "s.h.i.+ning eyes" (p. 110) and stories of the south, so Coleridge's Mariner with "glittering" eyes and tales of the sea hypnotizes the Wedding-Guest. Like chapter 7, "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn," this chapter contains numerous echoes of the Romantic poets. John Keats's "Ode to Autumn" (1819), with its imagery of autumnal change and mutability, informs the opening of Grahame's chapter, with its "air of change and departure" (p. 104) . The chapter's structure recalls Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (1798). As the Wayfarer Rat holds Ratty spellbound with his "s.h.i.+ning eyes" (p. 110) and stories of the south, so Coleridge's Mariner with "glittering" eyes and tales of the sea hypnotizes the Wedding-Guest.

8 (p. 110) (p. 110) "You will have heard of Constantinople, friend?": "You will have heard of Constantinople, friend?": The seafaring rat's historical musings on Constantinople are lifted from William Morris's The seafaring rat's historical musings on Constantinople are lifted from William Morris's Sigurd the Volsung Sigurd the Volsung (1876). Morris influenced Grahame to the extent that he dreamed, as did Grahame, of a "rural non-industrial Earthly Paradise: the return of a lost Golden Age" (Green, pp. 259, 262). (1876). Morris influenced Grahame to the extent that he dreamed, as did Grahame, of a "rural non-industrial Earthly Paradise: the return of a lost Golden Age" (Green, pp. 259, 262).

9 (p. 111) (p. 111) "we rode into Venice down a path of gold": "we rode into Venice down a path of gold": Grahame's romance with the south, particularly Italy, began in 1886, when he traveled to Florence and Rome. In 1890 he visited Venice and in 1895 Ala.s.sio on the Italian Riviera, to which he returned several times. He gives the seafaring rat some of his own experiences and impressions of Italy. Grahame's romance with the south, particularly Italy, began in 1886, when he traveled to Florence and Rome. In 1890 he visited Venice and in 1895 Ala.s.sio on the Italian Riviera, to which he returned several times. He gives the seafaring rat some of his own experiences and impressions of Italy.

10 (p. 127) (p. 127) Near him stood a dingy gipsy caravan: Near him stood a dingy gipsy caravan: Toad's encounter with the gipsy is a parody of Toad's encounter with the gipsy is a parody of Lavengro: The Scholar, the Gypsy, the Priest Lavengro: The Scholar, the Gypsy, the Priest (1851), a novel by George Borrow (Green, p. 259), about the son of a soldier traveling through the British Isles, having adventures and befriending, among others, gipsies, and encountering murderers and thieves. (1851), a novel by George Borrow (Green, p. 259), about the son of a soldier traveling through the British Isles, having adventures and befriending, among others, gipsies, and encountering murderers and thieves.

11 (p. 136) "Like Summer Tempests Came His Tears": The t.i.tle for this chapter is a variation on lines from Alfred Tennyson's 1847 narrative poem "The Princess: A Medley": "Rose a nurse of ninety years,/ Set his child upon her knee-/Like summer tempest came her tears-/'Sweet my child, I live for thee!' " (part 6, lines 13-16). Tennyson's mock-heroic poem concerns a princess who founds a university for women and, in order to preserve it from the encroachment of men, imposes a death penalty on male intruders. When a prince enters in disguise, the princess is forced to admit her failure. She marries the prince only after it is clear he shares her views, and together they strive to free women from oppressive societal strictures. Tennyson was a peripheral member of Frederick James Furnivall's Early English Text Society and his New Shakespeare Society, to which Grahame belonged. Grahame's readers would have recognized the echo of Tennyson in this t.i.tle, which points to Toad's despair at losing Toad Hall to the stoats and weasels and to the resolution of his friends to help him reform and reclaim his home. (p. 136) "Like Summer Tempests Came His Tears": The t.i.tle for this chapter is a variation on lines from Alfred Tennyson's 1847 narrative poem "The Princess: A Medley": "Rose a nurse of ninety years,/ Set his child upon her knee-/Like summer tempest came her tears-/'Sweet my child, I live for thee!' " (part 6, lines 13-16). Tennyson's mock-heroic poem concerns a princess who founds a university for women and, in order to preserve it from the encroachment of men, imposes a death penalty on male intruders. When a prince enters in disguise, the princess is forced to admit her failure. She marries the prince only after it is clear he shares her views, and together they strive to free women from oppressive societal strictures. Tennyson was a peripheral member of Frederick James Furnivall's Early English Text Society and his New Shakespeare Society, to which Grahame belonged. Grahame's readers would have recognized the echo of Tennyson in this t.i.tle, which points to Toad's despair at losing Toad Hall to the stoats and weasels and to the resolution of his friends to help him reform and reclaim his home.

