Talk:The Witches (novel)

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Novels: Roald Dahl / Fantasy Mid‑importance

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Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 26 January 2021 and 15 May 2021. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Student.Madeline.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 11:13, 17 January 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Untitled

Looks good to me, but I'll let someone else make the call. -- Kizor 18:31, 14 May 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I've removed the part about the play only being seen in London, as this was false. I myself once went to see the play at the Hexagon in Reading, which obviously is not London. (Sparky667, 14:55, May 15th 2007)

Disambiguation

Link from the list of Pasolini's movies leads here! Obviously we need a disambiguation page, but a) I'm not sure how this page should be renamed (The_Witches_Dahl ?) and b) I'm not on the right computer to be doing serious editing at the moment.

--Moilleadóir 1 July 2005 20:53 (UTC)

Cover art

Can we put a cover for the book on the page? Thief Lord 21:56, 12 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Reason for Challenge?

Neither this article nor the website linked explain exactly why this novel is so frequently challenged. Could anyone figure it out? --Jitterro 03:55, 14 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

One of two possibilities: Christians don't like anything that involves witchcraft. Or alternatively, Wiccans don't like anything that portrays witches as evil.

Or PETA protesting the chopping of mice into bits. :) Fllmtlchcb (talk) 23:57, 29 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

So? Still nothing on this, 3 years and a season later. I'm curious! LokiClock (talk) 13:15, 15 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I'm sure it's because of the witchcraft. I could possibly see Wiccans or PETA taking offense, but protesters of children's lit are most often Christian and/or conservative parents. Or they might have seen the killing of all the witches as offensive just because it was violent. Seems clear enough to me, but still someone should add a section about the controversy, especially since it's mentioned in the intro to the article... —Preceding unsigned comment added by Android the Andrew (talk • contribs) 06:10, 29 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I don't have the time to write this section myself right now, but this - http://www.lib.latrobe.edu.au/ojs/index.php/tlg/article/view/84/70 - would be a good place to start if anyone else gets around to it before I do. Android the Andrew (talk) 06:17, 29 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

It would also be great to include the responses to such controversies to balance this section. Does anyone have a source in mind? Bktfg (talk) 13:18, 30 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Grandmother & The Grand High Witch

Didn't she meet her whilst working as a Witch-hunter, as opposed to as a child? --Counter-revolutionary 11:22, 22 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Also, I thought her (GHW's) headquarters (castle) was somewhere in Germany? --Counter-revolutionary 16:57, 11 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Boy's name

The text here descries the narrator as Luke or Lucas, but this name is never used in the book, they boy is nameless. The name luke is only used in the film version. StuartRalph (talk) 12:06, 19 April 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The story is cool!

Many plot twists that made me nervous. The cinematography is great, characters show realistic emotions. Overall, it's great. Unanimousaccount (talk) 05:51, 29 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Proposed Edits

I am planning on making some changes to the article in the coming weeks. To begin, I will be adding a Background section to introduce the basics of the book. Then, I plan on adding an analysis section to discuss some interpretations academics have made on the novel (I think they will be really helpful in expanding the balanced tone of the article, especially with the Reception section currently focusing on the more negative receptions of the novel). Finally, I will be reworking the the Reception section to add in a few reviews of the book immediately after its publication in 1983 as well as a few more positive reviews to give the section a more balanced tone. Student.Madeline (talk) 13:34, 3 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]

May I also suggest that the plot section be reworked? It seems pretty lengthy for a length of this size. Student.Madeline (talk) 02:12, 16 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Possible vandalism by User Nyxaros?

User Nyxaros has continually reverted reference and citation edits I have made in reference to the Subject work, even though I have used proper references/citations. The references I provided were in regard to audiobook editions of the Subject work.TonyPS214 (talk) 13:37, 8 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Shouldn't the reception or analysis section mention the story's antisemitic themes?

Was surprised to see no mention of how the hooked-nosed cabal that hides among "normal" people, controls the government and banks, and does blood libel, is blatantly antisemitic. I'm a newish editor so idk if I'd know the right way to make the edits (I've only done proofreading type stuff so far) but it feels like something that should be included.

From https://www.vox.com/culture/21526708/the-witches-movie-2020-review-roald-dahl-antisemitism (from what I can tell, a reliable source for citations):

"The anti-Semitism Dahl himself professed doesn’t necessarily play a role in most of his other works, but it’s directly relevant to The Witches, a story that’s explicitly about detecting imposters in the midst of society. This is, to be blunt, the theme of most anti-Semitic conspiracies throughout history, and has led in its most extreme form to the idea that Jewish people “hide” in plain sight while essentially controlling the world." Purplepretzel34 (talk) 20:39, 25 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]