The Wizard of Oz as American Myth: A Critical Study of Six Versions of the Story, 1900-2007

by Alissa Burger

Since the publication of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900, authors, filmmakers, and theatrical producers have been retelling and reinventing this uniquely American fairy tale. This volume examines six especially significant incarnations of the Baum's original novel, the MGM classic The Wizard of Oz (1939), Sidney Lumet's African American film musical The Wiz (1978), Gregory Maguire's novel The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (1995), Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman's Broadway hit A New Musical (2003), and the SyFy Channel miniseries Tin Man (2007). A close consideration of these works demonstrates how versions of Baum's tale are influenced by and help shape notions of American myth, including issues of gender, race, home, and magic, and makes clear that the Wizard of Oz narrative remains compelling and relevant today.

Genres: Nonfiction

230 pages, Paperback

First published March 13, 2012

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This books examines four different areas - gender, race, home and magic - across six different versions or retellings of the Wizard of Oz story and the ways each of those areas have evolved or changed over time to reflect current American society and attitudes. The versions of the story the book examines are the original novel, the 1939 movie, The Wiz, Wicked (book and musical) and Tin Man. The book is definitely very dense and academic in nature and probably not recommend for those without a background in critical theory. It also helps if the reader is familiar with most, or all of the versions of the story the author refers to. Overall, there were large portions of the book that felt very repetitive or that were not saying anything really new if you've seen the different versions of the story and how ideas have evolved over time. There were some interesting insights, but I don't know that the overcoming the density of the book was reward enough for those few insights.
2.5 stars

[GG · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a study of 6 versions of the Wizard of Oz story. The bibliography and notes sections are particularly thorough showing the author's research on this topic. It also enables readers to look further into the subject on their own if they wish.

I particularly enjoyed the overview/introduction as a way to introduce readers who may not be familiar with all versions of the story and how it pertains especially to American Popular culture.

The writing is clear and straightforward and the book is arranged in a logical fashion. If you've you've ever wondered about the yellow brick road or the various takes on it and how different generations and groups interpret it, this book is for you.

[Sara Marks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book from LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. I am a huge Oz fan. I have read the vast majority of the original book series. I have seen the movies over and over through my life. My mother, when she found out I got this book, reminded me about how I use to get excited at the annual viewing of the movie before we got a VCR. I love Wicked and have seen the musical. The six versions of the story are ones I am very familiar with. Add to this that I love academic books that place popular culture in a deeper philosophical or, in this case, anthropological context. My background is religious anthropology. This book was perfect for me.
I really enjoyed this book even though it took a long time for me to get through. My mind just wasn't in the right space for something heavy and academic. I was looking for something lighter. Still, Burger selected some good themes to help readers understand how the Wizard of Oz is American Mythology. She does a wonderful job of explaining how the evolution of each version is an expression of our current values on gender, race, magic, and home. She explains the foundations for her points well. I could easily imaging people taking an American Mythology class reading this book as part of the discussion. I felt like this book was just the tip of the iceberg of something bigger. In order to cover each version she gives just enough to make you want to find out more.
There were some things I felt were missing. First, when she discusses the difference between text and performance she mentions the original Wiz musical theater production. I didn't realize there had been one, but the entire book then focuses on the movie. The movie was the weaker of the two productions. Considering that she considered two versions of the Wizard of Oz and Wicked, I thought two versions of the Wiz would have been a better choice than Tin Man. Tin Man has so many holes and struggles as a story (and she specifically mentions the issue of concluding the story as a huge hole in Tin Man), that I felt it should have been left out.
Would i suggest you read this book? Yes, if you are comfortable with academic texts. This is written for an academic audience. Language is not easy to read if you don't have some foundation in these ideas already. For those who enjoy scholarly works, especially anthropology and popular culture, this will be right up your alley. I would suggest watching Tin Man and The Wiz again (both stream on Netflix) just to make sure you can remember what she is talking about. Read Wicked and the Wizard of Oz too, by all means!

[Kerith]

I hate that I can't mark this DNF or need to finish, or something, instead of "read". I read the first chapter, and decided life was too short & my reading list too long.
I love Oz, and am very familiar with the original book and the MGM film. I also read Wicked long before it became a musical - but I have not seen the musical, nor have I seen The Wiz or Tin Man so already I fall short. In a scholarly work such as this it really helps to be completely familiar with the material. Since I am not, it felt like a slog.

Received my copy from Library Thing's Early Reviewers program.