12 (p. 140) (p. 140) "And they're telling the tradespeople and everybody that they've come to stay for good": "And they're telling the tradespeople and everybody that they've come to stay for good": Toad's adventures and exploits as he describes them in this chapter, as well as his return home to find Toad Hall usurped by the stoats and weasels, are mock heroic in tone; they recall Odysseus and his return from the Trojan War to Ithaca, where suitors of his wife have moved into his house. See Lois R. Kuznet's Toad's adventures and exploits as he describes them in this chapter, as well as his return home to find Toad Hall usurped by the stoats and weasels, are mock heroic in tone; they recall Odysseus and his return from the Trojan War to Ithaca, where suitors of his wife have moved into his house. See Lois R. Kuznet's Kenneth Grahame Kenneth Grahame for an in-depth a.n.a.lysis of the mythical element in Grahame's book. for an in-depth a.n.a.lysis of the mythical element in Grahame's book.

13 (p. 152) (p. 152) The Return of Ulysses: The Return of Ulysses: Toad is humorously compared to Ulysses (Odysseus) in his return to Toad Hall. Grahame underscored the mock-heroic element in this t.i.tle and in the way Rat, Badger, Mole, and Toad arm themselves (p. 152) and then enter the banqueting hall: "The four Heroes strode wrathfully into the room!" (p. 154). Grahame uses the language of heroism in his description of the fight that ensues. Toad is humorously compared to Ulysses (Odysseus) in his return to Toad Hall. Grahame underscored the mock-heroic element in this t.i.tle and in the way Rat, Badger, Mole, and Toad arm themselves (p. 152) and then enter the banqueting hall: "The four Heroes strode wrathfully into the room!" (p. 154). Grahame uses the language of heroism in his description of the fight that ensues.

INSPIRED BY THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS.

Sequels William Horwood, whose popular Duncton novels also feature moles as main characters, wrote four successful sequels to The Wind in the Willows The Wind in the Willows : : The Willows in Winter The Willows in Winter (1993), (1993), Toad Triumphant Toad Triumphant (1995), (1995), The Willows and Beyond The Willows and Beyond (1996), and (1996), and The Willows at Christmas The Willows at Christmas (1999). Horwood ably captures the rhythm, style, and spirit of the original story, taking Grahame's beloved characters on new rounds of comical misadventures. Horwood's first sequel, (1999). Horwood ably captures the rhythm, style, and spirit of the original story, taking Grahame's beloved characters on new rounds of comical misadventures. Horwood's first sequel, The Willows in Winter, The Willows in Winter, maintains Grahame's emphasis on adventure and loyalty. Toad has settled calmly on the river after the mishaps of maintains Grahame's emphasis on adventure and loyalty. Toad has settled calmly on the river after the mishaps of The Wind in the Willows, The Wind in the Willows, but his reformation lasts only until he discovers the joy of flying airplanes. Toad's dangerous new obsession coincides with the disappearance of Mole, who vanishes while searching for friends lost in a blizzard. but his reformation lasts only until he discovers the joy of flying airplanes. Toad's dangerous new obsession coincides with the disappearance of Mole, who vanishes while searching for friends lost in a blizzard.

