S2 E10 Dorothy as Mother in The Wizard of Oz

Good witches and ever-loyal Kansans, Sonja and Vanessa, consider a fresh reading of the widely acknowledged “American Fairy Tale,” The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.  Written in 1900 by L. Frank Baum, and later made into an internationally-influential and dearly-beloved film in 1939, we ask what message Dorothy’s story sends to female viewers/readers.  

Let’s start with this interesting aspect: Dorothy is on an odyssey (as our discussions in IWAW Season 1 suggest), but she sure doesn’t want to be on it!  Dorothy Gale almost instantly aches to return to bleak Kansas, her home, and entertains very little curiosity for the magical land in which she finds herself. In essence, Dorothy falls into an adventure with--noticeably--no sense of adventure. Why? She keeps saying there’s no place like home, but is that the same as saying home is a good place?

Vanessa tries valiantly to convince Sonja that we might even have a motherhood theme at work in a novel with no moms.  Does she succeed? Tune in for a fresh perspective, provocative questions, and a great appreciation for this rich story that we never tire of, truly in the way of fairy tales.  It’s worth noting that while J. R. Tolkien purposely created an English epic and mythology, L. Frank Baum just wanted to make a fun story for children with no moralizing purpose…and the result was a tale that has organically become THE American fairy tale.  

If you’ve ever wondered how the book and movie differ, would like to know more about the man who made every convenience store in Kansas sell Oz merch, you’ll love this episode.  Plus, if you’re up for looking at a classic novel and movie in a new way, thinking about stories that say things maybe they did not intend–and maybe we were not expecting–then this is a great episode for you.  Like it or not, the Oz story has shaped our lives, and it’s fascinating to reflect on how it has shaped us.  

REFERENCES:

In Walks a Woman podcast  is proud to record at the Lawrence Public Library, in Lawrence, Kansas.

If you are interested in a beautifully-illustrated edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, check out the Centennial Edition in paperback by the University of Kansas Press.

For more information on the 1893 Columbian World Fair in Chicago with the “white city” that inspired the Emerald City, check out this article with photos from the Chicago Architecture Center.

If you doubt that admiration for Baum and Oz are still alive in the 21st century, check out the International Wizard of Oz Club.

For more information on L. Frank Baum’s mother-in-law, Matilda Gage, check out this great Smithsonian article:  "The Feminist Who Inspired the Witches of Oz".

Link to prints of the Land of Oz Map, as described in the show.

Check out this cool article on W.W. Denslow's Illustrations for the first edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from 1900, with many sample illustrations.