From Roald Dahl’s,’Tales of

the unexpected’ - ‘The

Landlady’
Use the given link to view.

https://youtu.be/sWhBej5r07o

Storyline
Arriving in Bath to take up his first job away from home young Billy Weaver decides to take a room with a charmingly
maternal but eccentric landlady.

Her dog and parrot are both stuffed and the only other names in her guest-book seem vaguely familiar to him from the
newspaper but he cannot think why.

Sadly he will never find out as he drinks the landlady's poisoned tea and dies as the landlady plans to add him to her
collection of stuffed creatures!
 1 2 3 4

I have a room
ready for 5
and 6 pence.

5 6 7 8
 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16
 Situational irony
Dramatical Irony Verbal Irony
The landlady appeared to Billy drank the
be slightly off her rocker
bittery almond tea. Everything is always
didn't worry Billy in the ready day and night
least. Everyone knew that
it was poisoned, but in this house.
Alliteration
Billy didn't.
BED AND
BREAKFAST Foreshadowing
sleeping soundly the two men are STILL
good gracious The Landlady there; tea tasted like
almonds; it was

- Roald Dahl fantastically cheap;

the landlady’s behaviour;
A 3rd person narrative “Only you”; description
Visual Imagery about his skin

*brilliantly illuminated by a street lamp Olfactory Imagery

*description about the things he saw Gustatory Imagery Whiff of a peculiar smell
through the window The tea tasted - pickled walnuts,
faintly of leather, hospital
BITTER corridor
ALMONDS.
 Setting
a bed and breakfast, Point of view
Bath, England, Genre
probably during the fiction, suspense, third person
1950s thriller, horror narrative

Theme
youthful innocence,
naivete,deception,
Appearances Vs Reality Main Characters
The Landlady
- Roald Dahl Billy Weaver - Protagonist

A 3rd person narrative The Landlady -

Antagonist
Value

* Don’t judge a book by its cover. The Landlady

* Follow your instincts. 45 - 50 yr old
Billy Weaver woman,
17 yr - young adult Taxidermist
GLOSSARY

1. porter - a person who carries luggage at a

railway station
1. illuminated - brightly lit
2. propped - supported by something 11. trotted - to run at nominal speed
3. pane - a single sheet of glass in a window 12. rings a bell - sounds vaguely familiar
4. peered - concentrating on something 13. matter of fact - truth / fact
5. hearth - fireplace 14. searching his memory - recalling
6. dachshund - a dog breed 15. tantalizing - irritating
7. threshold - doorstep / entrance 16. whiff - smelt briefly, a puff
8. on the off chance - remote possibility 17. peculiar - strange
9. Off her rocker - slightly mad / eccentric 18. emanate - issue forth , to come out
19. arching her brows - raising her brows
20. trifle - slightly, something of small value
21. blemish - marks
22. faintly - slightly / somewhat
23. inclining - bending/ to lean