Toad Triumphant features the first female animal character in the adventures of Mole, Toad, Rat, and Badger-a French sculptress whom Toad falls in love with. While the irascible hero ponders the advantages of matrimony, Mole and Rat stretch the boundaries of their provincial lives by rowing far upstream in search of "the mystery we have called Beyond." In features the first female animal character in the adventures of Mole, Toad, Rat, and Badger-a French sculptress whom Toad falls in love with. While the irascible hero ponders the advantages of matrimony, Mole and Rat stretch the boundaries of their provincial lives by rowing far upstream in search of "the mystery we have called Beyond." In The Willows and Beyond, The Willows and Beyond, modern society encroaches upon the inhabitants of the Wild Wood. When upstream residents pollute the waters and housing developers target the river bank, the heroes relocate to Toad's property in Lathbury Forest, a bittersweet ending that underscores the dubious benefits of human progress. modern society encroaches upon the inhabitants of the Wild Wood. When upstream residents pollute the waters and housing developers target the river bank, the heroes relocate to Toad's property in Lathbury Forest, a bittersweet ending that underscores the dubious benefits of human progress.

Horwood's final sequel takes place in the span of time between The Wind and the Willows The Wind and the Willows and and The Willows in Winter. The Willows at Christmas The Willows in Winter. The Willows at Christmas has Toad disconsolate as he awaits the arrival of Mrs. Ffleshe, the annual houseguest who protects him from his own excesses and at the same time utterly ruins the holiday season. Mole's attempt to aid Toad goes predictably awry, landing the former in jail and setting the stage for a thrilling escape. All of the Horwood sequels feature delightful cross-hatch ill.u.s.trations by Patrick Benson, appropriately adding to the magic of Horwood's text. has Toad disconsolate as he awaits the arrival of Mrs. Ffleshe, the annual houseguest who protects him from his own excesses and at the same time utterly ruins the holiday season. Mole's attempt to aid Toad goes predictably awry, landing the former in jail and setting the stage for a thrilling escape. All of the Horwood sequels feature delightful cross-hatch ill.u.s.trations by Patrick Benson, appropriately adding to the magic of Horwood's text.

In Wild Wood (1981), Jan Needle takes a less benign view of Grahame's seemingly innocent story. In a Marxist twist, Needle retells The Wind in the Willows The Wind in the Willows from the point of view of the working-cla.s.s weasels, stoats, and ferrets that populate the river community. The proletariat heroes of from the point of view of the working-cla.s.s weasels, stoats, and ferrets that populate the river community. The proletariat heroes of Wild Wood Wild Wood take over Toad's manse and rename it Brotherhood Hall, an event that transcends the simple politics of take over Toad's manse and rename it Brotherhood Hall, an event that transcends the simple politics of The Wind in the Willows The Wind in the Willows and demonstrates that there are two sides to every tale. and demonstrates that there are two sides to every tale.

Theater and Film The Wind in the Willows was dramatized in 1929 by A. A. Milne, author of the animal cla.s.sic was dramatized in 1929 by A. A. Milne, author of the animal cla.s.sic Winnie-the-Pooh Winnie-the-Pooh (1926). Milne's play formed the basis for the first film adaptation of (1926). Milne's play formed the basis for the first film adaptation of The Wind in the Willows, The Wind in the Willows, the black-and-white television movie the black-and-white television movie Toad of Toad Hall Toad of Toad Hall (1946). (1946).

There have been many other cinematic adaptations of The Wind in the Willows, the Willows, most of them animated and many made for television; animated made-for-TV versions appeared in 1984, 1987, and 1995. Fans particularly appreciated a 1983 animation directed by Mark Hall and Chris Taylor, one of two adaptations to appear that year. The Disney animated film most of them animated and many made for television; animated made-for-TV versions appeared in 1984, 1987, and 1995. Fans particularly appreciated a 1983 animation directed by Mark Hall and Chris Taylor, one of two adaptations to appear that year. The Disney animated film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) is a two-part featurette depicting the separate stories of Ichabod Crane, the schoolmaster from Was.h.i.+ngton Irving's (1949) is a two-part featurette depicting the separate stories of Ichabod Crane, the schoolmaster from Was.h.i.+ngton Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and the characters from The Wind in and the characters from The Wind in the Willows. the Willows. The thirty-minute segment about Toad and his pals captures the humor and frenetic energy of the novel; many consider this warm-hearted and thoughtful short one of Disney's finest achievements. The thirty-minute segment about Toad and his pals captures the humor and frenetic energy of the novel; many consider this warm-hearted and thoughtful short one of Disney's finest achievements.

