Roald Dahl and Philosophy: A Little Nonsense Now and Then

261 Pages·2014·2.821 MB·English

by  Jacob M. Held, Adam Barkman, Matthew Bokma, Elizabeth Butterfield, Cam Cobb, Timothy M. Dale, Taine Duncan, Joseph J. Foy, Tanya Jeffcoat, John V. Karavitis, Chad Kleist, Greg Littman, Marc Napolitano, Miranda Nell, Ron Novy, Janelle Potzsch, Benjamin Rider

ROALD DAHL AND
PHILOSOPHY

ROALD DAHL AND
PHILOSOPHY
A Little Nonsense Now and Then
Edited by Jacob M. Held
ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD
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RoaldDahlandphilosophy:alittlenonsensenowandthen/editedbyJacobM.Held.
pagescm
Includesindex.
ISBN978-1-4422-2252-6(pbk.:alk.paper)—ISBN978-1-4422-2253-3(electronic)
1.Dahl,Roald—Criticismandinterpretation.2.Philosophyinliterature.3.Children’sstories,Eng-
lish—Historyandcriticism.I.Held,JacobM.,1977–editorofcompilation.
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PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
Dedicated to me, Jacob M. Held,
without whom none of this would have been possible.

CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction:RoaldDahlandAbsurdity:Children’sLiteratureand
theDivorcebetweentheMindThatDesiresandtheWorld
ThatDisappoints 1
JacobM.Held
1 EpicurusandtheChocolateFactory 7
BenjaminA.Rider
2 OnGettingOurJustDesserts:WillyWonka,ImmanuelKant,
andtheSummumBonum 19
JacobM.Held
3 Matilda,ExistentialistSuperhero 33
ElizabethButterfield
4 TheExistentialJourneyofJamesHenryTrotter:Kierkegaard,
Freedom,andDespairinJamesandtheGiantPeach 47
MatthewBokmaandAdamBarkman
5 OfMiceand(Posthu)Man:RoaldDahl’sTheWitchesand
EthicsbeyondHumanism 59
TaineDuncan
6 “WhoIsThisCrazyMan?”:WillyWonka’sUneasy
Predicament 73
CamCobb
vii
viii CONTENTS
7 “HeWillBeAlteredQuiteaBit”:DisciplineandPunishment
inWillyWonka’sFactory 81
MarcNapolitano
8 MatildaandthePhilosophyofEducation:or,What’san
EducationFor? 93
JohnV.Karavitis
9 ShatteringtheGlassElevator:AuthenticityandSocialOrder
intheWorksofRoaldDahl 107
JosephJ.FoyandTimothyM.Dale
10 TheFantasticallyJustMr.Fox:PropertyandDistributive
JusticeAccordingtoFoxesandOtherDiggers 121
JacobM.Held
11 WillyWonkaandtheImperialChocolateFactory 137
RonNovy
12 George’sMarvelousMedicine,or,WhatShouldWeDo
aboutGlobalHunger? 149
JanellePötzsch
13 Crodswoggle,Flushbunking,andAllThingsFriendshipin
TheBFG 161
ChadKleist
14 CharlieandtheNightmareFactory:TheArtofChildren’s
HorrorFiction 173
GregLittmann
15 BrimfulofBuzzburgers:AHumanBean’sWildPossibilities 191
MirandaNell
16 Dewey’sMarvelousMedicine:NegativeCapabilityandthe
WonderofRoaldDahl 205
TanyaJeffcoat
Notes 217
Index 239
Twits,Witches,andDirtyBeasts:AuthorBiographies 245