“The Landlady” P



“The Landlady” P.O.V. Rewrite

As you know, Roald Dahl ended “The Landlady” at the climax of the story. In other words, there was no resolution. A lot of students wonder how the story might have ended had Dahl revealed the outcome of the conflict between Billy and the landlady. Now, you get a chance to finish it yourself!

Your task is to pick up the story line where Dahl left off. You might begin with Dahl’s last line: “No, my dear,” she said. “Only you.” However, the task is not simply to continue writing in Dahl’s third person limited point of view; you must write it from Billy’s perspective (First Person point of view.) See below for more specific guidelines.

• Address all of the senses (describe what you see, hear, smell, taste, and feel)

• Write at least two paragraphs (that should be easy if you are using dialogue!)

• Write the entire conclusion in 1st person point of view

• Use your best spelling, grammar, and punctuation

• Stay in the same tense the entire time (present or past)

• Finish the story creatively

Here’s an example:

First Person Point of View

“Only me?” I was confused, and for some reason I couldn’t seem to think very straight. The taste of the tea was now strong upon my tongue, and I suddenly felt as though my mouth had grown completely numb. I felt quite tired, too, and decided to take a seat next to the landlady on the sofa. I plopped down and thought how nice it would be to take a little nap.

“My dear boy,” the landlady said, her voice soothing and gentle. “You look completely exhausted! Lie back now and enjoy this comfy little couch of mine.” I could think of nothing better at the moment, the smell of my landlady’s tea and biscuits like an intoxicant. And then, like a flash of lightning, I remembered where I had seen the two names before. They had both disappeared, years ago, and I realized I was in grave danger. I tried to lift my head, but couldn’t.

“Mulholland and Temple!” I cried out. “They disappeared—years ago!” It all made sense now: the guest book, the animals, the tea, and the way she had lured me here, all the while she had been noticing the way I looked. “You!” I shouted, unable to lift my eyes. “You killed them! You stuffed them! Why?”

“Just sleep now, my pet,” I could hear her say, “you will complete the collection. I never had children; now I have three fine, sweet boys.” I suddenly felt more exhausted than I’d ever remembered in my life, and the sounds and smells of the landlady’s house began to diminish slowly. I should’ve tried The Bell and Dragon, I thought as I drifted deeply into the last sleep of my life.

--A. Rowland (based on Roald Dahl’s “The Landlady.”)

Rubric for P.O.V. Rewrite for “The Landlady”

| |(Addresses all senses |

| |(At least 2 paragraphs |

| |(Written in 1st Person P.O.V. (Billy’s) |

|4 |(Complete sentences, correct spelling, correct |

| |punctuation, correct capitalization |

| |(Maintains verb tense throughout the entire |

| |piece |

| |●Finishes the story |

| |(Addresses three of four senses |

| |(At least 2 paragraphs |

| |(Written in 1st Person P.O.V. (Billy’s) |

|3 |(May have some problems with sentences, |

| |punctuation, capitalization, and spelling |

| |(May switch verb tense on occasion |

| |●Mostly finishes the story |

| |(Addresses two of four senses |

| |(May have one or two paragraphs (most |

| |likely two) |

|2 |(Written in 1st Person, but may switch from |

| |victim to killer |

| |(Has problems with spelling, sentences, |

| |punctuation, capitalization that are distracting |

| |(Switches verb tense often |

| |●Story seems finished, but reader may have |

| |questions |

| |(Addresses one or none of the senses |

| |(Has one or no paragraphs |

| |(Written in wrong P.O.V. or switches |

|1 |viewpoint frequently |

| |(Serious problems with spelling, punctuation, |

| |sentences, and capitalization |

| |(Serious problems with verb tense—leads to |

| |confusion |

| |●Too many unanswered questions |

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