The LandladyBy Roald Dahl

Meet the Author

Roald Dahl

Born in Llandaff, Wales on September 13th 1916

Went to Llandaff Cathedral School and St. Peter’s School.

Flew a fighter plane in the Royal Air Force.

Married and had five children.

Popular Titles

James and the Giant Peach (1961)

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964)

The Twits (1980)

Matilda (1988)

Roald Dahl

First published “The Landlady” in ‘The New Yorker’ magazine in 1959.

Many of his book covers today come stamped with a logo proclaiming him “The World’s No. 1 Storyteller.”

In 1990, Roald was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder, Myelo-dysplastic anaemia. He passed at the age of 74.

Since his death, his books have more than maintained their popularity.

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 mid 1900’s.

Bath, England

Missing, Can You Help?

Who has gone missing and his age?

Where he had travelled from, how he travelled and where he was travelling to

What time he arrived there

Any sightings of Billy in Bath

Details of his clothing

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?

Questions 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).

What does the landlady ask Billy to do before he goes to bed? Why does she want him to do this task?

Extra Questions What are Billy’s first impressions when he

peers through the window of the boarding-house? 

Why does Billy enter the boarding-house even though he likes staying in pubs? 

Describe the landlady’s house. What in the house is not what it appears to be? 

Billy keeps thinking he knows something about Mulholland and Temple. What is it that he knows but cannot recall? 

What seems to be the landlady’s idea of a perfect guest? What happens to her guests, and how do you know? 

What do you think Dahl’s reasons were for not making the house seem frightening from the beginning? One relevant fact you may not know is that potassium cyanide, a favorite poison in mystery and suspense stories, has a faint bitter -almond taste. Go back to the text, and find other clues throughout the story that foreshadow Billy’s fate.