ccccheck list- HEAVY RESEARCH. reading into wind and the willows. Main characters. research into the era, styles of work, clothing etc. previous sucessful book covers. artist inspiration. ideas development. publishing research (research into puffin children books).
Reading into wind & the willows.
The story such a classic, with a strong idea of how the characters looked and were often illustrated was just a case of researching into the plot & whole concept of the book itself. First published in 1908! revealing that the focus is on four
anthropomorphised animal characters in a
pastoral
version of England. The novel is notable for its mixture of mysticism,
adventure, morality, and camaraderie and celebrated for its evocation of
the nature of the
Thames valley. It strongly shows a sense of the value of friendship, behiaviour and right and wrong. Not only giving the reader and sense of these morals it also includes much imagination & personifcation of each much loved characters the reader becomes very familiar with.
I was really fond of how the books author got a great amount of inspiration where he had been brought up and spent his time by the
River Thames
doing much as the animal characters in his book do—namely, as one of
the most famous phrases from the book says, "simply messing about in
boats"—and wrote down the bed-time stories he had been telling his son
Alistair.
The sucess of this novel is huge, In 1909,
Theodore Roosevelt,
then US president, wrote to Grahame to tell him that he had "read it
and reread it, and have come to accept the characters as old friends." -main characters...
- Mole
– A mild-mannered, home-loving animal, and the first character to be
introduced. Fed up with spring cleaning in his secluded home, he
ventures into the outside world. Originally overawed by the hustle and
bustle of the riverbank, he eventually adapts.
- Ratty
– Ratty (actually a water vole) is cultured, relaxed and friendly, with
literary pretentions and a life of leisure. Ratty loves the river and
takes Mole under his wing. He is implied to be occasionally mischievous
and can be stubborn when it comes to doing things outside of his
riverside lifestyle.
- Mr. Toad – The wealthy scion of Toad Hall. Good-natured, kind-hearted and not without intelligence, Toad inherited his wealth from his late father. Spoiled, conceited, and impulsive, he is prone to obsessions and crazes (such as punting, houseboats,
and horse-drawn caravans), each of which in turn he becomes bored with
and drops. His motoring craze eventually sees him imprisoned for theft,
dangerous driving and gross impertinence to the rural police. Several
chapters of the book chronicle his daring escape from prison.
- Mr. Badger
– Gruff and solitary, who "simply hates society", Badger embodies the
"wise hermit" figure. A friend of Toad's late father, he is
uncompromising with the disappointing Toad yet remains optimistic his
good qualities will prevail. He lives in a vast underground set, part of
which incorporates the remains of a buried Roman settlement. A brave
and a skilled fighter, Badger helped clear the Wild Wooders from Toad
Hall with his large cudgel.
- Otter and Portly
– A friend of Ratty with a stereotypical "Cockney costermonger"
character, the extrovert Otter is tough and self-sufficient. Portly is
his young son.
- The Gaoler's Daughter – The only major human character; a "clever, wise, good girl", she helps Toad escape from prison.
- The Chief Weasel – The story's antagonist. He and his band of weasels, stoats, and ferrets from the Wild Wood plot to take over Toad Hall.
- Inhabitants of the Wild Wood – Weasels, stoats, ferrets, foxes and others, who are described by Ratty thus: "all right in a way... but... well, you can't really trust them".
- Pan – A god who makes a single, anomalous appearance in Chapter 7, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.
- The Wayfarer – A vagabond seafaring rat,
who also makes a single appearance. Ratty briefly considers following
his example, before Mole manages to persuade him otherwise.
- Squirrels and rabbits, who are generally good (although rabbits are described as "a mixed lot").
here are also some previous designs I feel quite inspired by.
They have a very strong clean design, showing a more contemporary look yet still in-keeping with the concept, era & story. The strongist part of the covers would have to be the typography, the hand drawn i prefer the most, adding alot of character :)
