Analyzing "The Landlady" by Roald Dahl
Prose Terminology
With The Landlady by Roald Dahl
Plot
The plot of
The
Landlady
fits
together well
without missing any
components, making
the story read well
without having gaps.
The plot is the basis
of a story; the
events
that take place
.
Setting
The setting is
where the story takes place
.
The
physical setting
of The Landlady is a cozy,
comfortable bed and breakfast, in the city of Bath at
night.
However, the
emotional setting is
eerie, off-putting,
suspenseful, and odd.
The emotional setting conflicting with the physical
setting gives the story an interesting effect crucial to
the suspenseful nature of the story. It underlines the
idea that appearances can be deceiving.
Point of View
The Landlady is written in
Third Person
Limited Omniscient
:
The characters are referred to as he or she,
and the reader only knows what Billy is
thinking.
Knowing that Billy is completely unaware of
the danger he is in and not knowing the
motives of the Landlady makes the story more
suspenseful.
Characters
Billy is the
protagonist
of the story, and is a
static,
unchanging
character.
The landlady is the main
antagonist
of the story. She
is a
round
character with several sides to her
personality.
The landlady being a round character makes her more
frightening because it makes the possibility of a
sweet old lady being a killer seem more real.
Billy being a static character keeps him from
realizing he is in danger. He stays around for the
landlady to kill him instead of running away.
Theme is This is the
message of the story.
The theme of The Landlady is
‘Appearances can
be deceiving’
The story is about a non-threatening looking
old woman running a bed and breakfast, who is
killing and stuffing her guests. Had the
landlady looked like the stereotypical image
of a killer it would be a different story
entirely.
Theme
Genre
The Landlady is an example of a
mystery
story
; one where the
suspense
is the drive of story.
At the ending of the story, it is implied
through all the odd details that Billy was
poisoned, killed, and stuffed by the
landlady, and that he was the landlady’s
third victim.
Significance of Title
The title is of the story is
The Landlady
.
The story is about the actions of the
landlady, told through the eyes of Billy
Weaver, her third victim. The story is
about how the landlady may have appeared
non-threatening but was a deceptive serial
killer.
The story is all about the non-threatening
landlady, not Billy. The title reinforces
that.
Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is described as a hint of events to
come. A few examples from The Landlady are the lack
of coats, the old guestbook, the almond tea, and
the stuffed pets.
The entirety of the story is foreshadowing the
death of Billy using the evidence of the two past
murders. The story is suspenseful and without the
foreshadowing it would have no underlying meaning.
Just a guy staying at a bed and breakfast.
Irony
There are three different kinds of irony: Verbal
irony, Situational irony, and Dramatic irony.
The Landlady
is more suspenseful than ironic, but
near the beginning of the story Dahl writes, “A
nd in
one corner he spotted a large parrot in a cage.
Animals were usually a good sign in a place like
this, Billy told himself” (Dahl, 73).
This is ironic because the animals are dead and
stuffed, just like what is implied to have happened
to Billy. They are the opposite of a good sign.
The analysis of "The Landlady" by Roald Dahl delves into key elements such as plot, setting, point of view, characters, theme, and genre. The story portrays how appearances can be deceiving as a seemingly harmless landlady turns out to be a sinister character. Through a third-person limited omniscient viewpoint, the suspenseful narrative unfolds in a cozy yet eerie bed and breakfast setting in Bath. The static protagonist, Billy, and round antagonist, the landlady, contribute to the chilling theme of deception. Ultimately, the story exemplifies a mystery genre with a compelling plot that keeps readers engaged.
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Presentation Transcript
Prose Terminology With The Landlady by Roald Dahl
Plot The plot is the basis of a story; the events that take place. The plot of The Landlady fits together well without missing any components, making the story read well without having gaps.
Setting The setting is where the story takes place. The physical setting of The Landlady is a cozy, comfortable bed and breakfast, in the city of Bath at night. However, the emotional setting is eerie, off-putting, suspenseful, and odd. The emotional setting conflicting with the physical setting gives the story an interesting effect crucial to the suspenseful nature of the story. It underlines the idea that appearances can be deceiving.
Point of View The Landlady is written in Third Person Limited Omniscient: The characters are referred to as he or she, and the reader only knows what Billy is thinking. Knowing that Billy is completely unaware of the danger he is in and not knowing the motives of the Landlady makes the story more suspenseful.
Characters Billy is the protagonist of the story, and is a static, unchanging character. The landlady is the main antagonist of the story. She is a round character with several sides to her personality. The landlady being a round character makes her more frightening because it makes the possibility of a sweet old lady being a killer seem more real. Billy being a static character keeps him from realizing he is in danger. He stays around for the landlady to kill him instead of running away.
Theme is This is the message of the story. The theme of The Landlady is Appearances can be deceiving The story is about a non-threatening looking old woman running a bed and breakfast, who is killing and stuffing her guests. Had the landlady looked like the stereotypical image of a killer it would be a different story entirely. Theme
Genre The Landlady is an example of a mystery story; one where the suspense is the drive of story. At the ending of the story, it is implied through all the odd details that Billy was poisoned, killed, and stuffed by the landlady, and that he was the landlady s third victim.
The title is of the story is The Landlady. The story is about the actions of the landlady, told through the eyes of Billy Weaver, her third victim. The story is about how the landlady may have appeared non-threatening but was a deceptive serial killer. The story is all about the non-threatening landlady, not Billy. The title reinforces that. Significance of Title
Foreshadowing Foreshadowing is described as a hint of events to come. A few examples from The Landlady are the lack of coats, the old guestbook, the almond tea, and the stuffed pets. The entirety of the story is foreshadowing the death of Billy using the evidence of the two past murders. The story is suspenseful and without the foreshadowing it would have no underlying meaning. Just a guy staying at a bed and breakfast.
There are three different kinds of irony: Verbal irony, Situational irony, and Dramatic irony. The Landlady is more suspenseful than ironic, but near the beginning of the story Dahl writes, And in one corner he spotted a large parrot in a cage. Animals were usually a good sign in a place like this, Billy told himself (Dahl, 73). This is ironic because the animals are dead and stuffed, just like what is implied to have happened to Billy. They are the opposite of a good sign. Irony
