Assessment of aesthetic value is related to what makes a piece of literature have a sensory effect ' whether the work is beautiful, entertaining, boring, humorous or tragic. Responses to a particular piece of writing will elicit different responses in different individuals. That which disgusts one person may amuse another. These responses are ingrained within individuals by cultural and social conditioning, and a particular response by an individual may even differ with time. A child will not fully appreciate Dahl's humour until he or she has experienced more of life and encountered the characters Dahl depicts ' only then will the true humour of a situation become apparent. Similarly as an adult matures, he or she may experience a shift in outlook, so that what was once seen as repelling may become only macabre. What makes Dahl's stories enjoyable is ultimately up to the individual, and the fact that a vast number of people do enjoy his writing is evidence that there is a thread of universal appeal running throughout his stories.

Dahl's writing appeals for various reasons. People enjoy his macabre humour, clever writing and unique style. This assessment is of course open to interpretation, as are all statements about the aesthetic.

What is undeniable about Dahl's writing is that:
- He has a unique and identifiable style of writing ' easy to read, approachable and rich in imagery
- His writing is characterized by subtle humour as opposed to slap stick, direct humour
- In many of his stories there is an unexpected twist in the end

It is the combination of these elements that contributes to the aesthetic value of Dahl's writing. Although some elements may appeal more to certain individuals, there is no doubt that it has mass appeal.

What makes Dahl's writing particularly interesting is his ability to capture an easily identifiable segment of life and magnify it to the point of caricature. He readily pokes fun at the rich and privileged. This appeals to the majority of people who are NOT rich and privileged and shows the truth behind the façade of wealth.

Dahl's style is also particularly easy to read, because when characters converse they come across as being real and believable. It is as if though the reader becomes a fly on the wall beholding the scene as it plays out. He does not encumber his writing with unnecessarily difficult words, but uses plain language, as you would expect people to use.

Dahl also manages to create extremely imaginative stories, many of which are based on real life experiences. He was based in Africa while working for the Shell Oil Company and came across wild animals and snakes. He uses a black mamba in one of his stories ' although the actions of the mamba in this tale are truly astonishing (it suckles milk from a cow at night). Dahl takes his own experiences and moulds them into clever stories ' this makes his writing relevant and easy to identify with.

Thanks to his unique style of writing, cunning wit, dark humour and imaginative story telling abilities, Dahl's writing has aesthetic appeal to many people.

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