The Dragon's Grandmother
The Dragon's Grandmother is a short story by G.K. Chesterton that tells the tale of a young man who sets out to slay a dragon and ends up meeting its grandmother instead. The story explores themes of morality, justice, and the nature of good and evil.
By G.K. Chesterton · First published 1923 · Genre: Fantasy, Satire, Philosophical Fiction · 1,738 words
First lines
I met a man the other day who did not believe in fairy tales. I do not mean that he did not believe in the incidents narrated in them -- that he did not believe that a pumpkin could turn into a coach. He did, indeed, entertain this curious disbelief. And, like all the other people I have ever met who entertained it, he was wholly unable to give me an intelligent reason for it. He tried the laws of nature, but he soon dropped that. Then he said that pumpkins were unalterable in ordinary experience, and that we all reckoned on their infinitely protracted pumpkinity. But I pointed out to him that this was not an attitude we adopt specially towards impossible marvels, but simply the attitude we adopt towards all unusual occurrences. If we were certain of miracles we should not count on them. Things that happen very seldom we all leave out of our calculations, whether they are miraculous or not.
What this Textopian page supports
The Dragon's Grandmother is listed on Textopian as a short story by G.K. Chesterton, dated 1923 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: G.K. Chesterton
- Date: 1923 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Fantasy, Satire, Philosophical Fiction, Literary Fiction
- Length: 1,738 words
- Structure: 1 section, 11 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Dragon's Grandmother by G.K. Chesterton
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Discussion starters
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Genres
- Fantasy — The narrative revolves around the concept of fairy tales and fantastical elements, such as dragons and magical transformations.
- Satire — The text uses humor and irony to critique modern literature and societal attitudes towards fairy tales.
- Philosophical Fiction — The story explores philosophical themes about belief, reality, and the nature of storytelling.
- Literary Fiction — The writing style and thematic depth align with characteristics of literary fiction, focusing on character introspection and societal commentary.
Tags
fantasy · adventure · mythology · dragons · family · imagination · children's literature · whimsy · narrative · folklore · magic · heroism