Orientation Roald Dahl & Charlie and The Chocolate Factory

Biography Given name is pronounced "Roo-aal"; born September 13, 1916, in Llandaff, South Wales; died November 23, 1990, in Oxford, England ("Roald Dahl" ). Dahl was born on September 13, 1916, the son of an adventurous shipbroker. He was an energetic and mischievous child and from an early age proved adept at finding trouble. ("Roald Dahl" ) At Llandaff Cathedral School the young Dahl began his career of mischievous adventures and met up with the first of many oppressive, even cruel, adults. One exploit in particular foretold both the author's career in school and the major themes of his adult work. Each day on the way to and from school the seven-year-old Dahl and his friends passed a sweetshop. Unable to resist the lure of "Bootlace Liquorice" and "Gobstoppers"--familiar candy to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory fans--the children would pile into the store and buy as much candy as they could with their limited allowances. Day after day the grubby, grouchy storekeeper, Mrs. Pratchett, scolded the children as she dug her dirty hands into the jars of candy; one day the kids had had enough of her abuse, and Dahl hatched the perfect plan to get back at her. The very next day, when she reached into the jar of Gobstoppers she clamped her hand around a very stiff, dead mouse and flung the jar to the ground, scattering Gobstoppers and glass all over the store floor. Mrs. Pratchett knew whom to blame, and when the boys went to school the next day she was waiting, along with a very angry Headmaster Coombes. Not only did Coombes give each of the boys a severe beating, but Mrs. Pratchett was there to witness it. "She was bounding up and down with excitement," Dahl remembered in Boy, "`Lay it into 'im!' she was shrieking. `Let 'im 'ave it! Teach 'im a lesson!'" ("Roald Dahl" )

Critique of Writing Dahl's short stories are sui generis: he is rarely the author of horror stories in the vein of H.P. Lovecraft or Stephen King, nor is he a mystery writer in the tradition of Agatha Christie or John D. MacDonald. His stories frequently revolve around an outlandish or fantastic premise, but Dahl is careful to ground the story in reality, employing verisimilitude (and of times literary sleight-of-hand) to convince us, over our objections, that what seems utterly fantastical is just barely possible (Campbell). I would say that all his books are marked by a powerful creative imagination and an instinctive understanding of the sort of themes and incidents that appeal to young readers (Campbell). I would see Charlie as an amoral fairy tale in modern idiom, belonging to a tradition in which violence and ruthless punishments are taken for granted, and where deliberate stereotyping is a valid technique. I would expect child readers to realise instinctively that this is not the sort of book from which to learn about social attitudes, or in which to look for models for one's own future behaviour (Campbell).

Works Consulted Campbell, Alasdair. "Children's Writers: 6 Roald Dahl." Contemporary Literary Criticism. Gale Database, June 1981. Web. 24 Nov. 2009. <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/GLD/hits?r=d&origSearch=true&o=DataType&n=10&l=d&c=8&locID=poudre&secondary=false&u=CA&u=CLC&t=KW&s=1&TI=Charlie+and+the+Chocolate+Factory>. Digital image. Remembering Roald Dahl. Web. 24 Nov. 2009. <http://www.flickwit.net/images/roald-dahl2.jpg>. "Introduction: . . . I Found about 35 Plots." Contemporary Literary Criticism. Gale Database, 1988. Web. 24 Nov. 2009. <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/GLD/hits?r=d&origSearch=true&o=DataType&n=10&l=d&c=7&locID=poudre&secondary=false&u=CA&u=CLC&t=KW&s=1&TI=Charlie+and+the+Chocolate+Factory>. "Roald Dahl." Contemporary Authors Online. Thomson Gale, 2008, 1 May 2008. Web. 24 Nov. 2009. <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/GLD/hits?r=d&origSearch=true&o=DataType&n=10&l=d&c=1&locID=poudre&secondary=false&u=CA&t=KW&s=2&NA=Roald+Dahl>.