by Johanna Spyri
(re-re-read)
So it’s a little over the top. If Johanna Spyri could have dialed it back just a little, it could have been the kind of classic suited for adults as well as children. What am I saying? This IS a classic and I’m trying to improve it.
Heidi is a little wood sprite. The world is enchanted to her; everything is alive, every tree and mountain and goat is an individual.
“[S]he made personal acquaintance with [the goats] all in turn, for they were like separate individuals to her, each single goat having a particular way of behavior of its own.” I can certainly vouch for the fact that every goat is an individual.
According to grandfather, the big bird of prey who lives on top of the mountain and croaks and screams is saying, “If you would separate and each go your own way and come up here and live on a height as I do, it would be better for you!” How I dream of living alone high in an Alpine hut, spending my time smoking my pipe and looking down over the valley.
Tytania 