Lamb to the Slaughterby |
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Roald Dahl |
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| The author |
Roald Dahl
—
(September
13, 1916 – November 23, 1990) was a
British
novelist and
short story author of
Norwegian descent,
famous as a writer for both
children and adults.
Among his most popular books are Charlie and
the Chocolate Factory,
James and the Giant Peach,
Matilda,
The Witches,
The BFG,
and
Kiss Kiss. .(From Wikipedia, The free Encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/)
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| The story | The plot
concerns a woman who kills her husband by assaulting him with a frozen leg
of lamb, after he had told her that he was leaving her (not written in the
story why, the readers can form their own opinion). When she realizes what
she had just done she arranges an alibi for herself and calls the police.
When the police arrive at her home, she explains to them that her husband
has been attacked. To thank them for their hard work she feeds the policemen
the leg of lamb she used to kill her husband with, and quietly laughs to
herself while they eat. The story was later adapted into a classic episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. This work is a classic example of the literary style popular in the 1950's, Dark Humor. The story's inspiration came after having dinner with Ian Fleming, the author of James Bond. It is said that Dahl asked him what the best weapon of choice would be from the newly-invented freezer. From www.wikipedia.org |