(no subject)

As one might have guessed, I read The Wind in the Willows recently (for the first time, even though I’ve been familiar with that story since I was a small child), and I liked it a lot. I’m also currently re-reading The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (or rather, having Douglas Adams read it to me via audiobook), and something just occurred to me today: Zaphod Beeblebrox and Mr. Toad are same energy. Zaphod is a little ruder, but the thing that made me think of this is the scene in Restaurant at the End of the Universe where he steals Disaster Area’s craft, and is described as looking “like a man possessed- or more accurately, a man who wanted to possess.” That describes Toad SO WELL with his motorcar obsession.

Another thought I had on The Wind in the Willows is that Rat is aromantic and he and Mole are in a queerplatonic relationship, and I know it’s WEIRD to have shippy feelings about two animals from a children’s book that’s over a hundred years old, but... well, there it is. I’ve ALWAYS thought they were cute together.

I’ve also been watching a lot of adaptations and reading some of the unauthorized sequels (only unauthorized because the author is dead), and I’ve really come to realize the strength of an adaptation/sequel lies in its portrayal of Ratty, for me, anyway:

-The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame: THE Water Rat. Not MY Water Rat per se, but the original, the one against whom all the others are stacked up.

-The Wind in the Willows by TVC: Still not exactly MY Water Rat, but an excellent interpretation of the Water Rat. The first adaptation I ever saw, and they NAILED this character. He is portrayed exactly how he is in the book and I love him.

-The Wind in the Willows (film) by Cosgrove Hall: Again, not strictly MY Water Rat, but a decent interpretation of the Water Rat. A bit calmer than I imagined the character in the books, though.

-The Wind in the Willows (TV series) by Cosgrove Hall: MY Water Rat. Not necessarily THE Water Rat- he’s a bit less excitable and, particularly in later seasons, far more sarcastic and dry-witted than in the book, but this is the one that made me fall in love with the character and the interpretation I like the most. I’m obligated to remark on how Peter Sallis’ voice is the warmest sound I’ve ever heard- listening to him as Ratty literally feels like snuggling under a cozy blanket.

-The Willows in Winter by William Horwood: Not my Water Rat, but a pretty good imitation of him. Would be perfect if it wasn’t for the random decision to turn his love for the River into a spiritual connection to it. He does get major points for his relationship with Mole being perfectly depicted, and especially for the mention that he feels married to the River and wants no part in real romantic relationships.

-The Willows in Winter by TVC: #NotMyWaterRat. Somehow the adaptation of the book is a worse portrayal than the one in the book. I don’t know how that happened.

-Return to the Willows by Jacqueline Kelly: #NotMyWaterRat. He falls in love with a female rat, enough said. Everyone knows Ratty has already met his One True Love, and her name is the River.

-The Wind in the Willows by Julian Fellowes: DEFINITELY #NotMyWaterRat. At times his snarky portrayal felt like a tribute to Cosgrove Hall’s late-season version of him, but overall he was far too angsty and angry and immature and I didn’t enjoy this interpretation of him at all.

I actually have several complaints about the musical version, but those will have to wait for later.