Analysis and Comparison of Dramatizations of The Wind in the Willows

This diploma thesis deals with an analysis and comparison of dramatizations of The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, a book which ranks among the British children's classics. The paper examines to what extent the dramatizations correspond to the book, whether and why they deviate from the original text, and what consequences these changes have. The thesis focuses on four dramatizations – a play by Alan Alexander Milne called Toad of Toad Hall, Alfa Theatre production of The Wind in the Willows, a Walt Disney short animated film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, and Terry Jones´s adaptation of The Wind in the Willows to a feature film. In the thesis, firstly the book and then the dramatizations are analyzed in terms of the theme and genre, characters, setting, composition and language use. Subsequently, the dramatizations are examined and compared with regards to the transformation processes – selection, condensation, substitution, amplification, and changes in composition and language. In the final chapter, I summarize my findings and draw the conclusion