Terry Jones, best known for his work in the wacky Monty Python comedy troupe, directed the only live-action film based on The Wind in the Willows. Small, surreal details give this light, cla.s.sically British adaptation-released in the United States in 1996 as Mr. Toad's Wild Mr. Toad's Wild Ride-much of its charm. In one segment a crew team of rabbits rows down the stream; in another a tweed-clad Toad chomps down on a fly. Director Jones, covered in green makeup, stars as Toad; Steve Coogan is Mole, and Nicol Williamson is Badger. Two of Jones's Monty Python mates round out the cast: Eric Idle as Rat and John Cleese as Toad's lawyer; veteran actor Stephen Fry plays the judge. Ride-much of its charm. In one segment a crew team of rabbits rows down the stream; in another a tweed-clad Toad chomps down on a fly. Director Jones, covered in green makeup, stars as Toad; Steve Coogan is Mole, and Nicol Williamson is Badger. Two of Jones's Monty Python mates round out the cast: Eric Idle as Rat and John Cleese as Toad's lawyer; veteran actor Stephen Fry plays the judge.

Animals in Literature The tradition of using animals to dramatize truths about humanity dates back at least to the sixth century B.C. with the fables of Aesop. In the late nineteenth and the early twentieth century, the rise of industrialization and the rapid growth of modern cities seemed to create an appet.i.te for stories about animals and an older way of life grounded in a natural world unspoiled by man.

History's best-selling children's book, Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Peter Rabbit The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1900), preceded (1900), preceded The Wind in The Wind in the Willows by several years. It tells story of Mrs. Rabbit and her four bunny children, one of whom is the impish Peter. When he sneaks into a forbidden garden, Peter faces not only the wrath of his mother and the scorn of his siblings, but the threat of being made into rabbit pie by the angry Mr. McGregor. the Willows by several years. It tells story of Mrs. Rabbit and her four bunny children, one of whom is the impish Peter. When he sneaks into a forbidden garden, Peter faces not only the wrath of his mother and the scorn of his siblings, but the threat of being made into rabbit pie by the angry Mr. McGregor.

The hero of Jack London's The Call of the Wild The Call of the Wild (1903) is an animal without human qualities. Buck is a dog reared on an estate in California. Kidnapped and sold to Alaskan gold-hunters, Buck must learn the way of his wolf-ancestors in order to survive the bitter conditions of his harsh new environment. A companion piece, London's (1903) is an animal without human qualities. Buck is a dog reared on an estate in California. Kidnapped and sold to Alaskan gold-hunters, Buck must learn the way of his wolf-ancestors in order to survive the bitter conditions of his harsh new environment. A companion piece, London's White Fang White Fang (1906), tells the story of a half-wolf, half-dog nearly destroyed by human cruelty. (1906), tells the story of a half-wolf, half-dog nearly destroyed by human cruelty.

The occasional barge-woman notwithstanding, Grahame's novel excludes human characters. In contrast, Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Books Jungle Books (1894, 1895) and Edgar Rice Burroughs's Tarzan (1894, 1895) and Edgar Rice Burroughs's Tarzan of the Apes of the Apes (1914), while romanticizing animals and nature, primarily focus on orphaned humans who become exemplary figures after they are adopted by animals. The two (1914), while romanticizing animals and nature, primarily focus on orphaned humans who become exemplary figures after they are adopted by animals. The two Jungle Books, Jungle Books, set in India, center on Mowgli, raised by wolves after his family is killed by the tiger Shere Khan. set in India, center on Mowgli, raised by wolves after his family is killed by the tiger Shere Khan. Tarzan of the Apes Tarzan of the Apes describes the African adventures of an orphaned British n.o.bleman who is raised by the gentle ape Kala and becomes king of the jungle. describes the African adventures of an orphaned British n.o.bleman who is raised by the gentle ape Kala and becomes king of the jungle. Tarzan of the Apes Tarzan of the Apes was immensely popular, and Burroughs wrote more than twenty sequels. Unlike Grahame's and Potter's stories, the novels by London, Kipling, and Burroughs are not written for children. was immensely popular, and Burroughs wrote more than twenty sequels. Unlike Grahame's and Potter's stories, the novels by London, Kipling, and Burroughs are not written for children.

