The Reluctant Dragon (short story)

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"The Reluctant Dragon" is an 1898 children's story by Kenneth Grahame, originally published as a chapter in his book Dream Days. It is Grahame's most famous short story, arguably better known than Dream Days itself or the related 1895 collection The Golden Age.[1] It can be seen as a prototype to most modern stories in which the dragon is a sympathetic character rather than a threat.[2]

Plot

Illustration from Dream Days (1902) by Maxfield Parrish

The story takes place in the

St. George
did fight a dragon).

In Grahame's story, a young boy discovers an erudite, poetry-loving dragon living in the Downs above his home. The two become friends, but soon afterwards the dragon is discovered by the townsfolk, who send for St George to rid them of him. The boy introduces St George to the dragon, and the two decide that it would be better for them not to fight. Eventually, they decide to stage a fake joust between the two combatants. As the two have planned, St George harmlessly spears the dragon through a shallow fold of skin suggested by the dragon, and the townsfolk rejoice (though not all of them, as some had placed bets on the dragon winning). St George then proclaims that the dragon has been reformed, assuring the townsfolk he's not dangerous, and the dragon is accepted by the people.

Reviews

One scholar describes the book as "a story about

Emily Jenkins notes that this framework is somewhat long-winded and might cause some parents to worry about whether the story can keep children's attention. However, she finds the unabridged version preferable to both abridgments (although she says that "Moore retains the pure joy of the author's descriptive passages").[4]

Peter Green, in his 1959 biography of Grahame, writes that while the story can be viewed as a satire like Don Quixote, the characters can be seen on a deeper level as representing different sides of the author himself: St. George represents Grahame as a public servant who works for the Establishment while the Dragon represents his anarchic, artistic, and anti-social side.[5]

Legacy

The story served as the key element to the 1941

Touché Turtle and Dum-Dum, giving the tale a modern allegory about prejudice. In 1970–1971, it formed part of the anthology television program The Reluctant Dragon & Mr. Toad Show. In 1987, Cosgrove Hall Films adapted it for Thames ITV. In 2004, Candlewick Press published the story as a picture book, with dozens of illustrations by Inga Moore. In 2008, Tony DiTerlizzi wrote Kenny & the Dragon as a tribute to Grahame's story, including naming the two heroes Kenneth and Grahame. The Mexican animated film franchise Leyendas
uses multiple elements from the book.

See also

References

  1. ISBN 0-674-29157-3
    .
  2. ISBN 0-688-00272-2
    .
  3. ISBN 978-0-226-47300-0
    .
  4. ^ Jenkins, Emily (17 October 2004). "Abridging 'The Reluctant Dragon'". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 November 2008.
  5. ^ Green, Peter (1959). Kenneth Grahame: A Biography. Great Britain: John Murray. pp. 182–183.

External links

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