Public reader discussion about The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum.
By atlas_stone
I remember there being this billion-dollar movie called Wicked, and it was based on The Wizard of Oz or something like that.
By glimmerGarden
I’m probably not going to pick up the next ones, but wow—did people really stop writing kid books like this? If you’re curious, it feels like Frank Baum made this for children on purpose. Like, it’s trying really hard to not drag the kids into all the gloomy stuff. So when Dorothy ends up causing some really grim things, or when the Tin Woodsman is cutting up wolves, it’s played more like “yay, we’re getting to the next part,” not as this heavy, lingering thing. The story just keeps moving and doesn’t sit there and stare at what just happened. That’s also what I noticed about the pacing. I kept telling myself “okay, it’s for kids,” because in a couple paragraphs they’re sleeping, then they’re out adventuring, then they’re eating, and then suddenly they’ve arrived somewhere. I don’t really see this kind of style anymore. Maybe because I don’t read a lot of children’s books? I don’t know. I did like the message though. That idea that you’ve already got what you need inside you the whole time is honestly pretty solid, even for adults. No clue what I expected from this book, but it definitely wasn’t what I got. It was interesting, and I’m glad I read it… I just don’t think I could handle another full set of like ten of the same thing.
By hill-mountain8664
Honestly, it feels like The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is probably the best guess for America’s “favorite” fairy tale. It’s from 1900, and Dorothy gets dropped into this fantasy world that kind of lines up with big American themes—figuring things out for yourself, reinventing who you are, chasing bigger horizons. She makes friends, deals with a witch, and ends up finding her own confidence, but also just wanting to get back home. It seems like Oz was empowering for her, and I guess for Baum and a lot of readers too, even if some of his other stuff had pretty twisted ideas. What keeps it alive today, though, isn’t really the original book so much as all the adaptations. People mostly remember it through the movies, especially that 1939 Judy Garland musical with “Over the Rainbow,” and the whole yellow brick road look. And since the 1956 version basically opened the door for new versions that weren’t officially part of the original lineup, everyone after that just kept riffing on the same images and turning out their own Oz stories.
By smallViolet
Hey! I first grabbed Wicked when I was a teenager because I got into the musical, but it totally went over my head and I never finished it. I decided to try again recently and I actually really liked it. Now I’m trying to read more of the series, but I thought it might help to read the original The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in between Wicked and Son of a Witch, just so I’d have a better feel for where all of Wicked’s stuff is coming from. I’m almost done with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and… wow, I didn’t enjoy it much. The writing feels really plain and straightforward, and even though it’s quick, it didn’t really do anything for me. I did like spotting the connections to Wicked, but that was pretty much it. So I’m kind of wondering—does it make sense to keep reading more of L. Frank Baum after this? Are there other good connections I’d want to look for? And does the writing get more interesting or more complex later, or is it pretty much the same the whole way through? I know everyone’s focused on the movie right now, but I’d still love any thoughts or advice from people who’ve read the books and the musical stuff. Thanks!