Winnie-the-Pooh (1926), by A. A. Milne, one of Grahame's biggest supporters, has become a children's cla.s.sic. Inspired by the imaginary conversations of the toys of Milne's young son, Christopher Robin, the story follows the adventures of the lovable bear Pooh, who can't get enough honey, his bouncy friend Tigger, the anti-social donkey Eeyore, and shy little Piglet. Like (1926), by A. A. Milne, one of Grahame's biggest supporters, has become a children's cla.s.sic. Inspired by the imaginary conversations of the toys of Milne's young son, Christopher Robin, the story follows the adventures of the lovable bear Pooh, who can't get enough honey, his bouncy friend Tigger, the anti-social donkey Eeyore, and shy little Piglet. Like The Wind in the Willows, Winnie-the-Pooh The Wind in the Willows, Winnie-the-Pooh has inspired many successful animated adaptations. has inspired many successful animated adaptations.

Notable animal stories for children published later in the twentieth century include Stuart Little (1945), Charlotte's Web Charlotte's Web (1952), and (1952), and The Trumpet of the Swan The Trumpet of the Swan (1970), all by E. B. White; (1970), all by E. B. White; Where the Wild Things Are Where the Wild Things Are (1963), by Maurice Sendak; the stories of Arnold Lobel, including (1963), by Maurice Sendak; the stories of Arnold Lobel, including Frog and Toad Are Friends Frog and Toad Are Friends (1970) and (1970) and Fables Fables (1980); and Mrs. (1980); and Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (1971), by Robert C. O'Brien, and (1971), by Robert C. O'Brien, and Racso and the Rats of NIMH Racso and the Rats of NIMH (1986), by his daughter Jane Leslie Conly. (1986), by his daughter Jane Leslie Conly.

COMMENTS & QUESTIONS.

In this section, we aim to provide the reader with an array of perspectives on the text, as well as questions that challenge those perspectives. The commentary has been culled from sources as diverse as as reviews contemporaneous with the work, letters written by the author, literary criticism of later generations, and appreciations written throughout the reviews contemporaneous with the work, letters written by the author, literary criticism of later generations, and appreciations written throughout the work's history. Following the commentary, a series of questions seeks to filter Kenneth work's history. Following the commentary, a series of questions seeks to filter Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows through Grahame's The Wind in the Willows through a a variety of points of view and bring about variety of points of view and bring about a a richer understanding of this enduring work. richer understanding of this enduring work.

Comments THE ATHENaeUM.

A simple-hearted Mole, a Water Rat of a poetical temperament, and a wealthy, boastful, and extravagant Toad, with a fine Tudor mansion and a pa.s.sion for motor-cars, are the princ.i.p.al personages in Mr. Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. The Wind in the Willows. There is also a didactic Badger who is made at times the medium for conveying information that may be edifying to youthful readers; and, indeed, all the animals are capable of unusually serious moments, notably in the case of the vision of Pan beheld by the Mole and the Rat. The story rambles along in a vein of delightful extravagance, the misfortunes and ultimate reformation of the wayward Toad being among its most pleasant and stirring episodes; but the author seems not to have given himself up whole-heartedly to his fantasy, and is apt to hinder the charm of his incongruities by spasmodic efforts to make them congruous. These cavillings apart, the book, with its scenes of river, forest, and field, and its whimsical incursions into the human world, forms an all but perfect blending of idyll and inconsequence.-November 21, 1908 There is also a didactic Badger who is made at times the medium for conveying information that may be edifying to youthful readers; and, indeed, all the animals are capable of unusually serious moments, notably in the case of the vision of Pan beheld by the Mole and the Rat. The story rambles along in a vein of delightful extravagance, the misfortunes and ultimate reformation of the wayward Toad being among its most pleasant and stirring episodes; but the author seems not to have given himself up whole-heartedly to his fantasy, and is apt to hinder the charm of his incongruities by spasmodic efforts to make them congruous. These cavillings apart, the book, with its scenes of river, forest, and field, and its whimsical incursions into the human world, forms an all but perfect blending of idyll and inconsequence.-November 21, 1908 -November 21, 1908

THE NATION.

