Critical Response, The Witches

Pick your prompt. Since I'm not assigning a particular prompt, you should take particular care to make sure that I don't have to ask, "What prompt is this person responding to????"

1. Discuss how Dahl's The Witches is and is not a misogynistic* text. What are your conclusions?

2. Considering that the Grand High Witch has a German accent, and considering what she and the others want to do with a particular group of people (in this case, children), how might The Witches reflect the Holocaust and Nazi Germany? Does Dahl complicate the representation in any way or does he rely on stereotypes?

3. Consider some of the parallels with the Grand High Witch (and other witches), Satan (including his serpent form), and Eve (as in temptation).

4. Compare the witches of Dahl's The Witches to some of the females depicted in various folk and fairy tales we read. Remember our discussions regarding power, who holds the power, who doesn't, the rewards, and so on.

5. Provide an ideological reading of The Witches (refer to the handout in eCollege). Be sure to look at various angles. In other words, find the contradictions and complications.

6. Take a look at Malleus Maleficarum (http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/mm/) and see if there are any parallels between Dahl's The Witches and the witches of Malleus Maleficarum

*From Bartleby.com: Misogynist

• NOUN (misogynist): One who hates women.
• ADJECTIVE (misogynistic): Of or characterized by a hatred of women.