“The Landlady”

Picture this: You’ve just
arrived in a lovely new
town by train and your
looking for a place to
stay. You find a bed and
breakfast that looks very
enchanting (nice) on the
outside. You decide to
stop and look in the
window. What do you
think you might see?
The Landlady
By
Roald Dahl
Objective: TSWBAT explain the purpose of & make
predictions about events and character actions by
analyzing the author’s use of foreshadowing.
Meet the Author
Roald Dahl
Born in Wales (1916-1990)
 He often writes stories with dark
humor.
 Some familiar stories:

James and the Giant Peach
Matilda
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
The BFG
Literary Element Used

Foreshadowing:
the use of clues or hints suggesting
events that will occur later in the plot.
HINT: As you read “The Landlady” put
yourself in the place of the main character
(protagonist). Pay close attention to what
Billy sees and senses.
Characters

Protagonist is
seventeen year old
Billy Weaver

Antagonist -Owner of
the Bed & Breakfast,
The Landlady
Setting
The story takes
place in Bath,
England
probably during
the mid-1900s.
Pre-reading information
Billy Weaver arrives in Bath, England
after taking the train from London. He's
never been to the town before. However,
he's due to start a new job there soon,
and he's excited at the prospect. He
heads toward The Bell and Dragon, which
is a pub he's been told he could spend the
night at. On the way though, he notices a
sign in the window of a nearby house:
"BED AND BREAKFAST.” Will it turn out
to be what he expects????
Questions for Note-taking:
Remember to explain your answers with
EVIDENCE/DETAILS from the story.
1. Why is Billy in Bath, and where is he
headed? (page 73)
2. What does the landlady do AND say that
shows she is unusually well-prepared for
Billy’s arrival? (pages 74 and 75)
Questions for Note-taking:
Remember to explain your answers with
EVIDENCE/DETAILS from the story.
3. How does the author hint at a future
event in the following statement? What
possible event might the landlady’s
statement foreshadow? (page 76)
“Everyone has to do that because it’s the law of the land,
and we don’t want to go breaking any laws at this stage
in the proceedings, do we?”
4. What clue hints at something strange
about the scene with the dog? (page 76)
Discussion Questions
5. What might the peculiar smell suggest? (page 79)
6. a. What has the landlady said that seems to contradict
the following statement: (page 79) [Refer to pages 76-77.]
“Left?” she said. “But my dear boy, her never left. He’s
still here. Mr. Temple is here. They’re on the fourth
floor, both of them together.?
6. b. How does she refer to the two men on pages 76-77?
7. What do you suspect has happened to both guests?
How did you arrive at that conclusion? (page 79)
8. How does the landlady’s statement foreshadow what
will happen to Billy? (page 79)
“I stuff all my little pets myself when they pass away.”
TRUE/FALSE
1. The Landlady answers the door before Billy can remove
his hand from the door bell. TRUE
2. Billy thought the Landlady’s fee to stay at the bed and
breakfast was too much. FALSE
3. Billy believes he had heard of the Landlady’s previous
guests. TRUE
4. The Landlady meant Billy no harm. FALSE
5. The tea taste strange to Billy because it is poisoned
TRUE
Sequence of Events
Put the events in order
The Landlady offers Billy strange poisoned
tea 5
 Billy arrives in Bath and needs a place to stay 1
 The Landlady asks him to sign the guest
book 3
 Billy questions the Landlady about her
previous guest 4
 The Landlady answers the door too
(strangely) quickly 2