It is difficult to describe the impression made by this beautifully written book, or to determine whether it was intended for children, for grown people, or for grown-up children-perhaps it was meant for all. It is full of dewy nature, breathes the open air of field, winding river, and forest. The pipes of Pan are in it, the lure of far blue distances, strange whiffs from gypsy-land. There is wood magic and melody enough in it-apart from the sprinkled songs-to set up a minor poet for life. Yet it tantalizingly fails in its total effect. It goes at times as far over the heads of children as at others it descends beneath the heads of adults. It seems as if the author had set out to write a kind of poetical journal of a group of high-spirited collegians in their Wanderjahr. When he had done, it seems, in an odd whim he blotted out the names of human characters and wrote in their stead Water Rat, Toad, Mole, Badger, and Otter. Aside from their names, there is nothing to connect their adventures with the lower animal world. The result is neither a naive animal story nor evenly sustained allegory-it is a sort of puzzling medley with many happy lucid intervals and promise of better things.

-December 24, 1908

WALTER CLAYTON.

There aren't very many people who can sing out to us, "Come and play!", with that right alluring utterance that makes us cast aside our workaday concerns and fare forth again adventurous as in the wonder-years before we left off trailing clouds of glory. When Tusitala died, and the swarthy-skinned Samoans buried him beneath the wide and starry sky on the summit of that mountain, aloof above the huge pacific seas, whose pines are evermore made musical by singing birds, it looked for a while as if n.o.body was left to play with us. Of course there remained that Barrie fellow who knows all the ducks in Kensington Gardens and agrees with us that it is very foolish to grow up; but he obstinately made up his mind to play only in a play-house thenceforward, instead of telling us stories as of yore. Then along came a chap named Kenneth Grahame, who had the true miraculous voice and reminded us of the dream days of our golden age. Surely he knew how to play! He had not forgotten that everything on earth is wonderful, that the commonest action is romance, that all work rightly undertaken is good fun, that hards.h.i.+p is adventure, that sorrow is poetry, and that happiness is religion....

The Wind in the Willows is a poem in praise of the glory that can never really pa.s.s away from earth, unless we allow ourselves to grow up and forget-which, you may be sure, we shall never, never do, until what time the birds shall cease to sing about the tomb of Tusitala. It reveals anew the miracle of out-of-doors. The romance of the river, the allurement of the open road, the tremulous ecstatic terrors of the wild wood, the sad sweet tug of heart-strings by the sense of home, the poignant wander-longing, the amus.e.m.e.nt of adventure,-all these moods of simple wonderment are told and sung in its enchanting pages.... is a poem in praise of the glory that can never really pa.s.s away from earth, unless we allow ourselves to grow up and forget-which, you may be sure, we shall never, never do, until what time the birds shall cease to sing about the tomb of Tusitala. It reveals anew the miracle of out-of-doors. The romance of the river, the allurement of the open road, the tremulous ecstatic terrors of the wild wood, the sad sweet tug of heart-strings by the sense of home, the poignant wander-longing, the amus.e.m.e.nt of adventure,-all these moods of simple wonderment are told and sung in its enchanting pages....

In the original and undefiled sense of the word, Mr. Grahame's work is worthy mainly because it is irradiated by the spirit of the amateur. He writes because he loves to: he is too child-like and playful to subside into the mere professional man of letters. The Wind in the Willows The Wind in the Willows is fun to read because the author wrote it for fun. It ranges through all the moods of natural enjoyment: it is humorous and beautiful, it combines satire with sentiment, it is serious and jocund. An uproarious chapter, which satirizes the modern subservience to the latest fads, is followed by a chapter in which, mystically, we are brought face to face with the very G.o.d of out-of-doors. Mr. Grahame talks in whatever mood most enchants him at the time: his range is as various and as free as the aeolian breathing of the wind in the willows. is fun to read because the author wrote it for fun. It ranges through all the moods of natural enjoyment: it is humorous and beautiful, it combines satire with sentiment, it is serious and jocund. An uproarious chapter, which satirizes the modern subservience to the latest fads, is followed by a chapter in which, mystically, we are brought face to face with the very G.o.d of out-of-doors. Mr. Grahame talks in whatever mood most enchants him at the time: his range is as various and as free as the aeolian breathing of the wind in the willows.

