The Wind in the Willows

One of the best-known classics of children's literature, a timeless masterpiece and a vital portrait of an age, The Wind in the Willows began originally in Kenneth Grahame's letters to his young son, where he first recounted the adventures of Rat and Badger, of Mole and Toad--all narrated in virtuoso language ranging from lively parody to elaborate fin-de-siècle mysticism. Yet for a children's book, it is concerned almost exclusively with adult themes: fear of radical changes in political, social, and economic power. This new edition considers this conundrum and provides a wealth of fascinating contextual information about the book's author and its historical, cultural, and literary significance. The Introduction by Peter Hunt, one of the foremost scholars of children's literature, focuses on the book's status as a classic, and as both a self-portrait of Kenneth Grahame's psyche and a portrait of an age. Reproducing the text of the first British edition, the book includes explanatory notes that shed light on the sources of the book--biographical, psychological, geographical, and literary--and an up-to-date bibliography.

About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Author: Kenneth Grahame
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 07/29/2010
Pages: 224
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.38lbs
Size: 7.78h x 5.52w x 0.53d
ISBN13: 9780199567560
ISBN10: 0199567565
BISAC Categories:
- Juvenile Fiction | Classics

About the Author
Peter Hunt has written or edited around twenty books on the subject of children's literature, including Children's Litearature 1802-1902, An Anthology and Children's Literature, A Guide and An Introduction to Children's Literature (OUP, 1994). He is co-editor of The Norton Anthology of Children's Literature and has edited the new edition of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass for OWC.