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CURRICULUM & LEARNING ENVIRONMENT * 2 HOURS * LEVEL 2

Fantastic Mr. Dahl

Adult Criticism

Page 8
Although widely popular, Dahl’s novels have received their share of criticism over the years. Some argue that his works are vulgar as they contain “bathroom humor”. Evidence of this can be seen in The B.F.G. when the giant insists on “whizpopping” (his term for passing gas) in front of the Queen. While this type of language does not appeal to adult readers, it very much does to children. That is the key. 
As educators, we have to remember that we are not the ones reading the stories, our students are. 
Therefore, it is their choice what they decide to read, within reason of course. According to Dahl, “Children are ... highly critical. And they lose interest so quickly. You have to keep things ticking along. And if you think a child is getting bored, you must think up something that jolts it back. Something that tickles. You have to know what children like.” Dahl knew that children’s interest in all things gross would be a hit among his readers, holding their attention and keeping them coming back for more.
Another criticism is that Dahl’s works are “anti-adult”, as many of the adults in his stories are portrayed in a less than positive light. Whether they are witches, parents, grandparents or aunts, Dahl most often makes adults the villains of his stories. While it is easy to take offense to this, take a moment to think about how children fit into the world. The majority of their decisions are controlled by adults. Dahl’s works give children the opportunity to work through the frustration that many children feel about this and give them a sense of power. 
Critics also contend that Dahl’s works are too dark for children. Out of all of his books, The Witches receives the most criticism for this, with its frightening descriptions of the witches themselves and overall scary plotline. In fact, most of Dahl’s stories contain some element of creepiness from The Trunchbull in Matilda to the grandmother in George’s Marvelous Medicine. However, this does not make Dahl’s works unsuitable for children as he counters the scary with silly. This allows children to dip their toes into the genre of horror one moment, but bounce back to laughing the next. This dance back and forth has become Dahl’s signature.