46 pages 1 hour read

Roald Dahl

The Landlady

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1959

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Reading Context

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Consider the differences between the terms “tradition” and “modernity.” What values are associated with each? How are the two ideas antithetical?

Teaching Suggestion: This question orients students with the thematic discussion of the story. As a part of his focus on The Anonymity of Modern Life, Dahl juxtaposes the harsh, cold, and “brisk” exterior of Billy’s modern world with the warm, inviting, safe-seeming interior of the landlady’s traditional home. However, this security is false, as Billy’s modern and detached outlook does not protect him from the landlady’s trap. In this sense, tradition and modernity are linked, and the anonymity that the modern world creates—note the two young men have already vanished and been almost forgotten—allows the landlady to prey on young men and avoid suspicion. Ultimately, the landlady remains anonymous—neither Billy nor the reader ever learns her name.

Related Titles

By Roald Dahl

Study Guide
logo

Beware of the Dog

Roald Dahl

Beware of the Dog

Roald Dahl

Study Guide
logo

Billy and the Minpins

Roald Dahl

Billy and the Minpins

Roald Dahl

Study Guide
logo

Boy: Tales of Childhood

Roald Dahl

Boy: Tales of Childhood

Roald Dahl

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

Charlie And The Chocolate Factory

Roald Dahl

Charlie And The Chocolate Factory

Roald Dahl

Study Guide
logo

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

Roald Dahl

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

Roald Dahl

Study Guide
logo

Danny, the Champion of the World

Roald Dahl

Danny, the Champion of the World

Roald Dahl

Study Guide
logo

Esio Trot

Roald Dahl

Esio Trot

Roald Dahl

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

Fantastic Mr Fox

Roald Dahl

Fantastic Mr Fox

Roald Dahl

Study Guide
logo

George's Marvelous Medicine

Roald Dahl

George's Marvelous Medicine

Roald Dahl

Study Guide
logo

Going Solo

Roald Dahl

Going Solo

Roald Dahl

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

James And The Giant Peach

Roald Dahl

James And The Giant Peach

Roald Dahl

Study Guide
logo

Lamb To The Slaughter

Roald Dahl

Lamb To The Slaughter

Roald Dahl

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

Matilda

Roald Dahl

Matilda

Roald Dahl

Study Guide
logo

Skin

Roald Dahl

Skin

Roald Dahl

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

The BFG

Roald Dahl

The BFG

Roald Dahl

Study Guide
logo

The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me

Roald Dahl, Illustr. Quentin Blake

The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me

Roald Dahl, Illustr. Quentin Blake

Study Guide
logo

The Magic Finger

Roald Dahl, Illustr. Quentin Blake

The Magic Finger

Roald Dahl, Illustr. Quentin Blake

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

The Twits

Roald Dahl

The Twits

Roald Dahl

Study Guide
logo

The Way Up To Heaven

Roald Dahl

The Way Up To Heaven

Roald Dahl

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

The Witches

Roald Dahl

The Witches

Roald Dahl