“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: I will use knowledge of vocabulary,
setting and the literary element of foreshadowing
to analyze fictional text.
Vocabulary

Read each sentence. Try to understand
the definition of each word based on the
context clues.
1.
The bakery had one of the shabbiest
facades on the block.
2. “What tempting smells emanate from
there, Tom!” said Jo.
3. The tantalizing smells of fresh pastry
lured them in.
4. The mean baker was far from congenial.
5. Tom was so rapacious that he took all
the money from the jar.
Dither
6. After dithering aobut like this in the cold
for two or three minutes, Billy decided that
he would walk on and take a look.
Conjure
7. The name itself conjured up an image of
watery cabbage and a powerful smell of
kippers.
Dotty
8. The old girl is slightly dotty Billy told
himself.
Swanky
9. They had porches andpillars and four or
five steps foing up their front doors, and it
was obvious that once upon a time they had
been very swanky residences.
Compulsion
10. The compulsion or, more accurately, the
desire to follow after her into that house
was extraordinarily strong.
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
Antagonist is
Setting
The story takes
place in Bath,
England probably
mid 1900’s.
Bath, England
Bath, England
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
Why is Billy in Bath, and where is he
headed?
 What does the landlady do or say that
show she is unusually well-prepared for
Billy’s arrival?
 Why do you think she is so ready for Billy?

Questions

How does the landlady’s speech hint at
some future event (“breaking the law at this
stage of the proceedings”)- FORESHADOWING?

What clue hints at something strange
about the fact the dog is sleeping
(FORESHADOWING)?

Why might the names of Gregory Temple
and Christopher Mulholland be familiar to
Billy?
Questions

What might the peculiar smell suggest?
(FORESHADOWING)

What has the landlady said that seems to
contradict the following statement:
“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.?
Questions

What do you suspect has happened to
both guests? How did you arrive at that
conclusion?

How does the landlady’s statement
foreshadow what will happen to Billy? (“I
stuff all my little pets myself when they pass
away.”)
Foreshadowing

List two events that foreshadow what
happens to Billy at the end of the story?
Question of the Day
Put the events in order
The Landlady offers Billy strange poisoned tea
 Billy arrives in Bath and needs a place to stay
 The Landlady asks him to sign the guest book
 Billy questions the Landlady about her previous
guest
 The Landlady answers the door too (strangely)
quickly

Question of the Day
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

Process with two examples of foreshadowing.
Include the event and how it foreshadowed the
outcome. (i.e. T-Chart)
 In your summary include the following:
- A brief summary of what happened in the
story. Make sure you include what you inferred
happened to the protagonist at the end of the
story
- In your summary you must correctly use two
of the story’s vocabulary words, but you
CANNOT copy the sentence out of the book.
Highlight these two words
- Include two examples of how the author
foreshadowed events that occurred in the story.

Question of the Day
1. Who
is introduced at the beginning of the
story
2. Describe him. Where he is going, and
why is he in this town?
Question of the Day

What does the landlady ask Billy to do
before he goes to bed? Why does she
want him to do this task?
Adv L.A. Question of the Day

Do you believe Billy realizes the danger he
faces at the end of the story? If he does,
is it too late to escape (explain all your
answers).


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tcj5P3jjeI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2qAhYO8T7A&featu
re=related