73 pages • 2 hours read
Roald DahlThe Witches
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1983A 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.
Background
Critical Context: Criticisms of The Witches
Though the boy and his grandma present witches as devilish villains that should be tracked down and terminated, some have a contrary perspective and argue that Dahl’s witches are empowering. The witches have an unmatched amount of authority. No one is more dangerous than them. They also possess style and intelligence. In “7 Feminist Lessons From ‘The Witches’,” Caroline Kepnes calls Dahl’s book “a hilarious, feminist commentary on women, work, and family.” She praises the Grand High Witch as a “brilliant scientist and marketing whiz” (Kepnes, Caroline. “7 Feminist Lessons From ‘The Witches’.” Bustle, 26 May 2016).
Others might view the witches as sexist. Dahl’s editor, Stephen Roxburgh, “was concerned about the portrayal of women.” Dahl replied: “The nicest person in the whole thing is a woman”—Grandmamma.” As Dahl also told Roxburgh: “I must keep reminding you that this is a book for children, and I don’t give a bugger what grown-ups think about it. This has always been my attitude” (Roxburgh, Stephen. “Gobsmacked! Memories of Editing ‘The Witches’.” Publishers Weekly, 13 July 2013). Dahl further complicates gender dynamics involving the witches by having 
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