Roald Dahl: A Literary Icon

Roald Dahl: A Literary Icon

Roald Dahl: A Literary Icon

 

Literature gives readers a figurative sense of empathy through reading and imagining their favorite literary figures. Many authors impacted children's development and education immensely; some need no introduction, Roald Dahl.
For many children, Roald Dahl is the first author they are introduced to, the first to show them the power of language and create powerful imaginative worlds a young reader can subserve themselves into. He's well known for his children's books and once even said:

“I’m probably more pleased with my children’s books than with my adult short stories. Children’s books are harder to write. It’s tougher to keep a child interested because a child doesn’t have the concentration of an adult. A child knows the television is in the next room. It’s tough to hold a child, but it’s a lovely thing to try to do.”
His books, generally told from a child's perspective, can highlight a crucial lesson to learn: the world can be a lovely place, but that doesn't mean that there aren't bad things that happen and bad people too. Dahl gives them a small and unassuming character who overcomes the wrong stuff, and wins despite the odds, whether a child escaping an abusive family and headteacher or a fox and his family outwitting the farmers hunting them. They were a stepping stone for children reading books that carry some elements of the natural world while being entertaining.

He was beloved by children as he knew what would interest them; using fun words such as -ooze or -iggle would attract young readers. These nonsensical words that have sense in a context like grobblesquirt, whiffswiddle and sogmire sounded fun hooking children to his writing. Dahl had this skill of creating imaginative words that seemed real as if they were happening down the street as if there was indeed a marvelous chocolate factory full of elf sized men called Oompa Loompas.

He has been called one of the greatest storytellers for a reason. After all, his pieces, such as The BFG, Witches, or Charlie and the chocolate factory, were vital in a child's academic development and are almost seen as a write of passage for young readers to propel them into other advanced pieces of literature.

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