-from Forum Forum (January 1909) (January 1909)

A. A. MILNE.

It is what I call a Household Book. By a Household Book I mean a book which everybody in the household loves and quotes continually ever afterwards; a book which is read aloud to every new guest, and is regarded as the touchstone of his worth. But it is a book which makes you feel that, though everybody in the house loves it, it is only you who really appreciate it at its true value.

-from Not That It Matters Not That It Matters (1919) (1919)

PETER GREEN.

TheWind in the Willows the Willows... is a good deal more than the simple fun Grahame said it was. At bottom it is a book about Us and Them, River-Bankers versus Wild Wooders. The ethics are simple and revealing. If you face up to your responsibilities in the squirearchy, and don't go haring off in motor-cars (which exposes you to criticism from the lower orders), you can live a nice happy bachelor existence for ever, having enormous picnics and messing about in boats-presumably on the proceeds of your investments. is a good deal more than the simple fun Grahame said it was. At bottom it is a book about Us and Them, River-Bankers versus Wild Wooders. The ethics are simple and revealing. If you face up to your responsibilities in the squirearchy, and don't go haring off in motor-cars (which exposes you to criticism from the lower orders), you can live a nice happy bachelor existence for ever, having enormous picnics and messing about in boats-presumably on the proceeds of your investments.

-from The Spectator The Spectator (November 27, 1959) (November 27, 1959) Questions 1. A reviewer writing in 1. A reviewer writing in The Nation The Nation about about The Wind in the Willows The Wind in the Willows asked whether it was designed "for children, for grown people, or for grown-up children." Who would you say this book is for? Is it for the child in the grown-up, or for the adult in the child? asked whether it was designed "for children, for grown people, or for grown-up children." Who would you say this book is for? Is it for the child in the grown-up, or for the adult in the child?2. A. A. Milne said of The Wind in the Willows The Wind in the Willows that "the young man gives it to the girl with whom he is in love, and if she does not like it, asks her to return his letters. The older man tries it on his nephew, and alters his will accordingly. The book is a test of character. We can't criticize it, because it is criticizing us." What gives the book so much power that it can divide the world into those who get it and those who don't? What type of person likes The Wind in the Willows, and what type doesn't? that "the young man gives it to the girl with whom he is in love, and if she does not like it, asks her to return his letters. The older man tries it on his nephew, and alters his will accordingly. The book is a test of character. We can't criticize it, because it is criticizing us." What gives the book so much power that it can divide the world into those who get it and those who don't? What type of person likes The Wind in the Willows, and what type doesn't?3. In 1981 Jan Needle published Wild Wood, Wild Wood, a Marxist take on a Marxist take on TheWind in the Willows. TheWind in the Willows. (The proletarian weasels, stoats, and ferrets take over Toad's home and rename it Brotherhood Hall.) Is there any justification for this variation in the original? Is there an economic critique built into the original? (The proletarian weasels, stoats, and ferrets take over Toad's home and rename it Brotherhood Hall.) Is there any justification for this variation in the original? Is there an economic critique built into the original?4. Is The Wind in the Willows The Wind in the Willows based on a common adult fantasy? If so, how would you express it? What do you think about the relative absence of females? Would you describe the novel as "escapist"? based on a common adult fantasy? If so, how would you express it? What do you think about the relative absence of females? Would you describe the novel as "escapist"?

FOR FURTHER READING.

Selected Works by Kenneth Grahame Kenneth Grahame Pagan Papers. London: E. Mathews and John Lane, 1893. London: E. Mathews and John Lane, 1893.

The Golden Age. London: John Lane, 1895. London: John Lane, 1895.

Dream Days. London and New York: John Lane, 1898. London and New York: John Lane, 1898.

"Preface." The Cambridge Book of Poetry for Children. The Cambridge Book of Poetry for Children. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1916. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1916.