Dream Days: Kenneth Grahame

[poliphilo]

I've been inserting this as cushioning between jagged chunks of Hardy. It's charming, whimsical- but saved from over-sweetness by Grahame's understanding of the otherness of children. Also- unlike The Wind in the Willows- not only does it have girls in it- but they're given stories to star in. I've been asking myself all through whether Grahame would be remembered if it weren't for The Wind in the Willows and I think the answer is, yes, just about. He'd be a niche writer, a cult writer, but he's just too interesting and writes too beautifully (if ornately) to have completely disappeared.

Comments

[sovay]

He'd be a niche writer, a cult writer, but he's just too interesting and writes too beautifully (if ornately) to have completely disappeared.

I'd never even heard of Dream Days. What is it like?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

You know TWitW, right?

Well it's like that- ironic, whimsical, poetic- only in place of small furry animals we have a family of middle-class children. Grahame's great strength is that he remembers how children feel and think. It's not as original and extraordinary as TWitW but it's very likeable.

[sovay]

You know TWitW, right?

Imprinted on Ratty as a child. I think it was the messing around in boats.

Grahame's great strength is that he remembers how children feel and think. It's not as original and extraordinary as TWitW but it's very likeable.

Cool. I'll check libraries for it!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

NB. It's the second of two books about the same bunch of kids. I haven't read the first but I mean to. It's called The Golden Age.