We're off to see the Wizard, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
You'll find he is a whiz of a Wiz! If ever a Wiz! there was.
If ever oh ever a Wiz! there was The Wizard of Oz is one becoz,
Becoz, becoz, becoz, becoz, becoz.
Becoz of the wonderful things he does.
You'll find he is a whiz of a Wiz! If ever a Wiz! there was.
If ever oh ever a Wiz! there was The Wizard of Oz is one becoz,
Becoz, becoz, becoz, becoz, becoz.
Becoz of the wonderful things he does.
IT was L. Frank Baum's birthday on May 15. The author, best known for his book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, was born in 1856. In fact, he wrote more than 55 novels, 14 of which were part of the Oz series.
I was unaware of this until several years ago and was, thus, puzzled by The Lion of Oz, the animated feature that used to be repeated regularly on the Disney Channel in the late '90s. Actually, this film was based on a book not by L. Frank Baum but his great-grandson, Roger S. Baum. He too penned a number of books set in the land of Oz. Ruth Plumly Thompson was another author who carried on supplying Oz fans with reading material. She wrote 19 books about the magical land!
Although the original Oz books by Baum senior were re-issued in 2000 (the centenary of the publication of the first book), they are not easily available. All I have are the first four (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Marvellous Land of Oz, Ozma of Oz and Dorothy and the Wizard Oz), but I have only read the first and that was many, many years ago. It was one of my favourite books when I was growing up though, especially before I turned 12 and discovered the dubious delights of the Sweet Dreams romance series!
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was one of a set of hardback children's classics bought for my eldest sister, Anne, by our Aunt Rachel. Unfortunately, the book is with my third sister at the moment so I can't check on the publisher. I'd like to reacquiant myself with that edition again because I remember loving the line-drawings in it. From what I remember of the way Dorothy was depicted in that book, the illustrator was not John R. Neill or W. W. Denslow.
It was Denslow who illustrated the first book (as well as several other non-Oz books by Baum), but quarelled with the author over royalties. All the other Oz books are thus illustrated by Neill whose work on the series is considered canonical. Both drew the little girl as a short, plump creature with thick red braids, but the Dorothy I remember was a slim and neat child with a thin, oval face and solemn expression. I will never forget some of the other illustrations in the book: the Good Witch of the North - a wizened old lady in a bonnet and stiff skirts; the good, kind and beautiful kind Glinda (I'm afraid I turned her dress scarlet with my Luna colour pencil); the army of vicious winged monkeys carrying Dorothy and the Tin Man off; the china milkmaid who blamed Dorothy for her china cow's broken leg; Dorothy and her friends wearing spectacles to protect their eyes from the glare of the glittering Emerald City.
It's interesting to note that Baum's mother-in-law was Matilda Gage a famous American suffragette. She seems to have influenced Baum's work as he writes very positively about women. Not only are the rulers of the various lands of Oz all enterprising and brave females (however, not all are benevolent), Baum is also sensitive to the tyranny of housework, choosing cleaning and washing as the punishment Dorothy has to endure at the hands of the Witch of the West. In The Marvellous Land of Oz, an all-female army attack with knitting needles and, on winning, make the men do all household chores. And in Glinda of Oz, Dorothy refuses to keep house for the King of All Spiders. What would Meg, Jo and Beth have said to that? Would Anne have considered Dorothy a kindred spirit? I'm surprised Dot isn't already a poster child for the feminist movement. I should introduce my daughter to her soon.
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