Wonderful.

I loved the Wind in the Willows, particularly an audio-book edition read by Alan Bennett, who has the most fantastic voice. In the original written editions, E.H. Shephard's illustrations are great, and are one of the rare examples of illustrations matching my mental image of the characters.

From the chapter you linked, I recognised the description of the curved horns, and remembered as a child feeling a bit uncomfortable with the chapter as a whole. I was just about old enough to understand the pagan implications, and be moved by the force of the imagery, and found the whole thing somewhat unsettling. It certainly contrasts with the rest of the book, which alternates between the hectic antics of Toad, and bucolic rural idyll of Ratty and Mole.

The chapter titles are great. I wonder if 'Piper at the Gates of Dawn' is an original Grahame phrase; I think 'like summer tempests came his tears' is from Tennyson. Thanks for this post!

Thanks for the reminder BP. It's been over 20 years since I've read the Wind in the Willows I will read it again.

I wish I'd read The Wind in the Willows at a young age, matthewr... this chapter makes me want to read the rest of the book, esp. the parts about Rat and Mole.

(BTW, I suspect "Piper" is an original Graheme title, since it's not listed in quotes the way "Summer Tempests" is.)

I still revisit that book every couple of years, it's one of my favorites that I can repeatedly return to and it still keeps all the joy. The sequence when Mole realizes he is passing by his old home and Rat is oblivious still puts a bit of a lump in my throat.