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Henk's Reviews > The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (Macmillan Collector's Library)
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Really enjoyed this classic, I can very well imagine reading this to a child and there is a lot of symbols that elevate the book above being a simple parable
‘Am I really wonderful?� asked the Scarecrow.
‘You are unusual,� replied Glinda.
Of the adaptations of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz I remember the Wiz, with Michael Jackson and Diana Ross and quite scary flying monkeys the best. The book gave me vibes of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking-Glass and The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, with a quest into a foreign country, with friendships along the way.
However strangely enough for quite a slight children's book, this read was most synergetic with These Truths: A History of the United States of historian Jill Lepore from Harvard, since a lot of the elements touched upon by L. Frank Baum refer to American history and enfranchisement.
For instance, House ending slavery in the East or how Chinese immigrants working in the gold rush of California, but not treated as citizens, inspiring the Winkies and the Wicked Witch of the West. The dust bowl comes back at the start of the book, when Dorothy refers to Kansas as a grey state full of dust everywhere.
Her companions can also be seen as symbols of the common man his enfranchisement, Scarecrow as Farmer, Tin Man symbolizing Industry and Lion representing soldiers. In the book they are quite witty and snappy, for instance:
‘Have you brains?� asked the Scarecrow.
‘I suppose so. I’ve never looked to see� replied the Lion.
Finally illusionists and circus, think of T.J. Barnum his successes with illusions, must have inspired the Great Wizard (As he said, he was a good man, even if he was a bad Wizard).
This is an easy read and I highly recommend picking it up if only for curiosity to the source that inspired so many adaptations. Everything is neatly explained and solved in the end.
Frankly the only question that does still nag at me a bit is why Dorothy has silver shoes in the book, or rather why does the film and musical versions have her wearing red ones?
‘Am I really wonderful?� asked the Scarecrow.
‘You are unusual,� replied Glinda.
Of the adaptations of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz I remember the Wiz, with Michael Jackson and Diana Ross and quite scary flying monkeys the best. The book gave me vibes of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking-Glass and The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, with a quest into a foreign country, with friendships along the way.
However strangely enough for quite a slight children's book, this read was most synergetic with These Truths: A History of the United States of historian Jill Lepore from Harvard, since a lot of the elements touched upon by L. Frank Baum refer to American history and enfranchisement.
For instance, House ending slavery in the East or how Chinese immigrants working in the gold rush of California, but not treated as citizens, inspiring the Winkies and the Wicked Witch of the West. The dust bowl comes back at the start of the book, when Dorothy refers to Kansas as a grey state full of dust everywhere.
Her companions can also be seen as symbols of the common man his enfranchisement, Scarecrow as Farmer, Tin Man symbolizing Industry and Lion representing soldiers. In the book they are quite witty and snappy, for instance:
‘Have you brains?� asked the Scarecrow.
‘I suppose so. I’ve never looked to see� replied the Lion.
Finally illusionists and circus, think of T.J. Barnum his successes with illusions, must have inspired the Great Wizard (As he said, he was a good man, even if he was a bad Wizard).
This is an easy read and I highly recommend picking it up if only for curiosity to the source that inspired so many adaptations. Everything is neatly explained and solved in the end.
Frankly the only question that does still nag at me a bit is why Dorothy has silver shoes in the book, or rather why does the film and musical versions have her wearing red ones?
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LiLi
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Nov 15, 2020 07:55AM
I think the ruby slippers had something to do with wanting to take full advantage of the color film, which was still uncommon and expensive & therefore a selling point for the movie.
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You are quite right, I actually found a Wikipedia article about it, so I should have looked better:
As a mom I read a lot of books out loud at one period of my life and The Wizard of Oz was a joy to read--gorgeous diction and such a literary flare compared with, say, J.K. Rowling's books--reading those was like talking with lumpen oatmeal in my mouth. I still feel thrilled when I think of Baum ending an early chapter with the sentence "It's a lighted match." The only book that surpassed it for read-aloud-to-a-child goodness was Dickens's A Christmas Carol.
Ah good to hear, I have listed A Christmas Carol for reading in December so curious to see how I'll like that one!
Because MGM realized ruby slippers would look more spectacular in Technicolor than silver ones.
Yes I read it on Wikipedia, funny how that really is something that persists in all the adaptations
